Two-position roller AMRs feeding PCB lines, ±5 mm docking

A PCB plant needed carriers moved between automatic loaders and buffer stations without operators on the line. Dual-position roller-top AMRs now carry two carriers per trip, triggered by the loaders themselves, and dock to ±5 mm.

A high-volume printed-circuit-board plant in China. Carriers move between wet-process lines, loaders and buffer racks in an environment with acid and alkali exposure.

• Each loader called for material on its own cycle; manual carts could not keep up across the line.
• Carriers had to transfer directly onto machine conveyors, so docking accuracy mattered more than speed.
• The vehicle body had to tolerate the acid and alkali atmosphere of the process area.

Differential-drive AMRs with a two-position roller top, laser SLAM plus QR-code navigation. The loader's call signal creates the transport task; sensors on the docking station report whether a buffer position is occupied, so the fleet only delivers where there is space. The body is finished for the corrosive environment. Phase one ran 5 vehicles; phase two brought the fleet to 13.

Two carriers per trip and direct conveyor-to-conveyor transfer removed the manual handoff. The partner reports single-trip transport efficiency up 30% against the manual carts.