Automation for internal material handling: electronic solutions for efficient, integrated logistics

05/05/2025

In the field of industrial intralogistics, automating internal material handling systems is now a strategic factor in ensuring efficiency, safety, and traceability throughout production and storage flows. From powered conveyor lines to automated warehouses, shuttle systems, and AMRs, every application demands reliable, scalable electronics that are perfectly integrated with the existing infrastructure.

Sertech Elettronica designs and develops custom electronic solutions for the control and supervision of handling systems, tailored to meet the needs of plant manufacturers, system integrators, and machine builders.

Handling systems: components and control logic

An internal handling system may include:

Motorized conveyor belts
Gravity or powered roller conveyors
Stacker cranes and shuttle systems
AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles) and AMRs (Autonomous Mobile Robots)
Pick & place systems and automatic palletizers

Controlling these units involves:

Electric drives (brushless, stepper, or DC motors)
Interpolated axis control
Position, proximity, limit, and light curtain sensors
Inverters, encoders, drivers, and power modules
PLCs or dedicated embedded control boards, capable of executing sequencing logic, priority management, safety interlocks, and real-time communication with higher-level systems (MES, WMS)

Sertech designs custom electronic boards to manage these subsystems, handling both digital and analog signals, and ensuring compatibility with advanced industrial communication protocols (e.g., EtherCAT, Profinet, CANopen, Modbus TCP).

Key requirements: safety, reliability, and modularity

Material handling systems often operate in continuous duty cycles, including in harsh environments (dust, humidity, vibrations). The electronics designed for such systems must meet strict requirements:

Electrical robustness (against voltage peaks, overloads, and transients)
Integrated diagnostics (self-testing, temperature and current monitoring, I/O status feedback)
Modular design for fast replacement of components
Safe human-machine interfaces (HMI) with emergency stop and lockout functions

Our solutions include local emergency handling, safe-stop logic, and controlled restart, in full compliance with CEI EN 60204-1, ISO 13849-1, and Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC.

Integration within Industry 4.0 architectures

Internal handling automation is not just about hardware. The supervision and traceability logic must integrate within complex, multi-level architectures:

Edge computing for local processing
Industrial gateways for field-to-cloud communication
Vertical integration with WMS and MES, optimizing logistic and production flows
Predictive failure analysis and condition-based maintenance

Sertech's electronic boards are designed to operate in such contexts, featuring embedded microcontrollers, non-volatile memory for data logging, industrial Ethernet ports, and remote firmware updates.

Applications and use cases

Our solutions are used in systems such as:

Internal handling lines for the food and pharmaceutical industries
Sorting systems in logistics centers and e-commerce hubs
Multi-level and vertical automated warehouses (AS/RS)
Robotic packaging and end-of-line automation systems
Automated loading/unloading stations with logic-controlled buffers

Each board is tailored to meet the customer's specific electrical and software requirements, ensuring fast integration, protocol compatibility, and the ability to scale the system as needed.

Automating internal material handling systems means reducing cycle times, increasing productivity, and improving operator safety. Sertech Elettronica supports OEMs and system integrators in developing custom industrial electronics designed to meet the challenges of connected, intelligent, and efficient intralogistics.