ZF tests mobile picking pod in the plant

With the help of the Munich robotics company Magazino, the technology group ZF aims to optimize material supply between the warehouse and the assembly line. The mobile robot SOTO is designed to transport small load carriers fully autonomously. The robot operates in a very busy working environment, as reported. Numerous other traffic participants such as forklifts, industrial trucks, AGVs, and tugger trains share the traffic routes there.

"ZF sees mobile robots like SOTO as a fundamental element to fully automate logistics processes in production, support employees, and reduce costs. The goals of the pilot project are: Both sides gain experience for later live operation, ZF can incorporate its own requirements into the development, Magazino can further optimize the robot and make its processes more robust," said Dr. Hermann Becker, production manager at ZF in Friedrichshafen.

A corresponding pilot operation started in September 2021 at the Friedrichshafen site in the transmission assembly for commercial vehicles. The live test, designed to run for one year, is intended to give both sides the opportunity to gain experience with the robot. During this period, a pre-series model of the robot will be used in several presence phases in the production environment.

For the first time, the VDA 5050 interface will be implemented in a robotic system from Magazino. This industry-wide interface primarily aids in higher-level traffic control in the factory hall.

“The SOTO robot takes over the transport of an average of more than 10 small load carriers (KLT) with material from the storage area to the assembly line. Here, the robot places the KLTs into slanted shelf racks. Simultaneously, it also handles the return transport of empty containers. The VDA containers can weigh up to 20 kilograms and have a base area of up to 600 x 400 millimeters. Cameras and sensors enable safe operation alongside humans – Data Matrix Codes (DMC) are used with the cameras to identify the correct pick-up and drop-off shafts,” explains Markus Ruder, the responsible project manager at Magazino.

A development partnership already exists between ZF and Magazino. Among other things, the prototype of the robot and the gripping mechanism for different small load carriers (KLT) were tested.