Storage and retrieval machines: the Vectron modular system

Modular system

One modular system for totes and pallets

The Vectron modular system moves pallets up to 1,500 kg and totes up to 120 kg. The machine types come in stepped heights: pallet machines at 6, 12, 20 and 35 metres, tote machines at 6, 12 and 20 metres. Both are built from the same components; the load handling device is matched to your application.

Pick up, store, relocate, retrieve: the matching machine control is part of the package. It delivers high throughput and keeps the system available instead of merely moving it.

1,500 kg payload, tote machines up to 120 kg
35 m height, pallet machines up to 35 m, tote machines up to 20 m
30 % less mass than conventional machines
200 × 100 cm door size for installation

Design

Five decisions that make the difference

01 · Mast

Lightweight construction, and it shows

The patented mast structure reaches these heights with around 30 % less mass, at high stiffness and with strong travel dynamics. There is no need for an anti-sway drive at all, which simplifies commissioning and maintenance.

The mast is built from extruded aluminium profiles and plain sheet metal, folded and arranged in alternating directions. That adds stiffness without adding material. Its cross section is variable in both directions and is sized for the required height.

The entire development cycle was accompanied by FE calculations. Every relevant component is optimised for weight, stiffness and vibration behaviour.

Mast of a storage and retrieval machine in lightweight construction

02 · Connections

Bolted, not welded

The mast, the travel unit and the rail joint are bolted. There are no welded joints on the dynamically loaded components, and therefore no weld seam failures either. All main assemblies can be taken apart, and the mast can be split into sections of any length.

The rail joints are bolted as well, not welded. The transition stays properly aligned and needs no reworking, so the travel unit runs more smoothly across it.

The machine can optionally enter the building through a standard 200 × 100 cm door: no roof opening, no open façade, no crane in front of the plant. That is exactly what makes it usable for retrofit projects in existing buildings.

Bolted assemblies of a storage and retrieval machine during installation

03 · Drive

30 % less energy

Lightweight construction, drives with energy recovery, energy-optimised travel cycles and travel dynamics matched to the required throughput cut consumption by up to 30 %.

Peak power drops as well, so a smaller connected load is enough for new installations. Feeding braking energy back into the grid is standard here, not an extra. Where several machines share an installation, the fleet control coordinates their movements.

Vectron storage and retrieval machine storing and retrieving a pallet

04 · Maintenance

Little to maintain, easy to reach

The lifting belt replaces the steel wire rope: no re-lubrication, no rope changes. Because the belt works with a smaller drive diameter than a rope drum, smaller motors and gearboxes are enough. The travel and lift guide rails are made from high-strength material and last their service life without regrinding, the bearings are sealed, and the high-performance polyurethane wheels are designed for long service intervals.

What does need doing is quick: the control cabinet and the drives are reachable from floor level. Nobody needs a lifting platform to service them. That reduces downtime and the cost over the whole life cycle.

Storage and retrieval machine by Vectron in a storage aisle

05 · Travel unit

Quiet enough for the night shift

The main wheels are made of high-performance polyurethane and run on an aluminium rail. This pairing brings the noise level down noticeably compared with steel on steel.

Drive is by belt, in the travel axis as well as the lift axis. There are no friction wheels. That takes wear and noise out of the travel unit and makes the travel dynamics predictable.

That pays off wherever people work next to the warehouse or where neighbours are a factor: on night shifts, in mixed-use buildings and in plants in the middle of town.

High-performance polyurethane main wheels running on the aluminium rail of a storage and retrieval machine

Videos

Machines at work

Still from the video: crane outside the warehouse

Installing a storage and retrieval machine Video, 1:00 min

Still from the video: pallet machine in the aisle

Pallet storage and retrieval machine Video, 1:25 min

Still from the video: crane lifting the mast outside the Spar distribution centre

Spar distribution centre Marchtrenk: installation and system Video, 1:37 min

Still from the video: aerial view of the MW Treichl site

MW Treichl, Wörgl: two machines in an existing building Video, 2:34 min

Applications

Where our machines work

Distribution and e-commerce

High throughput with fluctuating order volumes, around the clock and without extra staff at night.
Production and intralogistics

Buffer stores right next to the line, with replenishment at the pace of production rather than the pace of the forklift driver.
Overstock and large areas

Where floor space is scarce and expensive, 35 metres of storage height get more out of the existing footprint.
Existing buildings

Thanks to installation through a standard door, also where a new build or an opened building envelope is out of the question.

Complete systems

Not just the machine, the whole system

A storage and retrieval machine on its own is not a warehouse. We also plan and supply what stands around it: racking, conveyors, safety equipment, controls and the link to your warehouse management system. Turnkey up to handover if that is what you need.

planning from the aisle to the transfer station
racking, conveyors and safety equipment from one source
controls and connection to your existing system
installation, commissioning and handover
maintenance and periodic inspection on request

On larger projects the planning and project capacity of the KNAPP Group, which Vectron belongs to, comes on top. For you it stays one point of contact.

Rendering of a complete system: warehouse in section with racking, storage and retrieval machine and conveyors — The complete system at a glance

Rendering: pallet racking with conveyors and transfer station next to the storage and retrieval machine — Racking, conveyors and transfer

Rendering: Vectron storage and retrieval machine head-on in the aisle between two racking rows — Machine in the aisle

Standards and safety

What we build to

A storage and retrieval machine is machinery under the EU Machinery Regulation. Design and safety engineering follow the product standard for storage and retrieval machines, EN 528, and the relevant FEM rules for calculation and design.

Load-bearing parts are designed using finite element analysis and checked for fatigue strength with the safety factors that apply. Access to the aisle is guarded, emergency stop and end-position monitoring are part of the machine, not an accessory.

After commissioning, periodic inspection remains the operator's duty. We take it on if you want, together with maintenance, and document both.

Designs

Two designs, one modular system

For pallets

The machine for Euro, industrial and special pallets.

machine types of 6, 12, 20 or 35 metres
up to 1,500 kg
telescopic fork, single or double-deep
satellite vehicle for multiple-deep storage
with machine control on request

For totes

The same principle as a miniload.

machine types of 6, 12 or 20 metres
telescopic technology up to 120 kg, single to multi-deep
gripper technology for trays and totes, pull technology for cartons
with machine control on request
special solutions on request

Next step

Does the modular system fit your aisle?

Send us aisle height, aisle length, load carrier and the throughput you need. You will get an assessment of whether it works and with which machine type.

Send an enquiry

Storage and retrieval machines, rethought