Innovative application of AGV in the process of fermentation of liquor

Good koji makes good wine

Whether it is aromatic or soft and delicate, the various flavors make up the aroma of wine between the lips and teeth. As a drink with cultural charm, Baijiu has been deeply loved by people since ancient times.

To make wine, you must first make koji. As the saying goes, "koji is the soul of wine", good koji can make good wine.

For winemaking, the role of koji is not only to add flavor to the wine, but also to silently affect the quality of the wine. The acids, esters, trace elements, etc. formed by the fermentation of microorganisms in the koji are concentrated into the essence of the wine. It is these 2% of substances that affect the remaining 98% of substances (water and ethanol), thus creating different styles and qualities of liquor products.

Innovative application of AGV in the process of fermentation of liquor

Although liquor has a long history and cultural heritage in my country, the use of AGV systems in its automated warehouses is still in its infancy and is mostly limited to the handling of finished products.

In order to improve the level of automation and warehousing efficiency in the process of fermentation, while reducing the risk of high-intensity operations in high-temperature and high-humidity environments and reducing human errors, the end user of the wine industry chose to cooperate with Beijing Jingcheng Zhitong and introduced AGV in the fermentation process for the first time.

Beijing Jingcheng Zhitong is an automation technology developer integrating mechanical manufacturing, automatic control, optoelectronic technology and communication technology, dedicated to the development and application of flexible processing systems and automation technology. After understanding the customer's needs, Beijing Jingcheng Zhitong gave the following suggestions:

During the project implementation phase, based on considerations of safety and reliability, Beijing Jingcheng Zhitong finally chose to use Kollmorgen's NDC8 platform as the AGV scheduling and control system to achieve precise navigation and stable operation in harsh environments.

01. A total of 53 AGVs were deployed in this project, including 36 backpack AGVs, 10 forklift AGVs and 7 flip AGVs. With the support of the NDC8 platform, AGVs are not only compatible with multiple navigation methods such as laser reflectors, magnetic strips, magnetic nails and QR codes, but also support multiple wheel train structures such as differential, steering wheel, dual steering wheels and multiple steering wheels. One set of solutions can meet the needs of customers in different application scenarios.

02. In view of the highly similar situations in koji-making workshops, laser reflector navigation can be installed in different positions, so that the system can accurately identify the location of the vehicle, thereby reducing the risk of navigation loss and erroneous operation.

03. The introduction of forklift AGV in the bending process effectively solves the difficulties and safety hazards of temperature and humidity control in manual operations. Based on the high stability and high reliability of the NDC control system, production efficiency has been further improved.

Kollmorgen's dispatching system and controller account for less than 2% of the total vehicle weight, just like the yeast, which also determines the quality of the AGV project.

Through the application of AGV in the koji preparation workshop, the customer's handling, warehousing and koji preparation processes are optimized, so that each link can be connected more effectively, which greatly reduces work errors, ensures the quality of the koji, and makes production more scientific and intelligent.

About Kollmorgen AGV

Kollmorgen AGV is one of the world's top suppliers of vehicle automation system kits for automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and mobile robots . Through 50 years of continuous and dedicated roots in the field of AGVs and mobile robots, these kits have been installed on more than 40,000 AGVs and mobile robots worldwide. The company was founded in Sweden in 1962 as NDC and merged into Kollmorgen in 2009. At present, it has sales, product and marketing, and technical service support teams in China. The Tianjin factory was put into use in 2019, which can provide timely and professional services to domestic customers and partners. At the same time, the design and R&D center in Sweden continues to absorb user voices and cooperate with more than 80 customers, suppliers, and innovators around the world. It has become one of the best solution providers in the field of motion control.