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The CoGri Group is a world leader in flooring for logistics systems and is at the forefront of the up-and-coming robotics revolution sweeping across the industry. With over 30 years of experience in flooring for logistics, CoGri has worked with many different robotic system providers to develop the flooring specifications required to align with known construction industry standards.
These include several of the AMR systems and AutoStore.
This article, written by James Dare, European Director at CoGri Group, explores the differences between the two system types:
He focuses specifically on their flooring requirements, including floor surface regularity (flatness and levelness), and other surface characteristics such as gloss, roughness, and durability, among other items.
He also discusses the standard options for upgrading the floor to meet the requirements of the systems and how they differ, as well as looking down the line at the wear and tear and maintenance of the slab once the system is running.
Surface regularity refers to the flatness and levelness of the floor, ensuring it meets the requirements for systems that are either installed in place or designed to move across the floor. All systems work to floor surface regularity limits.
For some systems, the floor is required to have a higher flatness and levelness than others but making sure it is correct before the project goes live is critical to all systems.
Before the installation of any system, the floor should be surveyed to ensure it is within the requirements of the system limits. This not only guarantees the system will work but also maximises the efficiency and performance of the system itself.
AutoStore surface regularity requirements are known for being tighter than standard AMR requirements, but there are a few other questions that should be asked:
Generally, we are finding that the flooring works for an AutoStore is a minimal percentage of the actual cost of the system itself.
Although the cost per square metre is generally higher for an AutoStore compared to an AMR system, the area of floor required to install the system is smaller and achieves the same number of bin locations.
A saying we have in the flooring industry is that “a good floor is a good floor, and a bad floor is a bad floor, no matter how you measure it.”
If the floor surface regularity is poor and the chosen upgrade option is an overlay, this method will likely be applicable for any system, incurring similar costs.
The advantage of an AutoStore system over AMRs is that AutoStore robots do not traffic the floor. For an AMR, multiple different surface characteristics need to be considered alongside Surface Regularity.
The below table highlights the difference in tests and potential remedial actions required between an AutoStore and AMRs.
| Surface Characteristic Property |
Remedial Action | |
|---|---|---|
| AutoStore | AMR | |
| Gloss | No Action Required | Action Required |
| No gloss requirements need to be considered for AutoStore. | The gloss or reflectivity of the floor must be tested and considered for AMRs to ensure it doesn’t cause issues with the AMR sensors.
Light grinding of the surface is required to reduce the gloss of a slab. However, this could have adverse effects on the floor’s durability. |
|
| Roughness | No Action Required | Action Required |
| No roughness requirements are needed for AutoStore systems. | The roughness of the floor must be tested and considered for AMR systems to ensure the robot wheels have sufficient grip when starting and stopping, especially in fast-moving areas.
Light grinding of the surface is required to increase roughness, but again, this may have adverse effects on its durability. |
|
| Friction | No Action Required | Action Required |
| No friction requirements are needed for AutoStore systems. | The friction of the floor must be tested and considered for AMR systems to ensure the robot wheels have sufficient grip when starting and stopping, especially in fast-moving areas.
Light grinding of the surface is required to increase the friction of a slab. This may have adverse effects on the durability. |
|
| Durability | No Action Required | Action Required |
| AutoStore has no traffic on the slab surface, so the durability of the floor under the system doesn’t need to be considered. | The durability of a floor needs to be tested and considered for AMRs as the robots are trafficking the floor surface.
If the floor surface degrades under the AMR wheel paths, it can cause issues with the operation. |
|
| Small Surface Damage | No Action Required | Action Required |
| AutoStore has no traffic on the slab surface, so any small areas of damage to the floor surface under the system don’t need to be repaired. |
Any small areas of damage on a floor need to be considered and repaired for AMRs as the robots are trafficking the floor surface.
If the floor surface degrades under the AMR wheel paths, it can cause issues with the operation. |
|
| Bolts | No Action Required | Action Required |
| AutoStore has no floor traffic, so bolts can simply be cut flush or knocked down level with the floor surface. | Any bolts which are in the slab under the AMR system will need to be fully removed by coring and filling the holes in the bolt locations.
If the bolts are only cut down to the slab surface it can introduce a weak area of the slab which could be damaged once subjected to AMR traffic. |
|
| Wide Joints | No Action Required | Action Required |
| AutoStore has no floor traffic, so joints can be left in their wide state with no risk of further deterioration. | Wide joints need to be filled or repaired for AMR systems.
As the AMR is trafficking the joints, any wide openings will increase the likelihood of impact damage to both slab joint arrisses and robot wheels. If joints need replacing, this could become a costly repair. |
|
| Cracking | No Action Required | Action Required |
| AutoStore has no floor traffic, so cracks can be left with no risk of further deterioration. | Cracks generally wider than 0.5-0.8mm need to be filled or repaired for AMR systems.
As the AMR is travelling over the cracks, there is a likelihood of impact damage to both the slab and the robot wheels. |
|
Download AutoStore vs AMR Comparison Table
There are three main ways of upgrading floor surface regularity:
The method for upgrading a floor depends on the current condition: what is the surface regularity like? Are other surface characteristics suitable?
When upgrading surface regularity with controlled grinding, the cost of work will likely be higher for an AutoStore system compared to a typical AMR.
However, as stated within this article, surface regularity isn’t the only consideration for these systems.
For typical AMR systems:
if the joints are not sealed or there’s a significant number of cracks, for example, then the defects must be repaired on top of the grinding works.
Similarly, for an AMR floor:
if the floor is too glossy or not rough enough for the robots to operate at optimum performance, then the whole of the floor must be ground to ensure these characteristics are met.
Such remediations can add significant costs and time to a project where grinding is chosen as the upgrade option.
Generally, if a floor’s condition warrants a screed overlay for an AutoStore system, the same solution would likely be the preferred option for an AMR.
With a screed overlay, there is a potential cost saving when installing for AutoStore compared to an AMR system. Although more care is needed to lay a screed to AutoStore surface regularity standards, the top surface does not need to be fully durable and trafficable.
As pins or screws are utilised to guide the team installing the screed to the correct levels, AutoStore can still operate when screw heads are exposed at the surface.
However:
AMRs cannot deal with these screwheads as they are a weak point under the wheeled traffic. This introduces the need for a constant thickness wearing surface to be applied over the levelled surface, which, in turn, increases the likelihood that costs for an AMR system will be higher compared to an AutoStore system.
Topping slabs are mostly used when the floor has a slope and are generally seen in areas of the USA and Canada. If a floor has a slope, it is likely that a topping slab will be the only option for any system. The overall costs for installing a topping slab will be similar between the system types.
If a floor is not used, it can last forever; the only reason a well-designed and constructed floor will require maintenance is when exposed to traffic or use. This is the main difference between the two systems when looking at maintenance of the floor.
There is limited maintenance required for an AutoStore floor as all materials and parts of the system are static on the floor itself, therefore, creating no wear, no impact damage, and no changes to the slab surface itself.
Alternatively:
with an AMR system, the floor is under traffic from robots in defined paths over the area. This constant traffic, which the slab is subject to multiple times in the exact same locations, can cause deterioration, whether at the slab surface, at joints, or over existing defects.
Another common issue with AMRs is floor wear caused by snap castors.
This wear typically appears at turning points, where the castors repeatedly rub against the same area of the floor, and is more pronounced at high-traffic areas such as picking points. If left unmaintained, any deterioration or defects in line with the robot’s wheel paths have a greater chance of breaking down and causing issues, making the system unusable.
A major challenge in maintaining floors for robotic systems is gaining access to the floor. Systems must be shut down to allow repair teams to perform necessary work, and adequate time must be given for repair materials to cure before the floor can handle traffic again.
The floor is a crucial component of any system, and all relevant characteristics need to be tested and remediated before the system is installed.
If the floor doesn’t meet the required standards there can be negative implications for the systems’ performance and output.
Floor surface regularity is a key requirement for any system, and AutoStore’s standards for flatness are stricter and harder to achieve than typical AMR standards.
However:
flatness is just one aspect of the overall system requirements. There are other floor factors that may need to be addressed, but these are specific to AMR systems and are not part of AutoStore’s requirements.
Maintenance and system downtime are major factors for some clients. In the fast-paced world of order fulfilment, it is more critical than ever to keep a system running and reduce shutdowns for maintenance in any part of the system.
It is crucial to understand that even when a system goes live, the work needed on the floor doesn’t stop.
If a floor is trafficked, then there is an increased risk of required maintenance once in operation.
Ultimately:
careful assessment of the existing floor condition, coupled with informed decision-making regarding upgrades and maintenance, not only enhances system effectiveness but also contributes to long-term cost savings and improved operational reliability.
As industries continue to invest in advanced automated systems, a strong foundational understanding of floors and its impact on system performance will prove essential for achieving seamless operations and maximising return on investment.
Investing in the right flooring strategies today lays the groundwork for efficient, durable, and resilient systems in the future.
Are you considering an AMR or AutoStore system for your warehouse? Contact us today to discuss any warehouse floor design, testing, or remediation requirements.
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