A buyer searching for AGV is usually trying to stop a bad substitute. Industrial equipment is specified by throughput, the material it touches, the utilities, and the environment of the plant. The notes below are selection criteria for an AGV. They are not a catalog promise. Confirm every rating on the current datasheet, drawing, or test report for the revision you will receive.
What has to be true of AGV
Industrial equipment is specified by throughput, the material it touches, the utilities, and the environment of the plant. For an AGV, start from the duty, then the interface to the rest of the machine or the room, then the document that proves the claim. A lower price that leaves one of those blank is a different product.
AGV is easy to confuse with Flame Detector. If the quote could be read as either, add the line that separates them: the rating, the fitment, or the standard named below. Link the drawing number to that line so receiving inspection can reject the wrong one.
Numbers that change the quote
| Line | What to write for AGV |
|---|---|
| Control | Local panel, PLC, or a stated network. |
| Safety and noise | Guards, and a noise figure if the hall has a limit. |
| Throughput | Units, kilograms, or pallets per hour at a stated duty. |
| Material | What the machine handles, including temperature and abrasiveness. |
| Utilities | Power, air, water, or steam. |
| Footprint | Size, weight, and access for service. |
How to compare two offers
Lay both quotes for AGV on one sheet and line up control, safety and noise, and throughput. If a cell is empty, the offer is not finished. Ask for the missing line in writing. When those match, the honest difference is lead time, the test evidence, and who carries the warranty. Do not average a fully specified AGV with a cheaper line that omitted control.
Documents worth having before the deposit
Ask for a general arrangement drawing and a utility list. The file should name AGV and the revision, not only the supplier’s homepage. A factory quality certificate such as ISO 9001 can sit beside that file. It does not replace it.
Failures that show up after delivery
- Forgetting service access in the layout.
- Leaving the control interface unnamed.
- Quoting throughput at an ideal product and running a harder one.
On an AGV, the expensive version of the first mistake is discovering it after the goods are in the crate. Put the rejection condition in the purchase order while the supplier can still restate the offer.
A worked RFQ line
Use this shape, then replace the brackets with your duty: “AGV — Write throughput, material, utilities, footprint, and control.” That sentence is a template, not a rating of any brand. If a supplier’s datasheet uses different units, convert them onto this sheet so the next offer can be compared.
Where words like stainless / corrosion belong
Searches often add a constraint to AGV: stainless / corrosion, or OEM / custom. Keep those on this page. Name the alloy or the coating and the chemical it must survive. Stainless is a family, not a guarantee. OEM or custom means a drawing, a revision, and a statement of who owns the tool. Without those, you are buying the catalog part. If you need a third constraint, add it as another line on the same drawing. A second URL that only swaps the adjective does not give a buyer a second fact.
Related in this section: how to specify Flame Detector.
Questions buyers actually ask
What should an RFQ for AGV include?
Write throughput, material, utilities, footprint, and control.
Is a cheaper AGV the same part?
Only if control, safety and noise, and the documents match. A missing line is a different offer.
Do waterproof, OEM, or IP words need their own page?
No. For AGV they are extra lines on this specification. Ask for the test or the drawing that gives the word a value.