Material handling for automated assembly facility

A facility for automated assembly of a product comprising:

• a random storage facility having a plurality of individual storage locations and a plurality of ready locations, said ready locations being spatially separated along a line;
• assembly line conveyor means, including an assembly line conveyor, for transporting pallets and parts carriers in a single direction, said assembly line conveyor being positioned adjacent to said random storage facility and extending along said line of ready locations;
• first conveyor means for receiving parts carriers and transporting parts carriers to said random storage facility and for delivering assembled products, received from said assembly line conveyor, to a packaging and shipping area;
• a plurality of assembly stations positioned along said assembly line conveyor opposite to said storage facility, said assembly stations having a parts carrier receiving area for receiving parts carriers from said ready locations of said random storage facility, said assembly stations further having a work area for performing an assembly operation on work-in-process, said work-in-process comprised of said pallet and a partially assembled product;
• a plurality of work-in-process receiving areas for receiving said work-in-process, each of said work-in-process receiving areas associated with an assembly station and comprising one of said ready locations of said random storage facility;
• trnasporting means associated with said random storage facility for moving said parts carriers from said first conveyor means into one of said individual storage locations and for moving said parts carriers from one of said individual storage locations to one of said ready locations;
• and
• a plurality of transfer means, each of said transfer means associated with one of said assembly stations for moving said parts carriers from one of said ready locations to a parts carrier receiving area and for moving said work-in-process from said assembly line conveyor to one of said ready locations and for moving said work-in-process from said one of said ready locations to one of said work areas.