Glide-Line offers several vertical lift conveyor application options. These VTUs can be applied to solve unique challenges in your conveyor automation system design. For instance, you can reduce floor space for your conveyor system, utilize the precision aspect of our VTU in interesting concepts, and increase automation system throughput with these vertical lift conveyor applications. And, at Glide-Line, these VTUs are part of our standard product offering of automated conveyor solutions.

At Glide-Line, VTUs are multi-purpose solutions used to creatively solve challenges other manufacturers have failed to solve. VTUs can be more than a simple application to move products vertically, just as conveyors can be more than a single-function piece of equipment to move products horizontally. Combining them has allowed us to apply creativity to challenges design engineers are asked to solve every day.

Robotics Tomorrow recently published this article. From a flexible conveyor manufacturer: industry trends we’re seeing Here at Glide-Line, we make conveyors - specifically, flexible, configurable conveyors built to very specific measurements to fit limited spaces which can be configured with a “zero product to product contact” design philosophy, all with impressively short lead times. We’ve noticed three trends in the past year that are creating demand for what we have to offer:

Indexing pallets or products along an assembly line has traditionally been accomplished by a series of pneumatic stops that pop up and create physical barriers along the line. This method may work for many of your clients, but not all. The traditional “pop-up” barrier conveyors can cause product damage thanks to hard stops without smooth deceleration or additional control techniques. They can also be dangerous for operators and generally clunky.

Roller chain conveyors are often the first solution that comes to mind when you start looking for cost-effective, heavy duty solutions for a client. However, these traditional conveyors come with a host of expenses, from expected maintenance costs to unthought-of innovation opportunity costs. When application engineers come to us for outside-the-box ideas, we have a solution that addresses these challenges. Here are four common roller chain conveyor maintenance costs the Zero Contact Zoned Conveyor reduces or eliminates.

Medical devices have important jobs to perform. From testing kits to surgical instruments to complex technology, there’s no room for error in assembly and no time to waste on damaged products. These elegant products need an equally elegant indexing conveyor solution, and that solution needs to have clean-room capacity, no jostling, and a completely controllable movement. Enter: the Zero Contact Zoned Conveyor from Glide-Line.

With traditional accumulation conveyor design, precision controlled movement is not normally part of the design requirement or operating principle. This may be fine, or it may be an issue - especially to partially complete products.

Upsizing conveyor components is the norm when conveying large or relatively heavy products. For items such as airplane wings and auto parts, this can be the most effective material handling solution. But traditional conveyor accumulation techniques can give way to product damage.

When moving larger and/or awkwardly shaped products directly on a conveyor, putting products on a more conveyable pallet capable of handling the contact driven by accumulation is typically the right conveyor system design. But unique products require unique solutions. Glide-Line’s Zero Contact Zoned Conveyor design solves this challenge. A Zero Contact Zoned Conveyor solution can offer a better way to accumulate a product without a pallet.

When developing the right assembly line conveyor system, reducing damage is a top priority. This is especially the case when moving partially-assembled products. Moving products in a semi-complete state can ruin them completely, leading to additional costs and delays. In that situation, the last thing you need is a conveyor system that causes products from banging into each other!