AS/RS retrofit and pallet profile check
New controls, positioning, conductor rails and safety devices for existing AS/RS; a profile check at the infeed keeps over-height, over-width, overhanging and overweight pallets out.
New controls, positioning, conductor rails and safety devices for existing AS/RS; a profile check at the infeed keeps over-height, over-width, overhanging and overweight pallets out.
After ten or more years many stores still have sound mechanics, but the controls are obsolete, spares are hard to find, positioning drifts and the safety devices no longer meet current requirements. A retrofit can replace just the controls and WCS interface, or also the positioning, conductor rails, forks and safety devices, at far less cost and downtime than rebuilding. A profile check station at the infeed uses light curtains and photocells to detect over-height, over-width, over-length and overhang, with a scale for overweight, and sends rejected pallets back before they enter an aisle, reducing jams and accidents.
Typical uses
- Upgrading controls and WCS of older stores
- Upgrading crane positioning from encoders to laser or barcode positioning
- Adding safety functions to rail-bound cranes in service, with EN 528 as the risk-assessment reference; whether CE must be repeated, and the conformity documents, responsibilities and acceptance criteria, are set out in the contract according to the project scope
- Infeed profile checks for new or existing stores
How to choose
- Scope: just controls and WCS interface, or positioning, conductor rails and forks as well
- Aisle length and layout: laser measurement on long straight aisles (published range up to about 300 m; usable length set by accuracy); barcode or segmented positioning for curve-going cranes
- Compliance: EN 528 as the reference for added safety functions; usually only substantial modifications need CE again (Directive 2006/42/EC until 20 January 2027, Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 from then; Türkiye under its own machinery safety regulation), as set out in the contract
- Infeed rejects: which deviations to detect, whether to weigh and inspect pallet bottoms
When it is not the right choice
- Curved aisles: standard straight conductor rails and single-beam laser positioning will not work
- Adding cranes to ordinary forklift racking: its tolerances do not meet AS/RS requirements; consider forklift AGVs
- Many broken pallets but only a profile check: broken bottom boards still jam; replace pallets or add bottom inspection
Key figures
| Controls | PLC, drives, remote control and WCS interface, matched to the machine and systems |
|---|---|
| Positioning | Laser measurement (straight aisles, published range up to about 300 m) or barcode positioning (incl. curves) |
| Power supply | Conductor rail for long travel, current per the crane (published series about 50–400 A); about 500 m/min is the rail rating, not crane speed; energy chain for short travel |
| Safety | Overspeed protection, end buffers, access-gate interlocks and more, with rope-break and slack-rope protection on rope hoists; to EN 528 and the project risk assessment |
| Profile check | Light curtains for over-height and over-width, photocells or scanners for over-length and overhang; optional weighing and pallet-bottom inspection |
Figures are typical configuration ranges; exact specifications are set per project.
Options
- Aisle-by-aisle, phased retrofit to limit downtime
- Temporary operating plan during the retrofit
- Spare-parts kit
- Interface to a new WMS
Scope of supply
- Machine, drives and control cabinet, assembled and dry-run tested before shipping
- The equipment's own control and fleet software; interfaces to your existing WMS / ERP as the project requires
- Drawings: general arrangement, foundation and anchor plan, electrical schematics
- Conformity documents for the equipment and the whole line, the split of responsibilities and the acceptance criteria are set out in the contract according to the project scope
- Spare-parts list and wear-part recommendation; a first batch can ship with the equipment
- Factory acceptance (FAT): attend in person or follow by live video
- Installation, commissioning and operator training can be included in the offer
What we need for an offer
- Existing crane and store data: capacity, speed, height, aisle length, curves or not
- PLC brand, I/O list and the WMS / WCS protocol
- CE status of the cranes and safety items to add
- Infeed pallet size, maximum weight, allowed overhang; weighing and bottom inspection or not
- Acceptable downtime