Project Overview

Project Objective
The second phase of a lithium battery factory will establish an indoor AGV material automation transport system. The system will cover the M4, M3, and M2 floors, enabling fully automated transportation throughout the entire process, from the material preparation area to the mixing area, and from the finished product temporary storage area to the shipping buffer zone.

System Composition:
The system integrates the AGV scheduling system, warehouse location management system, and visual inspection system. Through TCP/IP and WebAPI, it enables multi-module collaborative operations, supporting continuous 24-hour operation.

Equipment Configuration:
The system utilizes pallet stacker AGVs (LN1400-MB1416-JTS), with a total of 23 AGVs deployed, along with charging systems, industrial computers, and wireless communication modules.

Project Challenges

1. High Intensity Operation Requirements:
   The system needs to operate continuously for 24 hours, requiring high demands on equipment stability, charging efficiency, and low fault rates.

2. Multi-Floor Coordination Challenges:
   The AGV path planning and scheduling across multiple floors must resolve issues like communication delays between floors and task priority conflicts.

3. Complex Environment Adaptability:
   Strict environmental conditions such as floor flatness (≤3mm), temperature and humidity control (0°C to 45°C), and anti-static requirements must be precisely maintained to ensure AGV performance.

4. Multi-Device Integration Risks:
   Integrating with third-party equipment like automatic doors and visual inspection systems presents risks related to protocol compatibility and reliable interoperation.

5. Legacy Human Dependency Issues:
   Traditional material handling relied heavily on manual labor, which was inefficient and prone to errors. Automation is needed to completely replace human operations.

Project Highlights

Intelligent Scheduling and Path Optimization:

1. Hybrid Navigation Technology:
   The system uses a combination of laser navigation and visual inspection for dynamic obstacle avoidance and optimal path planning.

2. Multi-Floor Task Prioritization:
   AGV tasks across multiple floors are assigned priority intelligently, reducing empty load rates and improving overall efficiency.

High-Reliability Equipment Selection:

1. AGV Load Capacity and Auto-Charging:
   The AGVs have a load capacity of 1,400 kg and an auto-charging feature, making them ideal for high-intensity operations.

2. Anti-Static Stainless Steel Flooring:
   The installation of anti-static stainless steel flooring enhances the durability and safety of the equipment.

Full-Process System Integration:

1. Real-Time Monitoring and Task Triggering:
   The warehouse location management system is deeply integrated with the AGV scheduling system, enabling real-time monitoring of material status and automatic task triggering.

2. Seamless Integration with Automatic Doors:
   Automatic doors are seamlessly integrated with the AGVs via MFIO wireless communication modules, ensuring smooth AGV passage.

Standardized Design:
Technical parameters such as site slope (<0.05), humidity (15%-95%), and ground reflectivity are clearly defined to ensure stable AGV operation.

Project Benefits

Efficiency Improvements:

1. Increased Material Handling Efficiency:
   Material handling efficiency improves by more than 50%, with an expected increase in annual production capacity of 20%-30% under a 24-hour operational mode.

2. Optimized AGV Utilization:
   Precise scheduling reduces AGV idle time, achieving an overall equipment utilization rate of over 90%.

Cost Optimization:

1. Labor Cost Savings:
   The automation completely replaces manual handling, saving approximately 2 million RMB in labor costs per year (calculated for a 20-person team).

2. Reduced Material Losses:
   The reduction in human-operated tasks lowers material loss rates, bringing the annual loss rate to under 0.5%.

Safety and Quality Assurance:

1. Zero Collision, Zero Product Damage:
   Through visual detection and automatic obstacle avoidance technologies, the material handling process ensures no collisions or product damage.

2. Improved Product Consistency:
   Standardized operation processes eliminate human error, ensuring higher consistency in product quality.

Management Upgrade:

1. Full-Process Data Traceability:
   Real-time data tracking supports production plan optimization and predictive maintenance for equipment.

2. Smart and Digital Transformation:
   The project accelerates the factory’s transition toward intelligent and digital manufacturing, enhancing the company’s competitiveness.