Boost Productivity With Industrial Wireless Connectivity
Industrial wireless technology is changing the world as we know it, driving the development of unmanned and remote capabilities to facilitate autonomous and mobile operations in various applications such as material handling, medical care, manufacturing, and mining.
Compact mobile machines equipped with complex sensing and computing capabilities such as Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR) open up a new realm of possibilities. Wireless connectivity combined with AI (artificial intelligence) lets autonomous vehicles leverage mobile intelligence to move on their own without an operator or follow fixed paths to scan, map, and navigate their environment.
Moxa’s industrial Wi-Fi products are designed to boost productivity and flexibility for modern industrial operations. The new generation of AWK Series 802.11ac Wi-Fi solutions provides concurrent dual-band speeds of up to 1,300 Mbps for better and wider coverage. The robust design helps mitigate downtime caused by environmental factors such as extreme temperatures, shock and vibration, and power and radio interference. By combining millisecond-fast roaming, wireless resilience features, and IEC 62443-4-2 certified security, Moxa’s AWK wireless solutions deliver field-proven reliable and secure Wi-Fi connectivity to support seamless mobility for stability-critical applications.
Optimizing Material Handling on the Move
A global machine manufacturer wanted to upgrade their AGV/AMR solutions to improve individual mobility and fleet efficiency. As part of the upgrade, AGVs and AMRs needed to be outfitted with more advanced components.
Why Moxa- Compact, robust design for easy machine integration and enhanced
- EMC and RF protection 802.11ac performance with Turbo Roaming for millisecond-level handovers
- UN model with multi-region RF certification compliance
System Requirements
- Compact devices that meet machine installation and network requirements
- Reliable operation with sufficient vibration and EMI noise resistance
- High bandwidth and around-the-clock availability Moxa’s Solution
The overhead crane is maneuvered from a suspended control cabin, either by an operator or by an autonomous image recognition system. The heavy-duty crane is equipped with 4 HD IP cameras that capture live images from all angles and transmit these data and video streams to the control cabin through the AWK-1151C 802.11ac Wi-Fi client installed on the crane. Reliable wireless connectivity is critical to ensure the availability and safety of the crane. Poor connectivity caused by insufficient bandwidth or heavy environmental interference could trigger the timeout protection and stop the crane from operating. To prevent this, AWK-3252A 802.11ac access points were installed on walls throughout the factory floor to create wireless infrastructure to support seamless roaming as the crane moves. Tailor-made for industrial control, the AWK devices feature Layer 2 transparent wireless links that enable PLC communication between mobile cranes and the control room. Designed to ensure reliable operations, the IEC 62443-4-2 certified AWK products combine field-proven features such as high-speed 802.11ac, sub-150 ms Turbo Roaming, and automatic Connection Check and Recovery with resilient hardware to handle the extreme working temperatures, power surges, ESD, and vibration in the steel mill. Moxa’s Solution Wireless connectivity is key to coordinating multiple autonomous AGVs/AMRs in busy operating environments. As the AGVs/AMRs scan their surroundings to choose the best route to their targets and perform pick-and-place tasks, they generate large amounts of data and video traffic on the network. High-bandwidth wireless becomes essential to avoid latency that could cause collisions or other problems.
Moxa’s AWK-1151C Series helps create a stable wireless experience for AGV and AMR operations. The AWK-1151C wireless client offers IEEE 802.11ac speeds up to 867 Mbps and sub-150 ms seamless roaming to provide uninterrupted wireless connectivity and sufficient bandwidth for current and future data requirements.
To maximize uptime, the AWK-1151C Series meets industrial standards for protection against power surges, electromagnetic interference, ESD, shock, and vibration. The AWK also features WPA3 encryption and IEC 62443-4-2 certified security to protect AGV/AMR operations against cyberthreats.
The AWK-1151C Series offers a universal (UN) model with RF approvals for major regional markets. This allows users to choose region-specific RF compliance via software configuration to simplify inventory and reduce cost.
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