Glide-Line: How Zoned Conveyor Systems Prevent Product Damage and Friction On Assembly Conveyors

Despite the inherent advantages of pallet assembly conveyors, traditional conveying methods have one large negative, particularly when it comes to fragile products: back-pressure. In this article, we’ll explore an innovative way to avoid the issue of back-pressure in pallet assembly conveyor systems.

The Issue with Standard Assembly Conveyors:

Pallet conveyor automation systems typically experience back-pressure during product accumulation when pallets further upstream successively bump into each other as they stack up behind the lead pallet. This back-pressure can generate hundreds of pounds of force and, worse, can compromise the integrity and quality of the products being accumulated.

This graphic shows how traditional pallet conveyors and pallet stops accumulate back-pressure.

Accumulation is a necessary part of many processes. But when pallets bang into each other and cause damage to products, or friction creates unnecessary wear and tear, a better solution is needed. Until now, up-sizing the conveyor system has been the easiest and most effective way to handle the negative consequences of product accumulation. However, this solution uses larger-than-necessary parts, costs more money, and uses more energy than the right-fit conveyor system.

Zero Pressure Accumulation Zoned Conveyors:

The better, more innovative solution to back-pressure is an assembly conveyor with individually managed accumulation zones.

A traditional conveyor, consisting of a longer belt (or other conveying media), single motor, and pallets. A pallet will hit a stop and the pallets will accumulate behind one another, with one pallet bumping into the next. In contrast, with a zoned conveyor, instead of a single belt and AC motor running constantly underneath pallets (including those stopped and backed up in a process), it has small, individual, discrete 24V brush-less DC motors motors distributed throughout the assembly with a series of shorter belts.

These individually controlled motors can turn on or turn off small sections of the overall conveyor system independently. The technology will sense when a pallet is stopped downstream and will proactively stop the next pallet before it hits the stopped pallet. No contact, no pressure, and one pallet per zone; this is referred to as zero pressure accumulation.

Here’s an illustration:

Not only does this simplify the control scheme and reduce hardware costs, it significantly reduces wear and the need for replacement parts.

How a Zoned Conveyor System Prevents Damage to Products:

A conveying system with individually managed accumulation zones ensures there’s always a gap between products, which provides gentle product handling by eliminating the hundreds of pounds of back-pressure with potential to cause product damage.

Each individual zone can handle up to 200 lbs, so the ability to transport heavy loads is uncompromised. Zero pressure accumulation eliminates wear and tear due to friction by dividing the conveying system into multiple zones and operating each zone only as the process requires.

Additionally, this assembly conveyor can be applied to a process without a pallet. For example, a recent appliance manufacturer application required the conveying of highly polished stainless steel doors. We used the Glide-Line ZP to zone the conveyor and prevent any back to back accumulation. And since we prevent the belt from running continuously underneath the product, we avoid any scuffing which could ruin the finish of the product.

Eliminating friction and running the motors and conveyor media only when needed drastically reduces energy consumption. It also reduces wear and tear on the conveyor and eliminates damage to product. Learn more in our white paper on this, How to Manage Backpressure from Accumulation. Download it here. Or checkout our guide to Learn The Secrets To Creating A Flexible Automation Conveyor Application Solution.

Written by Kevin Mauger

Kevin Mauger started working for the parent company of Glide-Line the day after college and bought the company 12 years into his career when it was at an all-time low. The company has multiplied in volume 5X since and is growing at 20%+ year over year. In a Surprise Announcement in 2017, in a dream come true, he gave almost half of his company to his employees. Personally, his entire life is based upon spending time with his family, figuring out a way to get out deep sea fishing, and supporting his Philadelphia Eagles. His vision for Glide-Line is to make it the world’s most flexible multi-strand conveyor solution with tools for customers allowing instantaneous response and control of their own destiny along with the fastest deliveries in the industry.