Warehouse Automation Solutions Wizard_

I have been working with automated warehouse systems since I was 15. I build tools that engineers actually use, write about what is happening in the industry, and teach the methodology I wish someone had handed me when I started.

// Material Handling Weekly
The pulse of warehouse automation. Free weekly.
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Michael Collins
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Selected Work

Projects

🏭
Web App / HTML / JS

Conveyor Designer

Browser-based conveyor layout tool. Drag and drop sections, snap together, auto-generates BOM, exports DXF.

HTMLCanvas APIJavaScript
Launch Beta
🔀
Web App / HTML / JS

Sortation Selection Tool

Guided sortation system selection. Input your parameters, get a clear recommendation with the reasoning.

HTMLJavaScriptCSS
Launch Beta
🗺️
Web App / HTML / JS

Flow Diagram Guide

Interactive layered flow diagram for conveyor system design. Color-coded by system layer.

HTMLJavaScriptSVG
Launch Live
The Lab

Tools + Calculators

🏭
Conveyor Designer
Beta
Drag and drop conveyor layout tool. Snap sections together, auto-generates BOM, exports DXF.
Launch
📊
Product Spec Calc
Live
Multi-tab engineering calculator. Package basics, sorter calcs, 90-degree transfers. Free download.
Download
🔀
Sortation Selection Tool
Beta
Guided sortation system selection. Input your parameters, get a clear recommendation.
Launch
🗺️
Flow Diagram Guide
Live
Interactive layered flow diagram for conveyor system design. Color-coded by system layer.
Launch
YouTube

Latest Builds

@OmniB0mb3r →
Tutorial

Building a Drive System from Scratch

18 min
Walkthrough

Automating the Boring Parts of Engineering

24 min
Deep Dive

Why Most Design Reviews Miss Everything

31 min
Stay Connected

The pulse of warehouse automation. Delivered weekly.

Material Handling Weekly covers robotics, AMR technology, material handling products, and emerging automation trends. No hype. No vendor spin. Just honest analysis from someone who has been in this industry for 27 years.

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Projects

The Work

Mechanical systems, electrical design, web apps, AutoCAD tools, Excel calculators, and automation. Stuff I built and actually use.

01
Web App / HTML / JS

Conveyor Designer

Browser-based conveyor layout tool. Drag and drop straight sections, curves, and spurs. Pieces snap together, generates a live bill of materials, and exports to CSV and DXF. Undo/redo, save/load, zoom and pan.

HTMLCanvas APIJavaScriptDXF Export
Launch Tool Beta
02
Web App / HTML / JS

Sortation Selection Tool

Guided decision tool for selecting the right sortation system. Input your project parameters, it filters by requirements and outputs a clear recommendation with the reasoning behind it.

HTMLJavaScriptCSS
Launch Tool Beta
03
Web App / HTML / JS

Flow Diagram Guide

Interactive layered flow diagram for conveyor system design. Color-coded by system layer. Built as a visual companion to engineering design reviews and training content.

HTMLJavaScriptSVG
Launch Tool Live
04
Mechanical / Electrical

Mechanical + Electrical Work

CAD design, system builds, PCB layouts, and fabrication work. Photos and project writeups coming soon.

SolidWorksKiCadCAD
Excel Calculators

Downloadable Excel-based engineering calculators. Open, use, modify. Free.

📊
Excel / VBA Calculator

Product Spec Calc r4.1

Multi-tab engineering calculator covering package and conveyor basics, skew analysis, sorter calculations, and 90-degree transfer calculations. Includes automated checks and output summaries. Companion guide doc included.

ExcelVBA.xltmFree Download
📊
Excel Calculators

More Calculators Coming

Tolerance stack-up, beam deflection, BOM cost estimator, and more. Being cleaned up and added as they are ready.

Excel.xlsxComing Soon
AutoCAD / AutoLISP Programs

Custom AutoLISP routines for AutoCAD. Load, run, save time. Starter and beta builds.

🔩
AutoLISP / AutoCAD

Smart Layer Manager

Automated layer naming, sorting, and cleanup routine. Enforces layer standards across drawings.

AutoLISP.lspBeta
🔩
AutoLISP / AutoCAD

Title Block Auto-Filler

Reads project data from a linked spreadsheet and auto-populates drawing title blocks. Huge time saver.

AutoLISP.lspAlpha
🔩
AutoLISP / AutoCAD

Dimension Checker

Scans drawings for broken, overridden, or inconsistent dimensions and flags them for review.

AutoLISP.lspBeta
📋
AutoLISP / AutoCAD

BLKBOM_ Block BOM Generator

Scans your entire drawing for blocks with a BOM attribute set to YES, groups them by name and attributes, sums lengths, and places a formatted table with live block previews and counts. Three commands: BLKBOM, BLKBOMREGEN, BLKBOMSETTINGS.

AutoLISP.lspAutoCAD 2010+Beta
🔩
AutoLISP / AutoCAD

Title Block Auto-Filler

Reads project data from a linked spreadsheet and auto-populates drawing title blocks. Huge time saver.

AutoLISP.lspAlpha
🔩
AutoLISP / AutoCAD

Dimension Checker

Scans drawings for broken, overridden, or inconsistent dimensions and flags them for review.

AutoLISP.lspBeta
Lab

The Lab

Experimental builds, beta tools, and alpha programs. This is NOT the polished work. This is the sandbox where things get tested, broken, and improved.

// What is the Lab?
The Lab is strictly for experimental, alpha, and beta builds. Nothing here is production-ready. If you want finished work, head to Projects. If you want to poke at something that might break, you are in the right place.
omnib0mb3r-lab ~ status --all
$./lab --status
scanning...
⚗alpha builds : — active
⟳beta tools : — in dev
●experiments : — running
use at own risk. feedback welcome.
$█

Alpha Builds

Early stage. Functional but rough.
🔩
Alpha
Title Block Auto-Filler
AutoLISP routine that reads a linked spreadsheet and auto-populates AutoCAD drawing title blocks. Finicky on older templates but mostly works.
AutoLISPAutoCAD
📋
Alpha
Field Inspection Logger
PWA for mobile-first inspection logging. Works offline. VBA macro handles report generation once synced to desktop. UI needs work.
PWAVBAExcel
📊
Alpha
Beam Deflection Calc
Excel calculator for structural beam deflection across common cross-sections and load cases. Works well for standard cases. Edge cases need validation.
Excel.xlsx
🖥️
Alpha
Drawing Package Automator
VBA macro suite that auto-populates title blocks, generates drawing registers, and bundles PDFs. Works for specific templates only right now.
VBAExcelAutoCAD

Beta Tools

Working and testable. Still being refined.
⚡
Beta
Circuit Mapper
Browser-based circuit visualization. Draw, annotate, and export schematics. No install. Canvas API. Stable enough to use on real work.
HTML/JSCanvas API
🔩
Beta
Smart Layer Manager (LISP)
AutoLISP routine for automated layer naming, sorting, and cleanup. Enforces naming standards. Works well on standard setups.
AutoLISPAutoCAD
📐
Beta
Dimension Checker (LISP)
Scans AutoCAD drawings for broken, overridden, or inconsistent dimensions and flags them for review. Catches things humans miss.
AutoLISPAutoCAD
💰
Beta
Project Cost Estimator
HTML/JS cost estimation tool with live pricing lookups, configurable overhead, and PDF export. Works well. Just needs polish.
HTMLJavaScriptCSS
📅
Beta
Project Schedule Tracker
VBA-powered Excel tracker with Gantt chart output, milestone alerts, and auto color-coding by status. Works well. Gantt rendering has quirks on Mac.
ExcelVBA

Experiments

Use at your own risk. Results not guaranteed.
🧪
Exp
System Probe
Embedded diagnostics overlay. Real-time hardware state piped to a web interface. Messy. The data is interesting.
Embedded CUARTRTOS
🤖
Exp
ML Fault Predictor
Training a model to predict mechanical failures from vibration signatures. Very early. Results are promising but the dataset is thin.
Pythonscikit-learnSensor Data
Media

Watch + Learn

Tutorials, walkthroughs, project videos, R&D, emulations, training, and more. All on @OmniB0mb3r.

🎓
Training Material
Conveyor Solutions Engineering Program
12-module professional training for solutions engineers. Free previews, downloadable PDFs, and instructor access available.
Newsletter
Material Handling Weekly
Weekly breakdowns of robotics, AMR technology, material handling products, and emerging warehouse automation trends.
Subscribe Free
TikTok
@warehouseautomationguy
Daily warehouse automation news, tech explainers, company spotlights, and emerging technology.
Follow on TikTok
Tutorials
Walkthroughs
Project Videos
R&D
Emulations
Training
Video/Podcast
Reviews

What People Say

★ ★ ★ ★ ★
"The tolerance analysis series changed how our team approaches design reviews. Practical, no fluff. We use those spreadsheets on every project now."
J. Morrison
Senior Mechanical Engineer
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
"Finally someone who explains AutoLISP like a normal person. Watched the series twice. Wrote three routines that week. Worth every minute."
T. Chen
CAD Designer
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
"The BOM calculator alone saved our team probably 4 hours a week. Clean, well-documented, and actually works the way it should."
R. Okafor
Product Development Lead
About

The Person

Hi, I'm Michael, a passionate mechanical and electrical designer dedicated to blending creativity, precision, and innovation. This space showcases projects that reflect my commitment to thoughtful design and problem-solving, whether it's developing systems that streamline functionality or crafting solutions that push boundaries.

I build systems, tools, and experiments that are meant to be used, tested, and improved in the real world. I also share what I learn through tutorials, training, and technical content.

I focus on clean, simple, and cutting-edge designs that don't just solve problems, they set a new standard.

How I Think

Design and engineering are the same discipline when done right. The best things I have built came from treating them that way. Form and function solving the same problem at the same time, not fighting each other.

I'm skeptical of complexity for its own sake. Clean systems that work beat clever systems that almost work. Learned that the hard way. Feel strongly about it now.

Iteration beats perfection. The first version is never the best version. Shipping is how you find out what the best version actually is. That feedback loop is everything.

How I Build

Start with the constraint. Understand the real problem. Build something that works, then make it better. Document it so someone else can use it, improve it, or tell me I was wrong.

I cross disciplines constantly. Mechanical design, electrical systems, AutoCAD automation, Excel tools, web apps, Python pipelines. There is a thread through all of it: build things people actually use to solve real problems.

Thanks for stopping by.
Stay classy, and keep pushing boundaries.


If you're up for a challenge or have ideas worth pushing to the next level, you know where to find me.

What I Build

Mechanical SystemsElectrical Design Web AppsPWAs Excel ToolsVBA Macros AutoLISPAutomation Embedded SystemsTechnical Content

Tools I Use

SolidWorksKiCad AutoCADAutoLISP Excel / VBAPython JavaScriptReact Node.jsEmbedded C HTML / CSSLinux

How I Work

  • Build it, then make it better
  • Ship before perfect
  • Design and engineering are the same job
  • Automate the boring parts
  • Document what is worth documenting
  • Share what you learn
  • Constraints are design inputs, not excuses
Contact

Let's Build

Project ideas. Collaboration. Tool feedback. Interesting problems. Reach out.

Whether you have a project, want to collaborate, have tool feedback, or something else worth building together. I respond to interesting things.

✉️
Email
[email protected]
💼
LinkedIn
/in/michaeljcollinsomnibmr
▶️
YouTube
@OmniB0mb3r
Open To
  • Engineering collaborations
  • Tool feedback and testing
  • Podcast or speaking
  • Consulting on mechanical or electrical systems
  • Genuinely interesting problems

Send a Message

✓
Message sent. I'll be in touch.
Training Programs

Learn From
Someone Who
Has Done It

27 years in warehouse automation. Every program here comes from real field experience, real projects, and the methodology I built from doing the job at every level.

Available Programs

Choose a Program

Each program is built around a specific discipline. More are in development.

Program 01
Conveyor Solutions Engineering
12-module professional development for solutions engineers. Customer discovery through project execution.
12 ModulesCapstoneFree Previews
Available Now
Program 02
AMR and Robotics Integration
How to scope, select, and integrate autonomous mobile robots into existing warehouse operations. Coming 2026.
AMRRoboticsIntegration
Coming Soon
Program 03
Warehouse Controls and WMS Integration
Controls topology, WMS data exchange, and the integration decisions that determine whether a system runs or fails at commissioning. Coming 2026.
ControlsWMSIntegration
Coming Soon
Conveyor Solutions Engineering _ Program 01

Professional
Training Program

A 12-module engineering development course for solutions engineers working with conveyor systems and integrated material handling technology. Built by someone who has done the job at every level.

Author
Michael Collins
Solutions engineer. Controls and software company owner. Director of Operations at a systems integrator. The field insights in this program come from all three angles.
Who This Is For
0 to 5 Year CSEs
Solutions engineers who need to build real engineering judgment, not just product knowledge. No prior conveyor experience required. Basic AutoCAD proficiency assumed.
What You Get
12 Modules + Capstone
Four phases. One full project simulation at the end. Every module has a free preview. Download the full PDFs with a short form. Instructor materials are paid.
The Philosophy

Three Ideas That Run Through Everything

Before you open Module 1, understand these. They are not concepts to memorize. They are ways of thinking this program builds in you.

Framework 01
Imagine You Are the Carton
Before you select any technology or draw any layout, you should be able to close your eyes and trace the journey of a package through the system you are designing. Where does it enter. Where does it exit. What does it experience at every transition. If you cannot narrate that journey, you are not ready to commit to the design.
Framework 02
Forest Through the Trees
The ability to zoom out from the component in front of you and see the full system, the full customer operation, and the full problem being solved. Engineers who struggle in the field almost always struggle because they are in the weeds. This is the most important competency the program develops. It is also the hardest.
Framework 03
Solutioning vs. Final Engineering
Solutioning confirms the approach is correct and the technology is capable. Final engineering is where precision matters and specifications are locked. A student who applies final engineering precision to a solutioning conversation slows everything down. Knowing which phase you are in is a professional judgment this program trains.
The Curriculum

12 Modules. One Capstone.

The modules build on each other in sequence. Each phase assumes the one before it.

Phase 01 Understand the Customer and the Product
01 The Warehouse Ecosystem Free

Conduct a structured customer discovery. Identify what the customer says they need and what the operation actually requires.

02 Product and Package Analysis Free

Run MTBH analysis. Build a design envelope from real customer data. Identify outliers and what they cost the design.

Phase 02 Understand the Technology
03 Conveyor Fundamentals Free

Apply the think like the package methodology. Distinguish transportation from accumulation. Know what every major component does.

04 Conveyor Types and Selection Free

Select the right conveyor technology for the application. Understand EZLogic zone control and specify Aux I/O correctly.

Phase 03 Design the System
05 System Design and Flow Layout Free

Build a layered flow diagram before touching any drawing tool. Design for people and constraints, not just material flow.

06 Rate, Speed and Capacity Free

Calculate belt speeds, throughput, and gap requirements. Apply margin correctly. Know the difference between a solutioning number and a final engineering number.

07 Curves, Inclines and Declines Free

Run curve width and box tumbling calculations. Validate decline angles against product geometry. Account for inertial forces at incline transitions.

08 Transfers, Merges and Sortation Free

Design transfers with product orientation in mind. Identify merge control risks. Right-size a sorter using the product handling matrix.

Phase 04 Control, Protect, and Communicate It
09 Controls Integration Free

Map the five-layer controls topology. Design the data exchange handshake at every smart decision point. Specify machine-level setpoints for installation drawings.

10 Safety and Guarding Free

Design safety in from the site walk, not after the layout. Apply guarding rules for underside covers, pull cords, forklift crossings, and LOTO.

11 Scoping and Quoting Free

Scope accurately. Disclose limitations. Address cost drivers. Present to technical buyers and business buyers differently.

12 Engineering Support During Execution Free

Support the project through installation. Keep the drawing current. Evaluate change requests for downstream impact. Close the project correctly.

Capstone Project
Riverside Distribution Co.
A complete outbound sortation project for a real fictional customer. You discover the problem through character conversations, design the system through eight structured deliverables, and present a proposal that has to work for the engineer, the finance lead, and the maintenance team. This is not a test. It is a simulation of your first real project.
Free to Read
Get Access

Three Ways In

Everything is readable free. Downloads and instructor materials have different paths.

Tier 1
Free Previews
$0
Preview summaries for all 12 modules and the Capstone right here on this page. No signup. No download. Get a clear sense of what each module covers before you decide to download.
✓ Preview summaries for all 12 modules
✓ Capstone project preview
✓ No signup required
✗ Downloads not included
Tier 2
Student Downloads
Free
+ short form
Fill out a short form. Name, email, role, organization, and how you found the program. Automated email sends the full download pack immediately.
✓ All 12 module PDFs
✓ Capstone project PDF
✓ Companion documents
✗ Instructor materials not included
Tier 3
Instructor Access
Paid
For organizations and instructors who want to deliver this program to a team. Includes the full Instructor Guide, facilitation notes, and answer keys. Emailed personally after payment.
✓ Full Instructor Guide
✓ Facilitation notes per module
✓ Answer keys
✓ Emailed personally by Michael
Contact for Pricing
The student content is free. Always.
If it helped you, a donation keeps it growing.
♥ Donate What You Can
Student Access

Request the Download Pack

Fill this out and the download link goes to your email automatically. No waiting.

This program will ask more of you than recalling what you read. It will ask you to reason through situations you have not seen before, make decisions you cannot look up, and explain your thinking to people who will push back on it.


The engineers I have seen develop fastest are not always the ones who come in knowing the most. They are the ones who are willing to say I do not know yet and then go figure it out.


Work through this honestly. The Capstone at the end is not graded. It is a mirror.


Michael Collins