A material handling and logistic system using an automated crane

Abstract A bridge crane plays the key role in an automated low cost material handling and logistic system. For high performance the crane must offer an automated operation mode to guarantee crane motion with damping of load oscillations, exact load positioning, and high tracking accuracy. A control concept which meets these requirements has been implemented for a 5-tons-bridge crane. For the automated material handling the crane is equipped with an automated storage and retrieval unit for pallet loads. Advantages compared to manual systems are reduction of traffic area, increase of handling frequency, integration in superior electronic data processing systems, and the enhancement of operational safety.