The technology of the horizontal carousel storage system has been supplemented in the market by new automatic high-density storage solutions, suitable for low-height facilities.
Industrial operating spaces are not always suitable for housing vertical automatic warehouses that offer high storage capacity combined with high order processing performance. In the retail sector, for example, such as distribution centers or manufacturing, there often is a need to optimize space, but low ceilings or environments not suitable for vertical development slow down the transition from fixed shelving to new intelligent warehouse management technologies.
Automatic warehouses based on horizontal carousel storage system technology were, until recently, the only solution for companies dealing with these situations. Today, however, a valid alternative has emerged on the market. We are talking about automatic horizontal warehouses with tray-transferring technology:
- Intelligent
- High-density storage warehouses that are modular
- Highly functional, and make the most of flat space
Horizontal carousel storage system or horizontal tray-transferring storage system?
In this article, we want to discuss the two technologies available on the market for high-density horizontal development storage:
- The traditional horizontal carousel storage system
- The automatic horizontal tray-transferring storage system
The first solution, the carousel, as mentioned, was until recently considered the only possibility for intensive storage for companies with low ceilings, basements, or complex layouts, which are not suitable for the installation of vertical automatic warehouses.
However, the automatic horizontal tray-transferring storage system today represents a valid alternative: the core of this technology lies in a mini-stacker crane, capable of offering the same operational results as vertical automatic warehouses, namely high performance in order fulfillment times, accuracy, precision, and ergonomics for picking operations, as well as very high storage capacity.
The horizontal carousel storage system: how it works
The horizontal carousel storage system, a technology marketed under various brands, features multiple containers that rotate on a horizontal axis, moving to reach the operator responsible for picking or depositing materials. This is known as a dynamic storage system.
The guiding principle is “goods-to-person,” which, unlike traditional fixed-shelving warehouses, involves the automatic warehouse moving entirely within itself to allow operators to pick or deposit material from a fixed station.
While this is the technology behind the carousel, let’s now look at the new technological frontiers achieved in horizontal automatic warehouses: the horizontal development warehouse with a mini-stacker crane developed by ICAM: RIGO.
The RIGO horizontal automatic warehouse, in addition to guaranteeing the “goods-to-person” principle, is equipped with numerous intelligent functionalities that bring practical and operational advantages. Some examples include:
- Modularity in height and width that allows complete optimization of spaces, even in low-height facilities
- Selective and guaranteed access to stored materials
- The ability to equip the machine with multiple adjacent and opposite picking bays
These are just a few of RIGO’s functionalities.
Let’s see together how ICAM’s horizontal automatic warehouse works and what its advantages are.
RIGO: the future of custom horizontal automatic storage
The R&D team at ICAM has designed an automatic horizontal warehouse with tray-transferring technology. RIGO is the new multi-column automatic high-density storage solution for fast and accurate picking of light materials and/or small to medium-sized items, suitable for facilities with low ceilings or complex layouts. RIGO is today the valuable alternative to horizontal carousels.
Specifically, while the horizontal carousel moves the entire warehouse internally, meaning it moves all the containers to allow the operator to access a specific compartment, RIGO features a selective movement system: only the tray with the material called by the operator moves within the warehouse.
How does it achieve this?
RIGO, unlike the horizontal carousel storage system, uses a mini-stacker crane technology to move materials, products, and goods positioned on highly flexible trays in terms of size and internal configuration. Therefore, the system moves only the tray containing the desired material.
The tray moves from one column to another until it reaches the picking and depositing bay(s) where the operator is located. It is possible to have multiple operational bays for picking or depositing on the same side of the machine, on the short side or the long side. Additionally, unlike automatic carousels, the RIGO warehouse can also have opposite bays to separate the entry and exit points of goods, or to serve different departments or company areas. The customization possibilities for these automatic warehouses are truly extensive.
The “goods-to-person” principle remains valid but with a technology capable of ensuring the best configuration flexibility and high performance in terms of accuracy, making the picking experience ergonomic, safe, and user-friendly. All this is possible thanks to intelligent technologies such as IRIDE and SLOT, which ensure safe and selective access even to a single product or material arranged on a single tray.
You are invited to learn more about the IRIDE option by watching this VIDEO ➠ HERE
How does the RIGO Intelligent Warehouse with tray-transferring technology work?
To answer this question, we need to analyze the core of the RIGO warehouse and its technology.
In practice, the mini-stacker crane moves, via a transmission belt, along the horizontal axis between the shelving columns; the mini-stacker crane is equipped with a deposit and retrieval system. Moving between the shelving columns, the mini-stacker crane performs the retrieval or deposit of the tray containing the material requested by the operator, who operates on board the machine via a fixed or mobile device (PC, tablet, smartphone, etc.).
Compared to the traditional horizontal carousel storage system, let’s summarize the advantages of the automatic horizontal tray-transferring storage system:
- High storage density in low-ceiling or complex layout facilities (e.g., low or underground facilities; pre-existing spaces not intended for storage; or outdoors in contexts where a lower visual impact on the landscape is required)
- Efficiency and accuracy with the “goods-to-person” logic
- High configuration flexibility of columns (from 2 to 20) for dimensions that can reach a minimum height of 2.2 meters to a maximum height of 4.5 meters and a width of over 20 meters
- High tray configuration based on the materials to be stored
- Selective and guaranteed picking functionality through technological options
- Best price/storage capacity ratio per cubic meter
We invite you to learn more about the technology and benefits of the RIGO automatic horizontal storage system ➠CLICK HERE