Answering the top 4 questions about our autonomous forklift, OTTO Lifter

Manual forklifts have a 90% chance of a serious accident occurring during their 8-year average lifespan, and account for 10% of all physical injuries in a workspace. To improve operational safety and reliability, manufacturers are increasingly looking to implement an autonomous forklift.

Last week, OTTO by Rockwell Automation hosted a webinar, “Transforming manual workflows with autonomous forklifts,” to share how leading manufacturers are using autonomous forklifts to transform their material handling with OTTO Lifter. In this blog, we’ll share the answers to the top OTTO Lifter questions manufacturers asked live.

1. What pallet sizes can OTTO Lifter move?

OTTO Lifter is compliant with a variety of standard wood, plastic and Grade A pallets, including CHEP, PECO, Block and/or GMA Orbis HDMC 48-45. Pallets should be one of two sizes:

• 1016 mm x 1219 mm (40 x 48 in)
• 1143 mm x 1219 mm (45 x 48 in)

For the best performance, there should be at least 200 mm (8 in) of space around the pallet.

2. What is the IP rating for OTTO Lifter?

The Ingress Protection (IP) rating helps determine a robot’s effectiveness in blocking foreign bodies such as dust and liquids. This can be important for particularly dirty facilities or facilities that manufacture liquid products.

OTTO Lifter is rated IP20, meaning it is touchproof and resistant to dust or objects that are over 12.5 mm in size.

3. Does OTTO Lifter support the interoperability standard VDA5050?

VDA5050 is an interoperability standard that establishes a common interface among multiple AGV and AMR providers. It defines a set of requirements and guidelines for AGV and AMR systems in terms of safety, performance and communication, which ensures the different systems and devices can work together.

There is a VDA5050 connector on OTTO AMRs, including OTTO Lifter, that interprets information from a supported third-party fleet manager. OTTO was one of the first AMR vendors to support the VDA5050 standard and to open source its connector.

4. When evaluating AMRs, when would a customer select OTTO Lifter over others, such as OTTO 1500?

OTTO Lifter is designed to move materials between stands, machines and floor locations, whereas other OTTO AMRs, such as OTTO 1500, require an attachment for material movement. Uniquely capable of floor-to-floor movement, OTTO Lifter improves ergonomics by reducing elevation and enabling operators to maintain floor level interactions with a payload.

OTTO Lifter unlocks new workflows for manufacturers, including:

• Transporting pallets from palletizer to stretch wrapper
• Transporting pallets from inbound dock to warehouse
• Transporting pallets from dock to dock
• Transporting pallets from palletizer to stretch wrapper to outbound staging

OTTO 1500 supports a variety of workflows, including bulk delivery to lineside, finished goods takeaway, and work in progress transport.

Additionally, OTTO Lifter is specifically designed similarly to the manual forklifts that manufacturers have been using for centuries. Sharing many similarities and differences, OTTO Lifter may make the transition to autonomous material handling more recognizable for your employees.

OTTO Lifter is equipped with many of the same features as other OTTO AMRs and shares a fleet management software.

• High-performance safety: Leveraging industry-leading safety equipment including LiDARs and 3D cameras, OTTO AMRs maximize productivity without compromising on safety.
• Opportunistic charging: OTTO AMRs know when they need to charge, and top up between jobs to keep materials moving around the clock.
• Unmatched throughput: OTTO AMRs are engineered to drive quickly through both straight aisles and around turns, people and obstacles, maximizing average speed.
• Uncompromised durability: Built to perform in the toughest manufacturing environments, OTTO AMRs are reliably built with an all-metal body, industrial-grade components and a top-tier electric powertrain.

Built with safety-rated technology and a user-friendly design, OTTO Lifter makes pallet transport intelligent and predictable. To learn more about how to use OTTO Lifter in your facility, watch the full webinar.