Sortation Innovation: A Simple Intro To Sortation Conveyors

Sortation conveyors rely on the help of equipment and techniques such as diverters, gates, pushers, and lane guiding to help move product where it needs to go[1]. These helpers are driven by smaller pieces of equipment like photo eyes, counters, and proximity switches to determine which types of material need to go in which direction, and the diverters, gates, and pushers themselves are often driven by pneumatic or electric components.

Diverters and gates help change direction of product to a single location or to multiple locations within a facility, and they help sort material based on specific attributes of that material. For example, if a facility is handling cosmetics, the diverters and gates within that facility will sort the cosmetics into categories and move them throughout the facility based on those categories.

Pushers, similarly to diverters and gates, can move product to different areas based on the sortation criteria, but it can also remove or transfer material to other conveyors to get it where it needs to be. Pushers create horizontal stacks of product so they can more accurately sort through it and move it to the correct place.

Lane guiding allows for the accumulation of large quantities of product. This technique allows product to be diverted to across lanes to be with other similar items, or it can also merge multiple lanes into a single lane so as to move similar products together quickly. Lane guiding also allows for unstable product to be grouped together and supported during transport.

These systems help increase productivity for operations because they move quickly and help sort materials rapidly; they also help decrease labor costs because they eliminate the need to hire as many people. When in operation, sortation conveyors can maintain high throughput rates at silent or nearly silent noise levels. Additionally, sortation conveyors provide a gentle and smooth ride for the materials they transport, which ensures less product damage and more profitability. Finally, distribution centers frequently choose sortation conveyors as part of their operations because of the lack of maintenance it takes to keep them running.

Although they all perform the same primary task, Sortation conveyors can be specialized to fit the specific needs of a specific distribution center. Here are some of the most common types of sortation conveyors you will find in the material handling business:

• Shoe sorters
• Right angle transfers
• Narrow belt or strip belt sorters
• Cross-belt sorters
• Pop-up wheel sorters
• Arm or pusher-style sorters
• Tilt tray sorters (also called loop sorters)

Our team of experts at Russell Conveyor & Equipment can help you assess your sortation needs and create a line assembly that maximizes efficiency for your facility. We have years of experience customizing sortation setups and would be glad to help you build the most efficient construction for your establishment!