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46 The PCB Magazine • May 2016 of various hoist systems as a function of how many panels per year (two shifts per day) they can process. Horizontal Conveyorized Horizontal conveyors are the oldest type of mechanization in printed circuit manufactur- ing. These closed machines, as shown in Fig- ure 6a, have increased in their applications, from historic photoresist developing, stripping, cleaning, and etching, to drill-smear removal, oxide-treatments, electroless copper, final fin- ishes/coatings, and now to metallization (i.e., electroplating). Specialized Material Handling Systems Another Class E and F unit is the automatic guided vehicle (AGV). I have visited three au- tomated PCB fabricators that used AGVs. Two used them throughout the facility, the third only for transport between AQL/shipping and the loading dock. A special type of automatic transport system is the automatic storage & retrieval system (AS/ RS). This system was used by the PCB fabricator for all the cut panels, backup supplies and in- direct materials (except chemicals) used in this material HandlinG innovations: sHould you automate? maintenance personal to construct. The frame is 2.0 inch painted tubular steel welded together and the transporter is constructed out of high- strength aluminum tubing that has been painted. The system in Figure 7a has two additional transporters running on it. Each transporter is bat- tery powered and runs autonomously. The con- trols for the system are very simple and basically they are electromechanical, so again, any PCB maintenance personal can construct and maintain them. The transporters are controlled by a timer at each process step. Once the transporter arrives on station, it starts the timer for that process, and when the timer times out, the load is lifted and the transporter moves to the next process step. After it is unloaded at the end, the transporter is reversed and moved back to the load station by an operator. The slightly larger electroplating pro - cess line transporter was arranged in an oval, with the load adjacent to the unload. The blueprints and plans for these battery- powered transporters are available in the HDI Handbook, 2nd Edition, to be published by I- Connect007 this fall. If you're not up to build- ing the hoist system, you can purchase a system for as little as $75,000 from firms like Adroit Au- tomation (Figure 7c). Figure 7b shows the cost Figure 8: A few of the many AGVs commercially available today. They can follow painted stripes on the floor, be wireless guided or use GPS location.