The Top 3 Glide-Line Innovations That Santa Would Benefit From

Happy Holidays from the team at Glide-Line! Now we are well aware that you probably don’t still believe in Santa Claus, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get into the holiday spirit and make some merry metaphors. So, just for fun, we tried to think of the top three innovations that the jolly ol’ guy would take advantage of in our catalog of conveyor system solutions.

Open Center Design

An open center design conveyor is built with two conveyor strands operating simultaneously side by side and an open space between them for work pieces to sit below the belt line as needed. This enables devices to be mounted in a system for ease of transfers, positioning, orientations, and other in-process work. It also gives the end user the ability to mount specialty devices the process requires, such as vision systems or gauges, to access the bottom of the part.

While many conveyor manufacturers offer an open center design, the pallets often must be supported with a center support throughout the length of the conveyor. Glide-Line’s open center conveyor system  removes this center support which allows for an open gap between the two strands. The support structures are mounted outside of the conveyor.

Now, imagine if Santa could skip going down the chimney all together. If he incorporated an open center design into his sleigh, he could have complete access below and toss the presents right down the chimney.

Vertical Transfer Unit

Now, more than likely, skipping the trip down the chimney is not going to happen. The presents should be tucked neatly under the tree AND… I really doubt we are going to skip the milk and cookies. So, to get up and down smoothly and safely, he could probably take advantage of one of our VTU solutions!

A Vertical Transfer Unit (VTU) is sometimes called an elevator, a lowerator, a lift, or a Vertical Reciprocating Conveyor.  They are all the same thing. We call ours a Vertical Transfer Unit (VTU). In our case, the VTU is electric motor driven with a step-servo or pure servo and is programmed with acceleration/deceleration curves to stop precisely at an unlimited amount of positions between the upper and lower physical limits of the unit.  The result: smooth motion control and positioning, greater speeds and ultimate flexibility.

We build basic Vertical Transport Units, but that's just the start. Our standard VTUs are highly customizable to fit your exact specifications – offering much more than a typical two-position, up/down arrangement. Multiple positions, multiple decks, independent axes, and more – if it involves vertical movement, we have you covered. Introducing our totally configurable, precision VTUs all designed to reduce overall conveyor system floor space. 

Check out this video below – plenty of height to get Santa up and out of the chimney. And, be sure to also check out our full gallery of VTU solutions.

Zero Contact Zoned Conveyor

In a way, Santa’s sleigh already works like this. Imagine if to stop, the reindeer needed to slam into one another to lose momentum. We are talking a 9 reindeer pile-up on your rooftop! No, instead they each have their own power to stop on their own, avoiding collisions and get Santa from one rooftop to the other safely. Just like our Zero Contact Zoned Conveyor handles pallets.

Glide-Line’s Zero Contact Zoned Conveyor is a custom accumulation conveyor with an individual drive for every product zone. It eliminates product collision entirely while significantly improving efficiency and reducing wear and tear on the conveyor. By controlling each zone individually, we removed issues caused by product contact and have improved accumulation methods. Some main benefits include:

• Eliminate Product Collision
  This innovation in product accumulation eliminates product collision entirely by placing each product on its own pallet and in its own zone. Controlling the movement of those individual zones prevents pallets from jarring throughout the line or during accumulation.
• Reduce Wear-and-Tear
  When the belt isn’t needlessly running, the conveyor doesn’t have friction working against it as products accumulate. This reduces the overall wear on the conveyor.
• Save Energy
  Since the conveyor sections are only running when they actually need to move somewhere, energy isn’t wasted on immobile products. Plus, the belt isn’t fighting to overcome friction.

Thanks for indulging us on our silly, holiday fun. We hope that you and yours have a safe and happy holiday season and if you ever want to talk innovative conveyor solutions this coming new year, please don’t hesitate to reach out.