Palletisers – pallet conveyor systems – and seven models of AGVs – Gregory Sense, Marketing Coordinator for Green Bay-headquartered Infinity Machine & Engineering Corp., outlines the company’s latest pioneering launch into the global T&T markets. A TWM report.
In the years following the Covid-19 pandemic, the fragility of the global supply chain was exposed, highlighting vulnerabilities in the availability of qualified labour, inventory management, and production efficiency.
Among the facets of the supply chain most susceptible to failure are warehouses. Labour intensive warehouse operations have been suffering from intense labour shortages as the current workforce continues to age. Shifting consumer purchasing habits have also led to an increased demand for warehouse workers, causing operational costs to balloon for qualified help.
Even fully staffed warehouses are exposed to breakdowns in inventory management, as one small error can affect distribution processes downstream, resulting in lost time and lost revenue.
Despite exposure to these liabilities, warehouse operations have been relatively slow to embrace automation, while automation is already widespread in assembly and packaging processes.
This lukewarm reception to automation is largely due to the perceived complexity of implementing automated systems. Warehouses often handle a variety of operations, making a one-size-fits-all solution nearly impossible to find. After all, every warehouse has a unique set of constraints and limitations, to effectively implement warehouse automation, the customer needs to have a seat at the table.
At Infinity Machine & Engineering Corp. we have successfully designed and built automated solutions for tissue packaging across our 20 years history, providing over 2,500 units of machinery to customers across six continents and over 25 countries.
We did not become the industry’s premier manufacturer of automated tissue packaging machinery by offering one size-fits-all solutions. Valuable customer insight is at the heart of every machine we build. Driven by the needs of our customers, we have continued to explore how to further streamline their operations. This has led us to expanding Infinity beyond tissue packing, we are bringing our first-class engineering, unparalleled build quality, and customer centric philosophy into warehouse automation.
Our line of warehouse automation solutions includes palletisers, pallet conveyor, and Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs). All of which are designed to work seamlessly with our existing catalogue of machinery.
The palletising lines we offer are made up of modular sections that can be arranged into countless different layouts to accommodate production requirements as well as facility limitations. Fully servo, fully automatic stretch wrapping is available on Infinity palletisers, as is integrated labelling, and slip sheet placement. Our palletisers also feature vacuum or servo gripper end effectors, giving our customers the versatility to be able to stack cases, bundles, and DRP.
Similar to Infinity’s palletisers, our pallet conveyor systems are also built to the needs of the customer, with modular units such as pallet dispensing units, pallet squaring units, and rotating transfer conveyors. These units of conveyor can be configured to sort pallet stacks as they can be scanned and automatically transferred to different loading areas. Our pallet conveyor also features robust backstops designed for interactions with forklifts. The extensive range of conveyor sections we offer ensures that the pallet organisation process is more efficient and built to your needs.
The seven self-driving robots designed by Infinity are built to handle unique applications that cover a wide spectrum of warehouse operations. Infinity AGVs have the versatility to seamlessly operate in a variety of sectors such as tissue, as well as food and beverage.
FETCH is a small Autonomous Mobile Robot that can be equipped with multiple different attachments to handle a variety of load types. It can be equipped with a case conveyor, lifting mechanism, or robotic arm.
Infinity’s roster of AGVs features two vehicles designed for raw material handling. The CB39RC is a counterbalanced vehicle with a fully articulated clamp arm that boasts a 3,900kg lifting capacity. The vehicle features a first of its kind clamp from Cascade, which adjusts clamp force based on the load’s characteristics. Our raw material handling fleet also boasts the CT45CVR, an omnidirectional cradle vehicle with a built-in conveyor, capable of hauling 4,500kg.
The remaining AGVs on Infinity’s roster are different variations of autonomous forklifts, each designed for unique finished goods and vital supply handling applications.
Our fleet features two standard counterbalanced forklifts – the CB16FK, a narrow chassis AGV with a 1,600kg lift capacity, and the CB25SD, a single-double variant capable of lifting two pallet stacks at once with a 2,500kg lift capacity. Both AGVs feature highly efficient electric actuators that reduce the vehicle’s power consumption and can be further customized to suit different applications.
We also offer the TL22FK, an AGV designed for loading and unloading Over The Road (OTR) trailers, intermodal containers, and refrigerated containers. The vehicle’s fully electric fork truck enables a wide range of side shifting, allowing the vehicle to travel down the centre of containers despite the constrictive environment.
The RG25K is Infinity’s nimble outrigger model forklift with a small turning radius and a 2,500kg lift capacity. The vehicle’s unique fork design allows it to pick up cylindrical loads horizontally, enabling increased flexibility when storing materials.
Infinity’s expansion into warehouse automation enables our customers to streamline their entire packaging, end-of-line, and warehouse operations with integrated machinery from a single supplier. By leveraging our expertise in automation and engineering, we are set to revolutionise your warehouse with innovative, customisable solutions.
This article was written for TWM by Gregory Sense, Infinity Machine & Engineering Corp.’ Marketing Coordinator.
