SICK and WFT, part of the Staubli Group, use a mobile platform (outdoor heavy-duty AGV) to carry out logistics on site at a BASF plant in Switzerland.

We see BASF driving the automation and digitization of indoor and outdoor logistics. It achieved this through an automated guided vehicle system developed jointly with Staubli WFT and SICK at its Swiss plant in Kaisten.

Despite the high level of automation throughout the plant, BASF set out to further exploit its potential savings in logistics and material supply through automation. The material carrier “storage box” they came up with is nearly eight meters long and more than two meters wide, and with the addition of an automated site conveyor, it can be transformed into an automated guided vehicle (i.e. an outdoor heavy-duty AGV) to automatically pick up products and transport them to the relevant warehouse outside the production floor.

From the Staubli WFT product development: The above-mentioned AGVs for indoor and outdoor use can also be moved outside of recessed tracks or thresholds. Despite its large size, it can save space due to its omnidirectional motion. The mobile platform can move payloads of up to 20 tons. The vehicle is fully autonomous to the various sites and warehouse areas in production, and the next destination can be selected via a web interface.

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The outdoor heavy-duty AGV also meets the safety requirements of BASF’s end users: AGVs operating in mixed mode are able to move safely in both indoor and outdoor areas; It is necessary to identify personnel and obstacles as early as possible, and make timely responses to ensure the safety of the operation process.

This is where SICK’s flagship product, outdoorScan3, comes in: As a 2D safety laser scanner with a PLd safety rating, it plays a key role in the overall process safety of the outdoor heavy-duty AGV:

Each outdoor heavy duty AGV comes with four OutdoorScan3 Pro type security laser scanners.

Security scanners protect the area around the vehicle during operation, ensuring comprehensive protection for all personnel involved in the internal logistics of the plant.

Information from the Strategic Product Manager at SICK: outdoorScan3 monitors the environment around the vehicle through defined protected areas; Once someone or an object gets too close to the vehicle, an emergency stop is activated to ensure their safety. In addition, the measurement data output by outdoorScan3 is also used to locate the vehicle during loading and unloading.