How to Easily Index a Product from Zone to Zone in a Conveyor System

Traditionally, customers accomplish indexing by either a series of pop-up stops, or starting and stopping a conveyor that’s moving your product. But how do you ensure fragile products are gently starting and stopping without slipping on the conveyor in each product zone? You can’t, and your client can risk the collisions typically associated with traditional indexing techniques. To solve this, you need a more elegant, more sophisticated handling solution. 

While it might sound like we’re imitating Matthew McConaughey in his latest Lincoln commercial, we don’t joke when it comes to product damage. (Alright, we might joke a little.)

Our Zero Contact Zoned Conveyors have built-in logic that allows for automatic indexing of products zone-by-zone, moving product from station-to-station. This alone makes Zero Contact Zoned Conveyor a better choice for product zone indexing. 

Adding to the true “zoning” of products, there is always a fixed amount of space between pallets. This means products don’t touch each other - and if using pallets, neither do the pallets transporting the products. 

In addition, Zero Contact Zoned Conveyors avoid the use of hard stops (except in areas where precise location is needed, and we typically control the deceleration in these areas). Instead, we go with a more elegant approach. Each zone uses a sensor. When a pallet enters a zone, the sensor is triggered, which tells the conveyor to stop immediately and the zoned conveyor’s dedicated DC motor shuts off. The separately-zoned conveyor gradually decelerates until it makes the stop. The triggering of the sensor also stops subsequent products or pallets upstream. This prevents them from doing the whole “bang, crash, and boom” thing that is associated with traditional techniques. 

Our Zero Contact Zoned Conveyors run only as needed. Separate zones prevent product contact. This eliminates the risk of damaging your product. Our indexing solution addresses pain points caused by traditional accumulation conveyors. By using conveyor indexing with our zoned conveyors, product damage is eliminated, and smooth handling is ensured. Smooth handling addresses concerns about slippage on the conveyor, since it is gentle in both its acceleration and its deceleration, preventing uncontrolled or unwanted product movement. 

Download the ebook, Indexing and Positioning: How to Reduce Damage, Have Smooth Motion, & Secure Your Product on the Conveyor Line today for a look at how the Zero Contact Zoned Conveyor can solve additional challenges for your clients!