Automatic stacker pillars designed to allow the robotic integration of metal racks

Modern production lines from automakers require maximum efficiency and precision. Automatic component handling is a crucial process and requires logistical supports that are not only robust, but also dimensionally perfect. Automatic handling columns represent the fundamental structural element that allows metal containers to interact with robotic systems and conveyor belts.

Thanks to their particular structure they allow the car components to be supported using mobile flaps which are automatically cocked during piece loading and unloading operations, without the need for an operator.

Stacker pillars: what they are used for

Stacker pillars are essential for two primary functions: ensuring the structural stability of the container, especially when full and stacked, and providing the reference geometry necessary for automatic handling systems. Ferrero Automotive stacker pillars are specially designed to resist dynamic and static stresses: their resistance guarantees that the shape of the container does not alter even after thousands of loading, unloading and stacking cycles. This durability is crucial, as even minimal bending or deformation of the container can compromise the robot’s ability to pick up the component with the required accuracy.

Furthermore, the columns play a decisive role in the safe stackability of components. Through a precise design, they ensure that the load of the upper components is distributed evenly over the load-bearing structure, without burdening the internal components. In this way they allow you to protect delicate pieces and optimally exploit the vertical space in warehouses and during transport. Furthermore, by providing standardized support points, stacker pillars allow the loading and unloading systems to work at high speeds without compromising the integrity of the load.

Perfect interface for robotic and AGV lines

For automatic lines and internal transport systems such as AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles), the rack is an interface: the handling columns act, in fact, like real “precision feet” that interface with the guides of the conveyor belts or with the sensors of automatically guided vehicles.

The dimensional precision of the columns is what allows automatic alignment, facilitating the entry and exit of the racks from a robotic station or assembly line and ensuring that the robot’s gripping point is always exactly where intended. Furthermore, in many automated systems, balusters are used for mechanical docking and locking to immobilize the container in the working position. This ensures that the container does not move during high-speed picking operations, eliminating the risk of robotic arm positioning errors.

The stability guaranteed by the columns is fundamental for reading and identification, allowing vision systems to correctly identify the container and its contents, especially in industrial environments subject to vibrations or rapid changes in speed. Without balusters designed for tight tolerances and made from robust materials, integrating containers into the complex robotic lines of automakers would be impossible or extremely unreliable.

All the advantages of automatic movement stacker pillars

Automatic movement stacker pillars in the automotive sector represent a fundamental technological evolution to optimize the production, handling and storage processes of automotive components. This equipment, integrated into automotive-specific metal racks, allows loading and unloading operations to be fully automated thanks to the use of highly engineered robots and internal mechanisms.

Each column consists of a chamber that houses mobile flaps and automatic handling systems, which are activated in a synchronized manner during the workpiece handling phases, thus eliminating the need for manual intervention by the operator. This translates into a double advantage: on the one hand greater production efficiency, with reduction of cycle times and optimization of the workflow; on the other, greater operational safety, since human interaction with moving loads is minimized.

From a logistical point of view, automotive racks with stacker pillars offer optimized space management: the resistant and compact structure allows you to move and store components of various sizes and shapes in an orderly manner – such as bonnets, panoramic roofs, planks, batteries or windshield rings – protecting them from impacts and damage. Internal stacker pillars keep components perfectly in place during transport, ensuring they arrive on the assembly line intact and ready to use. Furthermore, the tailor-made customization of the racks allows each solution to be adapted to the specific needs of the production line or the treated component, improving flexibility and the ability to respond to the different processing phases.

The use of automatic racks also represents an investment in innovation and competitiveness. Companies that adopt these solutions can count on a patented system resulting from constant research and development, capable of reducing waste, increasing productivity and ensuring the quality of processes. In a sector like the automotive one, where precision, safety and speed are essential requirements, automatic handling stacker pillars represent a key technology to make production more modern, efficient and sustainable.

Ferrero Automotive: automated solutions for faster, safer and smarter production

Ferrero Automotive specializes in the design and supply of metal racks with stacker pillars specifically designed for logistics automation in the automotive sector. Our automatic handling stacker pillars are the result of engineering excellence aimed at guaranteeing maximum precision and perfect integration with robotic lines. All stacker pillars are designed to guarantee safe stackability and resistance to the most intense stresses and are made with maximum dimensional precision, guaranteeing perfect alignment and the reduction of picking errors. Furthermore, they ensure long life over time, as the high-strength materials guarantee a prolonged life cycle for containers and platforms.

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