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Product Handling for Flexible Manufacturing: How Intelligent Transport Beats Traditional Systems
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.png?width=1585&height=651&name=The%20XPlanar%20movers%20(2).png "The XPlanar movers (2)")
Driven by consumer demand for a variety of package sizes, end users are pushing manufacturers and machine builders to handle a diverse range of product sizes and types, increasing the pressure to deliver faster time-to-market.
To navigate this landscape, a flexible manufacturing approach is now essential. Technologies like intelligent transportation systems have been transformative in industries such as life sciences, assembly, packaging, and food processing for product handling. These systems enable manufacturers to quickly adapt to changing market demands and optimize production processes, ensuring efficiency and responsiveness.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the benefits of intelligent transportation systems, and how these technologies are redefining manufacturing efficiency, adaptability, and productivity.
What is an intelligent transportation system?
Intelligent transportation systems represent a significant advancement over traditional product handling systems, such as conventional conveyor belts. Traditional systems often rely on numerous mechanical components and can suffer from slower performance, limiting their flexibility and efficiency. By contrast, intelligent transportation systems offer a more streamlined and adaptable solution for modern production demands and environments.
Beckhoff intelligent transportation systems, for example, leverage advanced mechatronics and adaptive automation technologies to improve both flexibility and efficiency in production environments.
Here is a brief overview of two industry-leading intelligent transportation systems:
- Linear servo track: Utilizing magnetically driven movers, Beckhoff’s eXtended Transportation System (XTS) offers a dynamic approach to product handling. This innovative system replaces traditional conveyors by coordinating movers along a configurable path, which eliminates the need for mechanical components and enhances adaptive automation. Featuring a flexible, modular design, XTS optimizes production processes while providing precise control over individual movers.
- Flying motion: Leveraging magnetic levitation technology to achieve six degrees of freedom, Beckhoff’s XPlanar enables versatile movement and application. This mechatronic solution breaks free from conventional constraints, offering unmatched flexibility and efficiency. Like the XTS, XPlanar features a compact, modular design that supports adaptive automation across various industries.
Key intelligent transportation features that make manufacturers win
- Rotary servo motors that provide precise control over product carrier movement.
- Independent mover control managed through an Industrial PC and TwinCAT software, enabling tailored motion profiles for each mover.
- Unrestricted movement, with movers that can brake, accelerate, and position accurately, even on curved tracks.
- Advanced operations that support on-the-fly start/stop, synchronous and asynchronous movement with external processes, and dynamic product grouping. Asynchronous transport provides a more efficient way of handling production needs compared to synchronous methods.
- Collision avoidance via intelligent design, ensuring smooth, continuous operation.
- Handling both synchronous and asynchronous material flows that enable independent product movement, flexible handling of product variants, reduced cycle times, and optimized workflows, helping you adapt to diverse production needs and leverage greater control over the entire production process.
.png?width=902&height=371&name=XTS%20(2).png "XTS (2)")
How intelligent transportation address production challenges
Intelligent transportation systems create a highly adaptive manufacturing environment by enhancing both the precision of material handling and the speed of production processes.
This combination can address several contemporary manufacturing challenges, including:
- Speeding up product introductions
Modular design enables rapid reconfiguration for different products, minimizing downtime during line changes. Independent mover control enhances flexibility even further, allowing for seamless product introduction without disrupting the system. - Overcoming labour shortages
As skilled labour shortages grow, manufacturers are increasingly relying on automation to sustain productivity. Intelligent transport systems automate repetitive tasks, reducing the need for manual intervention. This shift enables workers to focus on higher-value tasks, addressing labor shortages while optimizing workforce utilization. - Optimizing floor space and production efficiency
Intelligent transport systems feature modular, compact designs that fit into limited spaces and allow for dynamic adjustments. This improves material flow and reduces bottlenecks, manufacturers can enhance space utilization and production efficiency, streamline processes, and increase throughput. - Enhanced product quality
Intelligent transport systems independent mover control ensures accurate positioning and synchronization, reducing errors and maintaining consistency. Meanwhile, real-time tracking and flexibility facilitate smooth material handling, minimizing defects and ensuring high-quality outputs.
Intelligent transportation systems: The future of manufacturing - today
As manufacturers face increasing demands for flexibility, speed, and precision, intelligent transportation systems like Beckhoff’s XTS and XPlanar will play an increasingly crucial role.
Whether you opt for linear servo tracks or flying motion technology, these systems provide the tools to adapt quickly to changing market demands, optimize production processes, and overcome labor shortages, space constraints, and other complex challenges.
By embracing these innovative solutions, you can position themselves at the forefront of flexible, efficient, and high-quality production. If you’re ready to explore how intelligent transportation systems can transform your production lines, reach out to Beckhoff to learn more about their cutting-edge solutions.
Get started with Beckhoff’s intelligent transportation solutions
Get in touch to discuss your manufacturing goals and to learn more about Beckhoff’s innovative intelligent transportation solutions and expertise.
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