A standard curve is useful in most situations for maneuvering relatively square, relatively small pallets around a curve, but what about short and wide, or long and narrow pallets and loads?

Utilizing minimal space to develop an automation process is a common challenge with our integrator clients; conveyor systems that reduce floor space are the solution. Consider completing tasks within an elevator application to significantly reduce the conveyor floor space that would otherwise be needed to complete the process off the main line. This solution can help:

Loading a conveyor rack or shelving system as part of your conveyor process can easily become a labor-intensive task. It can slow your process if you don’t automate it. And your clients don’t typically have the extra arm and leg lying around to pay for an automated system.

Growth for a manufacturer with an automated assembly process can deliver a lot of positive effects on their business. But one downside of growth a manufacturing client will struggle with is floor space. Particularly when it comes to conveyors, the process by which they manufacture their product can take up plenty of space.

When you’re faced with the challenge of limited space for a new conveyor line, vertical transfer units (VTUs) can save the day. The most common way traditional conveyor manufacturers save space with a vertical transport unit is by creating a return path under (or over) the main line. But there are lots of ways to utilize VTUs in a line to reduce conveyor system floor space.

In the engineering world, you normally think you move things horizontally on a flat plane and you lift devices using an elevator (a vertical transport unit, or VTU). Typically, you wouldn’t think to use conveyors to move anything vertically, other than maybe returning empty pallets to the front of the line, or in similar use cases. Applying conveyors to move things vertically is a new way of thinking. These are some examples of different VTUs and recent ways our integrator clients have creatively implemented our conveyor applications to create a buffer for their pallet handling conveyor systems.

Increase elevator precision and achieve multiple positions within a conveyor elevator to handle pallets better in your clients’ automation processes with an electrical servo-driven VTU.

When vertical transfer units aren’t tied to single-function designs, the sky's the limit and possibilities of use are greatly expanded. VTUs create greater access within an automated conveyor system. Instead of requiring an employee, maintenance worker, or robot to move, climb, or adjust to various points on a conveyor to perform an operation, using a lift within the conveyor line creates access to the product without loss of time.

Vertical transfer units (VTUs – otherwise known as pallet elevators) can perform functions that would otherwise require another piece – or multiple pieces – of equipment within a conveyor system. This solution saves the space that would have been taken up by ancillary equipment and makes the automated conveyor system more efficient to operate, assemble, and maintain. But one question we frequently receive about these vertical transfer units is about size and weight capacities.

Your client's automation process may require product elevation for a number of reasons. Visual inspection, part additions, or using a buffer to accommodate a slower process further down the line are just a few examples where a vertical lift conveyor application may be necessary. But why install a bulky, expensive application when you can accomplish what your clients’ processes need within the lift itself? There are a number of other uses for an enhanced elevator (or vertical transport unit, VTU) on the line that you might not have considered in the past.