Modern Materials Handling - November 2012

FOCUS ON Automated storageScalable staging bufferdelivers operationalflexibilityTo support goods-to-person order fulfillment,pick-face replenishment, palletizingand production buffering, the Multishuttleflexible staging solution consists ofmultiple levels of rack structure, carriervehicles, conveyor and software. Eachlevel of the rack includes a carrier vehiclethat travels horizontally to access loadsstored in totes or trays by an extractiondevice. Flexible, the system fits into overheadspaces or under and over obstructionsfor maximum cube utilization. Formanual back-up picking, work platforms inthe rack aisles allow access to stock. Thesimplicity of the modular carrier vehiclesallows high system uptime, system redundancy,low power consumption and quietoperation. Dematic, 877-725-7500, www.dematic.us.Mini-load AS/RS connectedto pick-to-tote workstationsFor ongoing management of increasingorder volumes, an automatic Mini-loadautomated storage and retrieval systemwith connected order picking stationshandles small parts orders. Capable ofstoring in excess of 44,000 differentitems, the system uses 32,000 totes andincludes eight single-mast cranes traveling23 feet per second with lifting speedsof 13 feet per second for throughputof 137 totes per hour each. Equippedwith telescopic load-handling devices,the system provides double-deep storageof totes weighing up to 55 pounds.For order creation, totes are retrievedin order-related sequence, then deliveredby a short conveyor section to fourdirectly connected pick-to-tote pickingstations, enabling a supply and removalbuffer of up to 25 totes per station forretrieval and storage. SSI Schaefer, 800-876-6000, www.ssi-schaefer.us.Heavy-duty vertical carouselCapable of holding up to 1,433 poundsper carrier, the Megamat RS Model 650vertical carousel can handle a total unitload of 41,887 pounds. The carouselcomes in a variety of widths up to 13 feet,depths to 5.62 feet, and heights to 32.85feet. Carriers can be equipped with inserts,rollout drawers, intermediate shelves,partitions, dividers and specialty holdersto create an ergonomic solution for storingand retrieving heavy parts. With the pushof a button, carriers within the enclosedunit rotate around vertically to deliverstored goods to the operator throughone or more ergonomic access openings.Working on the goods-to-personconcept, the machine eliminates the walkand search time associated with standardshelving. Kardex Remstar, 800-639-5805,www.kardexremstar.com.Space-saving storagesystem for cartons andcontainersCapable of managing a large number ofvarious sized containers, trays, cartonsand carrier units, the OSR Shuttle operatesin multiple areas of a warehouse,unifying several applications into onesystem. One unit can function simultaneouslyas a storage warehouse, goods-inbuffer, picking buffer, consolidationand dispatch warehouse and dispatchsorting rack. The system offers up toquadruple-deep storage in floored racksand interfaces with a range of differentstorage units, including as straight-sidedcontainers, collapsible crates, taperedboxes, nest and stack containers andcartons. All processes—including storage,consolidation, sequencing, buffering,picking and handling of returns—canbe executed with the device. KnappLogistics Automation, 888-606-0695,www.knapp.com.58 N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 2 / Modern Materials Handling mmh.com