NEW LOGISTICS PRODUCTS & SERVICES
EDITED BY DIANE RAND rollouts
SPOTLIGHT ON ….
CONVEYORS AND SORTERS
Belt conveyor: Conveyor systems manufacturer Span Tech
LLC has introduced EZSpan, a new “belt” conveyor line. Unlike
standard belt conveyors, the EZSpan uses an extremely thin modular plastic conveyor chain, not a fabric belt, which eliminates
the tracking issues that are common with belt conveyors, the
company says.
In addition, the take-up units are not placed at the ends of
the conveyor, which means if a company orders a six-foot-long
conveyor, the unit will never deviate from this length. EZSpan
conveyors are designed to fit in between machines without the
worry of the take-up unit’s creating a gap or interfering with the
machine.
The width of the chain is 11. 8 inches (300 millimeters). Loading
capacity for the conveyors is a maximum of 250 pounds. A
variable frequency drive is included in the system as well as a
“chain stretch” detector. The drive unit is designed for increased
performance and easy maintenance. (EZSpan LLC, www.spantechconveyors.com)
Conveyor sensors: Leuze
Electronic now offers a range of sensors for continuous conveyor applications. The offerings include the Series
46C for object detection; CML 700i
for measuring; and AMS 300i, BCL
300i, and DDLS 500 for position, as well as the company’s MLC
light curtains.
The latter line includes Leuze’s MLC 530 SPG-type light curtains, which use a control signal provided by the PLC (
programmable logic controller) and the interruption of the protective field
itself for bridging to the material transport. The SPG (smart process gating) method meets the material transport requirements
without the need for additional sensors, which allows the system
to have a compact design, the company says. (Leuze Electronic,
www.leuzeusa.com)
Automated sorter: Introduced two years ago, SDI Systems’
Joey Pouch Sorter makes use of powered systems to transport,
sort, accumulate, and buffer items in the distribution center. The
system uses pouches to handle a variety of individual items and
incorporates loading stations, an intermediate storage buffer,
and a feed to packing stations.
This year, the company updated the Joey Pouch Sorter by
automating the system’s induct and unload functions. Instead
of an operator’s having to load and unload, the system can
load the pouches as well as unload products into an automatic
packing machine. According to the company, the Joey Pouch
Sorter increases production and accuracy. (SDI Systems, www.
sdi.systems/joey)
Conveyor configurator:
Customers can now receive
real-time updates as they design
and modify conveyor systems
when using “3D Preview” in
DTools, Dorner’s online conveyor configurator.
3D Preview is available for
Dorner’s 2200 Series Precision
Move Pallet System. When a user builds conveyors in DTools, a
3-D CAD model is simultaneously developed to match a company’s designs. As the conveyor is modified, the configuration
updates to correspond with those changes, giving customers live
updates and rotatable 3-D views of their conveyor systems prior
to submitting them for quotation.
The 2200 Series Precision Move Pallet System conveyor is
designed to increase efficiency and reduce downtime in various
assembly automation processes. The platform can carry pallet
loads weighing up to 70 pounds around 90- or 180-degree corners, and pallets can be accumulated in a corner. The unit also
features a tight transfer 180-degree corner that creates a loop
with only 135 millimeters ( 5. 3 inches) between main run conveyors. (Dorner, www.dornerconveyors.com)
High-speed sorters: New Orleans-based conveyor belt
manufacturer Intralox showcased its ARB Sorter S7000 as well as
its ARB Sorter S7050 at the Modex trade show earlier this year.
Both systems provide high-speed sorting of polybags, padded
(Jiffy) envelopes, flats, cartons, and products in primary packaging. However, the updated S7050 features higher-density rollers
that allow for better handling of small odd-shaped items, including eaches. Ideal for low-, medium-, and high-rate applications,
both the S7000 and S7050 sort bi-directionally.
The company also introduced its Omni-Directional Sorter at
the event. According to Intralox, the sorter provides high-rate
receiving and sorting, with rates double that of traditional
right-angle transfers. The Omni-Directional Sorter can be applied
to single-level infeed/outfeed on an AS/RS (automated storage
and retrieval system) at 3,600-plus cases (or totes) per hour. It
also features high-speed 90-degree sorting and zone routing.
(Intralox, www.intralox.com)
Single-item conveyor: Spiral conveyor specialist AmbaFlex
has introduced its SpiralVeyor J-Configuration—the SV “J.” The
single-item conveyor is designed for conveying large boxes or for
the mass flow of single items and is ideal for use in multlilevel
order pick modules, distribution centers, and warehouses, the
company says.
The new conveyor allows for vertical stacking of spirals for
maximum vertical conveying on a single footprint without using
connection loops. Other key benefits include space savings,
reduced power requirements, and lower maintenance costs.
(AmbaFlex, www.ambaflex.com)
