Search

MHM Automation has released two new products that it believes could revolutionise materials handling for food processing and logistics companies: MHM Automated Mobile Robots (AMRs) and the H&C Gantry Palletiser and De-Palletiser.

Customers were invited to its Hastings workshop to view a demonstration of the new technologies in action.

MHM Automation CEO Richard Rookes described the new products as exciting developments for businesses with requirements for pallet loading and movements.

Headlining the demonstration was the MHM Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR), an automated vehicle which moves product on pallets or in crates, without the need for conveyors. Integrated navigation and vision technology enables the AMR to navigate and move safely around people and objects, making it suitable for congested production environments where automation would previously not have been possible.

Rookes said the AMRs were an industry-leading collaborative technology.

“There’s a lot of talk about Industry 5.0, which takes the view that factories of the future will have humans and robots working together. Collaborative technologies like AMRs will be central to that model,” he said.

Compared to pallet conveyors or automated guided vehicles (AGVs), AMRs offer a quick-to-implement solution with an attractive return on investment. Their ability to work together as a fleet mean they are scalable solution that can be used for operations large and small.

“AMRs are a technology that has been proven overseas but remains relatively unknown in Australasia. We’re proud to bring this next-generation automation solution to our customers in the food processing and logistics sectors,” Mr Rookes said.

The H&C Gantry Palletiser and De-Palletiser (SimPal50) was also demonstrated to customers. Capable of palletising or de-palletising up to eight boxes or bags per minute, the SimPal50 is a low-cost alternative to a robotic palletiser.

The SimPal50 features MHM’s proprietary vision system, which enables it to identify and de-palletise boxes in a randomly stacked pattern.

Rookes said the SimPal50 and the AMR were technologies aimed at making automation more viable for small to medium operations.

“Previously, it’s been uneconomic to automate palletising and pallet movements unless you’ve got a large-scale operation. But these products are both fast to implement with a low up-front investment, making them commercially viable for medium-throughput operations,” he said.

According to Rookes, customer interest in the new products was evident, with several enquiries already received following the demonstration.

“We anticipate there will be a lot of uptake for these technologies. It’s exciting to be making collaborative automation a tangible reality for many more businesses across the globe,” he said.

View the demonstration

Learn more about these products:

MHM Automated Mobile Robots (AMRs)

H&C Gantry Palletiser & De-Palletiser (SimPal50)