Radio pallet shuttle
The forklift sets the pallet at the lane entrance and a remote-controlled shuttle carries it deep into the lane. No aisles inside the rack, more pallets on the same floor, and usually a lower initial investment than an AS/RS.
The forklift sets the pallet at the lane entrance and a remote-controlled shuttle carries it deep into the lane. No aisles inside the rack, more pallets on the same floor, and usually a lower initial investment than an AS/RS.
A radio pallet shuttle is a battery-powered cart that runs on rails inside the rack. The forklift places the shuttle in a lane, then sets pallets on the rails at the entrance; the operator gives commands by remote control, and the shuttle lifts each pallet and carries it to the far end, so one lane holds many pallets in a row. The forklift never drives into the rack; only one forklift aisle runs in front of it, so the same floor holds clearly more pallets. It is semi-automated: forklifts still put away and retrieve, and a later move to four-way shuttles needs a new design study, and the existing rack, rails and controls may not be reusable.
Typical uses
- Beverages, food and household goods: few SKUs, many pallets each
- Cold stores: less forklift driving in the cold
- First-in first-out (both ends) or last-in first-out (one end)
- Higher storage density while keeping forklift operation
How to choose
- Number of SKUs and pallets per SKU: the more pallets per SKU the better
- First-in first-out or last-in first-out
- Pallet type and bottom boards
- Temperature: ambient or freezer
When it is not the right choice
- Many SKUs with one or two pallets each and random access: use selective racking or four-way shuttles
- Fully automatic, unmanned operation: choose four-way shuttles or a stacker-crane AS/RS
Key figures
| Load | About 0.5–2 t |
|---|---|
| Travel speed | Empty about 1–1.1 m/s, loaded about 0.8 m/s |
| Temperature | Ambient; low-temperature version about −30 to +45 °C |
| Pallets | Built for EUR, industrial and other pallet sizes |
| Operation | Remote control; forklift places and retrieves the shuttle |
| Power | Exchangeable battery; about 10 h at ambient, about 8 h in a freezer, about 3 h to charge |
Figures are typical configuration ranges; exact specifications are set per project.
Options
- Low-temperature version for freezers
- Pallet counting and stock check
- Spare batteries and charging cabinet
- Shuttle racking supplied with it
- Later move to four-way shuttles (new design study; the existing rack and rails may not be reusable)
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
- Number of SKUs and average pallets per SKU
- Pallet size, weight and bottom boards
- Clear height and column grid
- Temperature
- Existing forklift models