Can AGV replace the traditional sorting line【iYPOWER】

1. The mainstream of automatic sorting machines - cross-belt sorting machines

1.1 Concept and Composition of Cross Sorting

The cross-belt sorting is a small convoy driven by linear power to move at high speed along a circular track, and the labeled goods are sorted through scanner reading codes. It is suitable for large and medium-sized venues such as e-commerce, clothing, and express delivery industries. Structurally, the cross-sorting belt is composed of four parts: control device, sorting device, conveying device and sorting gate.

1.2 Features of cross sorter

The cross sorter adopts the traditional mechanical design, the principle is simple, the structure is relatively strong, and the sorting action is gentle and accurate. The advantage is that when the order quantity is large enough, the sorting efficiency is the highest, and it is suitable for all kinds of large and medium-sized goods, so it is favored by customers and has become the mainstream of sorting equipment. But there are also disadvantages: it occupies a large area and has high requirements for the flatness of the ground; the cost is high, the conveying module is easily damaged, and the maintenance cost is also high. 

1.3 Bag supply mode of cross-belt sorter

(1) Automatic bag supply

The automatic package supply system consists of three sections, which are the import section, the acceleration section and the package supply section. Among the three package supply methods, automatic package supply is the most efficient, but it also has high requirements for the corresponding materials, the shape of the goods, and the orientation of the labels, and the packages must be separated into individual pieces before sorting.

(2) Manual semi-automatic package supply

Manual semi-automatic package supply is based on the package supply section of the automatic package supply system, and a manual delivery station is added, and multiple front-end staff perform the package supply and delivery work. As the number of personnel and operating proficiency vary, the efficiency of supply and package is relatively not very high, and the fluctuation range is relatively large. However, manual semi-automatic package supply has lower requirements for front-end goods and does not limit the label orientation.

(3) Manual supply

Manual package supply is done by the staff adjusting the orientation of the package label and putting it in the center of the trolley to complete the package supply. The operating efficiency is affected by the operating speed of the personnel and the idleness of the trolley, and due to manual feeding, the running speed of the trolley is limited, and the overall efficiency of the sorter is low.

At present, the efficiency of the cross-belt sorter is mainly limited by the difference in the front-end supply mode. Therefore, the industry is mainly based on manual supply and packaging, which can ensure that the labels of each product are aligned in the specified direction, effectively reducing the mis-picking rate, but the efficiency is also reduced. 

1.4 Application case analysis of cross sorting

(1) Yuantong Shilipu——Devolxing

On the basis of the manual sorting mode of the original belt conveyor of YTO Shilipu Branch, the adoption of the Devolxing cross-belt sorter has greatly improved the sorting speed and accuracy. The equipment uses barcode scanning, which has greatly improved the high error rate caused by manual sorting, and the sorting speed has increased from 12,000 pieces in 3.5 hours to 30,000 pieces in 1 hour.

(2) Suning Logistics Center - Dema

Damon's cross-belt sorting system mainly includes an infeed system, a sorting host system, an unloading system and a control system. Damon spent huge sums of money to build a sorting machine with 156 cross-belt trolleys at the Huzhou base. The maximum noise of the main line is only 65 decibels. In the second phase of Suning Yuncang Shanghai Operation Center, which Suning cooperated with Dema, nearly 5km of conveyor lines are fully connected in series, cross-sorting technology runs through the whole process from packaging to distribution, and the package processing capacity reaches 30,000 pieces per hour.

2. The mainstream of new sorting - AGV

2.1 AGV concept and classification

AGV is usually also called AGV trolley. It is a transport vehicle equipped with electromagnetic or optical traction devices and automatically moves forward along a designated route. Generally, its travel route is controlled by a computer. According to the guidance mode, AGV can be divided into electromagnetic, magnetic tape, inertial, laser and visual guidance; according to the driving mode, AGV can be divided into single-wheel drive, differential drive and omnidirectional drive; according to the transfer mode, AGV can be divided into Forklift, track, tractor, piggyback, picker and robot

2.2 AGV sorting characteristics

The AGV sorting robot can sort goods in large quantities continuously, and has a lower sorting error rate than the cross sorter. During the entire sorting process, the AGV sorting operation can be basically unmanned. When there is a failure in a certain link in the middle, it only needs to be removed and repaired, and other parts can continue to work.

2.3 AGV Application Case Analysis

(1) Libiao "Little Yellow Man" - STO, Postal Service, Jingdong Sorting Center

Zhejiang Libiao Robotics Co., Ltd. was established in 2016 and started a partnership in 2017. The main reason for the large increase is the use and promotion of e-commerce warehousing AGVs and the application of AGVs in outdoor ports. With more than 40 invention patents, the dart adopts the method of QR code guidance, and has deployed 5,000 units across the country, serving various express sorting centers of STO, JD.com, and China Post.

The advantage is to achieve the maximum sorting efficiency with the smallest footprint, and can sort 24 hours a day, effectively reducing logistics costs. "Charging for 5 minutes, running for 4 hours" is also an important feature favored by many express delivery companies.

(2) Malu Innovation — Well-known Taobao E-commerce Home Warehouse

Founded in 2015, Malu Innovation Co., Ltd. is committed to the development of automated intelligent storage systems and has nearly 9 patents. Its warehousing system is mainly composed of multiple AGV trolley linkages, using visual guidance, and realizing sorting shelves to people or workbenches according to system instructions. The feature is that it can be customized according to customer needs and warehouse conditions.

The company received millions of yuan in financing in the angel round. In January this year, it received another 60 million yuan in Series A financing led by JD.com. For different business scenarios, Malu Innovation has launched 4 series of intelligent storage robots, which are now serving well-known enterprises in the industry such as JD.com and Gome.

(3) Kuaicang - Jingdong, Vipshop, Best, Cainiao Tmall Warehouse

Founded in 2014, Kuaicang takes "becoming the best practitioner of smart warehousing" as its main strategic goal, and cooperates with heavyweight customers such as JD.com, Vipshop, and Best, and effectively realizes the "goods to person" business. In the sorting process, the mobile robot sends the racks to the workstation, and after completing the unloading of the designated goods under the guidance of the system, the racks are sent back to the storage area. In addition to scanning codes and packing boxes, the entire order system does not require employees to intervene in other links.

In August 2014, Kuaicang completed an angel round financing of 10 million yuan; in October 2015, it completed a round A financing of 40 million yuan; in March 2017, it received another 200 million yuan in financing, with the help of Softbank and Ali It has become the unicorn company with the highest valuation in the industry.

(4) Other companies

In addition to the above three AGV application cases, there are many other excellent application examples of AGV in China, such as Beijing Geek+, which serves domestic customers in clothing, medical, industrial and other industries, AGV supply approved by Foxconn, Panasonic, Midea, and Gree Shenzhen Oukai, the SIASUN robot with the most complete product line, Qianmo robot under Hikvision, Jingsong, the pioneer of visual navigation, etc.

3. Comparison between cross sorting and AGV

3.1 AGV can realize breakpoint resume transmission

AGV operation is a parallel mode. During the application process, all robots can be dispatched through one system. If a single machine is damaged, it will not affect the normal work of other robots. Relatively speaking, the cross sorter adopts the traditional series mode. If a fault occurs in a certain link during the operation, the entire system will stop, which will seriously affect the work efficiency. And if you want to solve this problem safely and efficiently, you must increase the equipment. 

3.2 Different service objects

As an innovation of the traditional sorting mode, AGV can realize a series of sorting operations in a small area, and can serve customers in first-tier cities with expensive rents. Moreover, AGV can be set with many destination compartments, which effectively improves the sorting efficiency for express companies that send to different places every day.

The cross-belt sorter requires a large warehouse to realize its operation, and its service targets are limited to customers in the suburbs of first- and second-tier cities or customers in third-, fourth- and fifth-tier cities with cheap rent.

3.3 Cross sorting cannot be completely replaced

Affected by the number of machines, the AGV handling speed is constant, while the sorting efficiency of the cross sorting belt can increase with the increase of the order quantity. When the order volume is large enough, the speed of the cross-sorting belt is significantly higher than that of the robot. AGV has great requirements on the weight and shape of the goods, and its operating efficiency is limited. Therefore, in some warehouses with relatively large orders, cross-sorting is still the first choice of customers.

Content source: China Logistics and Purchasing Network