Intelligent robot goes to the world

Suzhou Gusu Evening News reported on February 1, 2015: Intelligent robots go to the world-Huaxiao Precision is favored by well-known international car brands

Intelligent robot goes to the world

Huaxiao Precision is favored by well-known international auto brands

AGV equipment developed by Huaxiao Precision. Photo by Xia Yanyan

(Xia Yanyan) In a busy production workshop, is there a device that can replace the traditional conveyor line for the transportation of related materials and save a lot of manpower? Hua Xiao Precision Industry (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Hua Xiao Precision"), an enterprise located in Suzhou Science and Technology City, gave a positive answer. The reporter was informed that the AGV (Automated Guided Transportation Vehicle) equipment independently developed by the company has been successfully applied in the production workshops of internationally renowned automobile brands Nissan and Renault, and has been exported to the United States, Mexico, Japan, South Korea and other countries. So what is AGV? What are its characteristics? Why is Huaxiao Precision's products favored by internationally renowned auto brands? A few days ago, the reporter walked into Hua Xiao Precision and explored the "secret" of its development.

The industry's production scale ranks among the top three in the country, and last year's sales increased by more than 30% year-on-year

Huaxiao Precision was established in the High-tech Zone in 2003 and settled in Suzhou Science and Technology City in 2013. For 10 years, the company has devoted itself to the research, development, production and sales of logistics containers and logistics automation equipment, and has established a close cooperative relationship with auto parts suppliers. In terms of logistics automation equipment, the company has established a research and development, production and sales system with AGV as its core.

According to reports, the full name of AGV is Automated Guided Vehicle, that is, "automated guided transport vehicle". It is an intelligent and flexible logistics handling robot, equipped with automatic guidance devices such as electromagnetic or optical. Just set the instructions and routes, it can automatically travel along the prescribed guidance path, with safety protection and Various transfer functions are generally controlled by the on-board computer for its travel route and behavior. "The AGV produced by Huaxiao has the characteristics of high degree of automation, long life cycle, convenience, environmental protection, etc. For example, when auxiliary materials are needed in a certain part of the workshop, the staff inputs relevant information to the computer terminal, and the computer terminal sends the information to the central In the control room, after a professional technician sends an instruction to the computer, this instruction is finally accepted and executed by the AGV with the cooperation of the electronic control equipment, and the auxiliary materials will be sent to the corresponding location, which can liberate people from simple manual labor. And, when the AGV's power is about to run out, it will issue a request to the system to request charging, and automatically'queue' to the charging place after the system allows. In addition, Hua Xiao adopted Nissan LEAF for the first time in China. The lithium battery developed as an AGV power battery. Most of the products on the market generally use lead-acid batteries, which have a service life of only 2 years, need to be replaced frequently, and produce certain pollution after being discarded. This lithium battery can realize online charging. There is no need to replace it frequently, and the service period is about 10 years." Liu Xiaojing, executive director of Huaxiao Precision, told reporters.

Because of its superior product performance, Huaxiao Precision has been favored by automakers such as Nissan and Renault, and has become a supplier of framework cooperation agreements for Renault Motors. "In other words, as long as they use AGV, they will choose Huaxiao." In 2012 and 2014, Huaxiao Precision was successively rated as "Excellent Service Provider" and "Contract-honoring and Credible" Equipment Supply by Dongfeng Nissan Passenger Car Company Quotient. The customer's affirmation has brought endless impetus to the development of Huaxiao Precision. In recent years, the company has set up offices in Guangzhou, Wuhan, Dalian and other places, and has set up four branches in Japan, Hong Kong and Suzhou. Statistics show that the company's production scale ranks among the top three in the country. At the end of last year, a total of 3,000 AGVs were shipped, with sales of 80 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of more than 30%.

10% of sales are used for research and development, and will develop freely walking, all-round robots

Independent innovation is the life of an enterprise. For this reason, Huaxiao Precision attaches great importance to R&D investment, talent introduction and technological innovation. "Every year, 10% of the company's turnover will be invested in research and development, and the company's subsidiary in Hong Kong, Jiahao Industrial Co., Ltd. is a trade and talent dispatch company, responsible for attracting overseas scientific and technological talents, and completing Huaxiao and other subsidiaries. Research and development." Liu Xiaojing said. Not only that, in recent years, the company has also carried out extensive technical cooperation with world-class group companies, and gradually established its own research team on the basis of continuously absorbing advanced foreign technology. "At present, the company's technical backbone is basically masters and doctors, and technical engineers are at least undergraduates, and they are equipped with corresponding foreign experts to continuously develop AVG series products with independent intellectual property rights." According to statistics, as of the end of January 2015, the The company has applied for more than 50 patents, of which 32 utility model patents have been authorized. In December 2013, the company won the title of "High-tech Enterprise" of the province.

At present, Huaxiao Precision AGV is mainly divided into three series: small, medium and large. Small equipment is mainly used for secondary logistics to achieve transportation from the warehouse to the line; medium-sized equipment is mainly used in the body welding workshop, mainly for the handling and processing of the frame; large equipment can replace the traditional conveyor line for the production line transport. "Now the company is mainly doing low-cost, low-price universal products. Next, we are ready to develop heavy-duty AGV equipment that can be used for aircraft body assembly and transportation of large equipment. In addition, the robots we now produce can only be used in accordance with Driving in four directions: front, back, left, and right, and the free-running, all-round robot we developed is more convenient and intelligent. New products will promote a new wave of AGV industry. In the face of the arrival of the Industry 4.0 era, we are ready. "Liu Xiaojing told reporters.