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Despite Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV) having been used in manufacturing facilities for years, companies are increasingly turning to Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR) to address internal transportation solutions. Autonomous mobile robots are entering packaging plants for transporting materials and loading machines; some can even be integrated with collaborative robots.
According to the Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies (PMMI) 2022 Robotics Report, AMR shipments in 2021 reached 82,000 units, with expected shipments exceeding 600,000 units by 2025. "Various items ranging from raw materials to finished products," the report states. "The latest generation of sensors and AI-driven data makes AMRs flexible enough to be easily redeployed, and intelligent enough to navigate facilities without requiring guide lines or magnets."
For packaging operations, AMRs can be used for material transportation, including pallet loading of packaging materials and machine loading, and can be integrated with collaborative robots to create mobile packaging stations.
