Moving materials between production workstations does not always require a conveyor or a forklift. In this project, we used a low-profile lifting AGV to transport a loaded material rack directly between working areas.
The AGV travels underneath the transfer rack, lifts the entire rack from below, carries it to the required station, lowers it back onto the floor, and then exits from underneath.
This creates a simple automated material-handling cycle in which the rack itself becomes the load carrier.
Picking Up the Loaded Material Rack
The material is placed on a steel transfer rack with sufficient clearance underneath for the AGV to enter.
When a transport task begins, the low-profile AGV approaches the rack and moves into the space below it.
Once correctly positioned, the lifting mechanism raises the rack from underneath. The rack, together with the material containers and workpieces placed on it, can then be transported as one unit.
The pickup sequence can be summarized as:
Approach rack → move underneath → align with load → lift rack → begin transport
Because the AGV handles the complete rack, there is no need to transfer individual boxes or workpieces onto the vehicle before every trip.
Transporting the Rack Through the Production Area
After lifting the rack, the AGV moves along the designated aisle toward the destination workstation.
The video shows the robot carrying the steel frame together with the materials loaded on top while moving through an existing production environment.
This type of under-rack transport allows the vehicle to remain relatively compact while handling a load structure that is considerably larger than the AGV itself.
The material rack also provides a standardized interface between the production process and the mobile robot. Operators or upstream equipment can place materials on the rack, while the AGV handles the movement of the complete carrier.
Automatic Rack Drop-Off at the Workstation
When the AGV reaches the required location, it positions the rack beside the production equipment.
The lifting mechanism then lowers the rack until its legs are supported by the floor again.
After the rack has been placed in position and no longer depends on the AGV for support, the vehicle moves out from underneath and becomes available for the next transport task.
The drop-off process follows the reverse sequence:
Arrive at destination → position rack → lower load → release rack → exit from underneath
The rack can remain at the workstation while the AGV immediately leaves to perform another mission.
Decoupling the AGV from the Material Carrier
One useful feature of this transport concept is that the AGV does not need to remain with the material after delivery.
The mobile robot and the transfer rack operate as two separate resources.
Once a rack has been delivered, it can stay beside the machine for loading, unloading, temporary storage, or production use. Meanwhile, the same AGV can travel to another rack elsewhere in the workshop.
This makes it possible for a relatively small number of vehicles to circulate among multiple material racks and workstations.
The transport resource is therefore not occupied while a rack is waiting for the next production operation.
Lifting AGV Material Flow Between Workstations
The complete workflow demonstrated in the project is:
Travel to transfer rack → enter beneath rack → lift rack → transport through production area → position at destination → lower rack → exit → continue to the next task
This type of lifting AGV is suitable for production environments where materials are already organized on standardized racks, carts, or transfer frames.
Instead of requiring manual pushing between workstations, the AGV automates the movement of the complete carrier while preserving the existing rack-based material flow.
For manufacturing lines with repeated point-to-point transfers, this provides a practical way to automate line-side material movement without installing fixed transport equipment between every station.