Sant’Antonino, Switzerland, November 22, 2019. Innovative solutions for the fully automatic handling
of pallets: With a new stacker crane for dynamic storage and a transfer car, which enable the fast and
safe storage and retrieval of up to 100 pallets per hour, Interroll is expanding its Modular Pallet
Conveyor Platform (MPP), a flexible modular system for driven pallet conveying. The new products
allow users—in seamless interaction with the proven Interroll Pallet Flow dynamic storage system—
to implement extremely compact, robust and efficient pallet handling automation solutions that excel
with very low planning and installation costs and high energy efficiency.With the market launch of the stacker crane and the transfer car, companies for the first time have the
opportunity to implement a continuous material flow with pallets—for example between incoming and outgoing
goods or between warehouse, production and order picking—on the basis of a technology offering from a
single source. This means that system integrators and plant constructors can expand their business horizon
with cost-effective plug-and-play pallet conveyor solutions, which can also be planned in a very simple and
user-friendly way using Interroll’s Layouter tool.
“With our compact automation platform, users can replace cost- and accident-prone forklift truck traffic and
take advantage of new high-throughput pallet applications through the flexible combination of our modular
conveyor and flow storage systems,” explains Michael Kuhn, Managing Director of Interroll Kronau GmbH.
“For example, flow storage systems can now be designed as highly dynamic dispatch warehouses and the
space required for automated route preparation can be significantly reduced.”
Stacker Crane for high pallet throughput
The heart of a highly dynamic pallet handling system is the new stacker crane, which has been perfectly
designed for connection to the Pallet Flow storage system. The lightweight construction and integrated energy
recovery make the system extremely energy-efficient. The overall height is 12 meters, the horizontal travel
speed is 3 meters per second and the lifting speed is 0.8 meters per second. At the initial launch, the system
is designed to transport Euro pallets with a maximum weight of 800 kilograms. Adaptions for the use of
additional pallet formats will be carried out step by step over the next few months. The system is equipped
with an integrated lifting speed control and powerful braking systems. Due to the modular and preassembled
design of the steel construction, the stacker crane requires low maintenance and is easy to deliver and install.
Transfer car for a fast and smooth handover
Like the storage and retrieval machine, the MPP is supplemented by a new transfer car for fast pallet
conveying. Up to 5 meters per second can be achieved, allowing even greater distances to be bridged quickly
and reliably, for example in the area of route preparation or the connection between warehouse and
production. The transfer car weighs just 275 kilograms and, thanks to the intelligent drive concept, does not
require a control cabinet for the electrical connection.
As new components of the MPP, the stacker crane and the transfer car can be conveniently planned using
Interroll’s Layouter tool and combined to form a complete solution.
Integrated control concept: one solution for all requirements.
The Interroll Pallet Control PC 6000 is now responsible for controlling the pallet conveyor modules. The control
is easy to attach to the side profile and put into operation. In combination with the Interroll MultiControl, the
Pallet Control PC 6000 enables the control of 400-volt and 24/48-volt drives, offering an integrated control
concept for the entire pallet conveyor system. For every requirement, be it the transport of heavy or light
pallets, Interroll offers a uniform solution for different operating modes. This makes it possible to operate
sections of the line autonomously, transport with zero pressure accumulation (ZPA) or to operate continuously.
Depending on requirements, the systems can be controlled locally or centrally via programmable logic
controller (PLC).
The new integrated control concept consisting of proven controls considerably reduces the planning and
installation effort. Perfectly matched interfaces and simple cabling enable the pallet conveyor system to be
put into operation quickly.
