Development of an orthogonal transfer system for the automated warehouse industry

The exponential increase in e-commerce and the demands of consumers, who are increasingly demanding speed, present a huge challenge to the intralogistics industry. In this sense, intralogistics is an area that has been the subject of intensive research. Companies need to digitize, automate, and robotize all logistics processes to optimize the flow of materials and information and remain competitive in the global market.

This work aims to develop an orthogonal transfer mechanism for the automated warehouse industry. The equipment is intended to be integrated into a roller conveyor line for transporting small boxes, and its purpose is to distribute and organize logistics within warehouses. To achieve this goal, research was first carried out on existing solutions on the market to identify their respective strengths as well as to study hypotheses for improvement. The equipment was designed and dimensioned using the finite element method to ensure that the solution found could withstand the workload. Cost analysis and the construction of a prototype are also addressed. Operational tests were carried out to assess whether the final product is capable of meeting all the objectives set. The designed equipment proved to be a viable and competitive solution when it comes to the automatic orthogonal transfer of boxes. It has an innovative lifting mechanism capable of lifting more loads than existing transfer equipment on the market and is capable of operating 24 hours a day at a rate of more than 30 units/min.