SSI Schaefer has designed a new satellite system for forklifts incorporating unique power technology and new safety concepts
November 3, 2009
SSI Schaefer has designed a new satellite system for forklifts incorporating unique power technology and new safety concepts.
The Orbiter has been in development for 18 months and, according to Schaefer Australasia Managing Director Alan Clark, sets new standards for satellite solutions.
The system, designed for high-density storage solutions, uses a unique docking station to increase the efficiency, performance and safety,
The Orbiter and docking station are provided as a set, with lock-in pins safely securing them to prevent accidental slippage.
When the Orbiter is required to be located in a specific channel, the forklift picks up the docking station with the Orbiter and locates it in the front centring console of the rack face.
The docking station is fitted with fork pockets below the unit to avoid movement. Its location into the high visibility plastic guides, which provide up to 50mm operational clearance, can be with the same speed and safety as the location of pallets within the system even when operating at heights of 9-10m.
Engineers have designed the Orbiter to be recharged every time it enters the docking station. As power caps have a long life expectancy, it means the Orbiter can be used in deep freeze applications continuously, without loss of power or operational efficiency.
As the system requires no battery change, the operational cycle time for pallet movements can be increased substantially, the company boasts.
The system can be used with any conventional fork lift. The Orbiter works in the storage channels fully independently, controlled by radio frequency (RF) using a remote control fixed in the cab of the fork lift operator; the satellite receives its commands via the remote control.
Storage, retrieval, inventory count and shuffle mode functions are controlled by the forklift driver and relayed to the Orbiter using RF technology, which carries out the command automatically and returns to the station after each procedure.
Depending on the depth of each channel it is possible for one operative to handle multiple Orbiters, increasing the number of pallet cycles per fork lift truck.
SSI Schaefer says the faster running speed of 1m per second, together with the ease and safe movement of the Orbiter from one channel to another using the docking station, will translate into more pallets cycles per hour per operative and fork lift, reducing running costs.
www.ssi-schaefer.com.au