EZ-GO Mini Pallet Truck (AGV)

This is an automated pallet truck. It carries 2,000 kg at a 600 mm load centre and lifts 120 mm, which is enough to move a pallet and not enough to stack one. It is the answer to one specific problem: a repetitive horizontal movement that runs all day and ties up an operator who could be doing work only a person can do. If the route changes constantly or the loads are inconsistent, a conventional pallet truck with a driver remains the better answer.

It navigates by 3D LiDAR, positioning to within plus or minus 15 mm and plus or minus 1 degree. That accuracy is what lets it pick up a pallet reliably without a person lining it up. The machine is 1,724 mm long and 688 mm wide, turns in a 1,535 mm radius and needs a 2,336 mm right-angle aisle, so the aisle it has to work in is the first thing to measure. Standard forks are 1,150 mm, with 1,220, 1,400 and 1,500 mm available.

Because it shares space with people, the safety fit-out is standard rather than optional: a front obstacle sensor on LiDAR, 3D stereo vision protection by camera, an emergency stop button, and audible and visual alarms. A bumper strip is available as an option.

On duty cycle, it runs on a 48V 30Ah lithium battery giving 4 to 5 hours under rated conditions from a 1 hour charge, rated for 3,000 charge cycles, and it is designed around battery swapping rather than waiting for a charge. Travel speed is 1,500 mm per second. Maximum gradeability is 5 per cent unladen, so this is a machine for flat floors, not ramps.

Automation is a project rather than a purchase. Route mapping, charging points, safety zones and how the vehicle shares aisles with people all need working through before anything is ordered. KJ supplies, services and supports these in-house and is the right first call for working out whether your site suits one.