Oriental Motor AGV External Cover

Oriental Motor Asia Pacific asked us to design a cover for their AGV, a small robot that follows a line on a factory floor. We designed it around the real machine at our studio, fit-tested it there, and 3D printed the final cover in carbon-fibre PETG, matte black.

The brief

The cover had to keep dust, knocks and hands away from the electronics and make the robot look finished, without changing how it works. It could be no wider than the drive wheels and no more than 200 mm above the top plate. The LiDAR needed a clear view, the emergency stop and speaker needed a place on the sides, the battery had to stay easy to reach, and the whole cover had to come off for a rack to be fitted later.

How we made it

We collected the AGV on 19 June and showed the first design on 30 June. The client asked for a U-shaped LiDAR opening; we drew a deep V instead, because it gives the scanner a wider view. We moved the camera back to sit flush with the robot’s metal plate, angled 45° down at the path line, behind an acrylic panel that slides out for cleaning. Revision 1 turned the rear door into a full-height panel so the controller at the bottom can be reached, and added a removable LiDAR shield.

The first prototype was printed on 9 July and fitted on the robot, then reviewed with the client in person. Revision 2 came from that test. The emergency stop and speaker moved to the other side, closer to their port, for shorter cables. We added a USB dock mount, a handle in the top shell, a slit for the emergency stop cable, a lighter but stronger top, and 5 mm more ground clearance so the robot clears small bumps. The gaps around the acrylic panels were adjusted so they slide in and out easily. The rear door now folds on a double hinge, held shut by magnets, with a window to read the battery screen.

The final design was approved on 21 July, and the cover was printed and the AGV returned on 31 July, about six weeks after pickup.

See our product development work