AGV (Automated Guided Vehicles)

Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) is a programmable mobile vehicle without human intervention. The Material Handling Institute defines it as "An AGV is a vehicle equipped with automatic guidance apparatus, either optical or electromagnetic. Such a vehicle is competent of following prescribed guide paths and may be equipped for vehicle programming and stop blocking, selection and any other special functions required by the system."

Figure 12 : Automatic Guided Vehicle (AGV) used for Transporting Material Over Long Distances

A typical AGV is shown in Figure 12. An AGV with a pallet and workpiece mounted moving between the workstation can be seen in Figure 13. These are driverless vehicles and work in fixed routes that are laid on the factory floor. The AGVs are used for workpiece distribution and transferring from stores to shop/assembly line. They are sometimes also called as robocarts.

Figure 13 : Typical Flexible Manufacturing System with the CNC Machining Centres and the Automated Guided Vehicles in between