PRINTING & PACKAGING FEATURE
In sectors where demand is consistently high, such as food and beverage,
the market pressure to provide quick delivery
CONVEYING THE RESULTS OF AUTOMATED DISTRIBUTION
I
n order to meet customer demands, distribution centres need to streamline
order deliveries, and for this they rely on large scale automation. Sorting orders via automation improves the speed at which they travel through a distribution centre, resulting in reduced delivery time. Many therefore operate custom
high-speed picking/dispensing systems. These feature multiple conveyors that automatically dispense orders to specific areas, ready for delivery. Stretching throughout the distribution
centre, these conveyors move orders from one area to another. To sort products bound for different destinations within the centre, conveyors at the end of the line will be fitted with stopper bars which strategically open and close, either to hold back orders or to let them pass onto the next appropriate conveyor. This constitutes a picking/dispensing system. An important metric for these
picking/dispensing systems is speed of selection. The faster a system can select orders and move them to the correct destination, the better. Increasing the speed of selection means that an order moves through the system faster which, with thousands of individual items, provides a substantial compound time saving. The result is improved delivery times. Boosting speed of selection is a key
objective for distribution centres, so many invest in new picking/dispensing systems. While specifying a more proficient system may initially translate to increased cost, improved speed of selection will ensure that the purchase price is offset in the long-term due to efficiency cost savings. It is a case of exploiting the increased system performance to deliver an improved ROI. This desire is transmitted directly to conveyor OEMs, who are required to design more efficient picking/dispensing systems to unlock these benefits for distribution centres.
A COMPACT CLUTCH As it embarked on the design process for a new picking/dispensing system for a distribution customer, a European conveyor OEM noticed that its stopper bars were an area where operational speeds could be improved. To find a solution, the company turned to Warner Electric. In the system, clutches are installed on
the computer controlled electric motors that raise and lower the stopper bars in the correct sequence. For this installation, the clutch would be attached to a shaft that would rotate at 40rpm. An electromagnetic clutch is
ideal for this application. First of all, electromagnetic clutches offer fast switching, which provides time savings when opening and closing the stopper bar. Additionally, its design makes it easy to install, with a 2-wire connection allowing simple integration into the control system. The solution selected by Warner Electric
for the application was a modified SFM VAR Series electromagnetic single-disc
is constant. As a result, custom automated systems are vitally
important. So when one conveyor manufacturer wanted to improve the
speed of its newly design picking/dispensing
system, it turned to Warner Electric for its fast switching
electromagnetic clutches
friction clutch. A compact design offering a nominal torque of 20Nm, the SFM VAR Series can be easily installed. Furthermore, it offers no backlash in operation. Working closely with the OEM, Warner Electric engineers tailored the design to suit the system, including the addition of a special hub to interface directly with equipment. With the clutches installed, the newly designed system had the ability to dispense a considerably higher number of orders per hour, providing the distribution centre with an improved speed of selection and
The solution selected was a modified SFM VAR Series electromagnetic single-disc friction clutch
consequently, ROI. This also meant that orders could reach their destinations faster than ever.
Warner Electric
www.warner-electric.co.uk
AN END OF LINE PACKAGING SOLUTION
Schneider Electric has partnered with Sewtec Automation to deliver an end of line packing solution for Pets Choice, an animal food, treats and accessories producer. The new production line is designed to improve overall production and assembly-line efficiency. Schneider Electric’s PacDrive 3 Delta Robots were chosen to automatically orientate and pack the large
volumes of produce into trays. With its centralised system architecture, PacDrive 3 controls the broad range of production and packaging requirements, providing the necessary flexibility. The solution is compact as the robots themselves have integrated server motors and drives, reducing overall size by roughly 70% and meaning the solution could fit within the existing Pets Choice architecture. The Pets Choice system will also act as a foundation upon which more cloud-based monitoring,
condition monitoring and machine analytics can sit. In turn, this insight will help future-proof the solution and ensure Sewtec can improve their offering to Pets Choice, enabling more accurate design and production decisions.
Schneider Electric / DESIGNSOLUTIONS
www.se.com/uk/en/
DESIGN SOLUTIONS | FEBRUARY 2021
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