Warehouse Rack Gantry

Inspiration

For the Warehouse Rack Gantry we took inspiration from the forklift cascading lift mechanism alongside a pulley to help move objects along the y axis. For horizontal movement, we looked into using the same principles found in linear ball screw actuators. We want to keep the current system, cutting down costs for implementation and also increasing efficiency.

What it does

The Warehouse Rack Gantry is designed as a solution to having warehouse works go fetch the required item from the specified rack and go through the logistics of moving from one rack to another, each differing in location and altitude. Instead each rack will have a gantry system installed above it that allows for easy transportation from the rack to the worker, waiting at the edge of the rack. This system allows for increased efficiency, more storage space as the space between racks can be reduced, and keeps workers safe and reducing manual labor.

How we built it

The gantry is composed of a linear screw actuator design that moves a cart along the x-axis. The cart has a pulley system alongside a cascading life mechanism as a guide allowing for the movement of packages from racks to the floor quickly and safely. All parts are 3D printed to allow for rapid prototyping, proof of concepts, and assembly for testing. Stepper motors were used powered by a Arduino Uno that contains all the code needed to run the system.

Challenges we ran into

During development of the linear screw actuator and other parts that involved movement, we had issues with precision, providing enough clearance for the cascading lift mechanism to move up and down without getting caught, and tension on the cascading lift from the pulley system. Relying on the quick turnaround time for 3D printing, we were able to solve issues of precision by using a variety of possible solutions such as; slowing the print speed to increase print quality, reworking designs to tweak clearance issues, and adjust design dimensions. For the issue of tension on the lift mechanism, a counter tension force was applied using a string that would provide an equal amount of tension to the pulley when pulling the cascade lift upwards. For software and electronic challenges, we had issues finding applicable motors, pin management, and learning how to apply electronics with software. We originally planned to use a 24v geared motor to power the linear ball screw actuator, however had no power supply with a high enough voltage. This forced us to use a lower voltage stepper motor that is slower and with less torque. We also had issues with pin management when using the stepper motor as it took up 8 pins leaving few pins to control the vertical and horizontal movement. To solve this, we use a master switch system that controls the direction of both the x and y axis and two subsidiary switches that turn on the motor for the axis accordingly. This allowed us to use the remaining pins we had left without losing out on features we needed.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We're proud of the easy implementation of our design, allowing for scalability across multiple warehouses that is cost-effective and allows warehouses to keep their current system while also providing safety and reduced manual labor. This design can also be updated and added on to, allowing for additional features if desired. We also rapidly designed and delivered a working proof of concepts for our design that allows others to see our idea.

What we learned

We learned a lot about the integration of software, electronics, and hardware alongside getting to firsthand experience rapid prototyping. We learned about the basics of Arduino and how to manipulate different electronic components using software and the principals behind electronics and engineering designs.

What's next for Warehouse Rack Gantry

The hackathon allowed us to experience other parts of the product development process that doesn't revolve around our major alongside working, planning, and communicating in a team. It sparked inside many of us a desire to learn and work more with stuff that we do not normally work on and speak and meet others that have a similar passion and create something collaborative and beneficial to others together.

Built With

• arduino
• stepper