All manufacturing industries are currently going through a period of change under the banner of Industry 4.0, many using innovative image processing technologies and systems in the areas of automation, robotics and quality assurance. The logistics industry in particular is faced with a large number of challenges when it comes to modern and economically effective process management: from package and baggage processing, storage and transport optimisation to automated commissioning to sorting and positioning tasks – efficient process automation and seamless quality assurance provide a decisive cost and competitive advantage for logistics companies.
The image processing specialist FRAMOS has developed a plug-and-play volume measuring system for the logistics industry. The volume light grid (VLG) from FRAMOS Imaging Systems enables three-dimensional recording of the dimensions and volumes of general cargo in real time, providing seamless integration and automated use of this information in every conceivable intra-logistics capacity. The extensive application diversity of the VLG enables, for example, verified receipt of goods including precise documentation, optimised utilisation of storage space and warehousing, automated processing and picking, and continual quality control for the avoidance of complaints and incorrect deliveries.
Würth, the world market leader for assembly and fastening materials, already uses the FRAMOS VLG for its outgoing goods logistics. Ronald Schneider, head of industrial engineering at Würth, explains the benefits: “Installing the FRAMOS VLG has enabled us to increase our high quality requirements as goods should only leave our logistics centre in a perfectly packed condition. The extremely robust measuring of dimensions provides us with a reliable basis on which to make decisions on all subsequent processing steps in our outgoing goods area. The new volume measuring system can also be used for all of the packet sizes transported from our West Dispatch Centre; even the difficult “box in tray” application is successfully measured.” The robust measuring technology of the FRAMOS VLG, based on transmitted light, measures any and all objects regardless of their optical properties such as the degree of reflection or transmission. The VLG is therefore able to reliably measure transparent, matte black or reflective objects; this is of critical importance in areas such as retail and baggage logistics. It can be easily implemented in any customer system, usually within a few hours, and requires no configuration. It is available in models from 50x50 cm to 3x3 m in size with resolutions from 2.5 to 10 mm, as well as in customer-specific variations. The seamless integration into any conveyor system along with the service-friendly, modular design, very short MTTR, and especially long MTBF times makes the VLG the perfect cost-efficient OEM product solution for the robust, geometrical measurement of countless goods.
Dr. Simon Che’Rose, Head of Engineering at FRAMOS Imaging Systems, explains the advantages for Logistics 4.0: “The VLG enables fast and straightforward logistics automation in order to minimise throughput times and lower package and logistics costs. Our many years of image processing expertise guarantee the high quality of the software. The VLG enables process automations such as sorting and orientation tasks and quality assurance measures like verification and completeness monitoring. We support companies with the efficient automation of logistics by having immense value-add and cost advantages in the supply chain. In doing so, we are raising logistics standards to a new level and making it ready for the future.”
