How do IntelliFinishing Systems turn corners?
Turning Corners with an IntelliFinishing System
Have you ever wondered how the IntelliFinishing conveyor navigates corners? It’s a question that comes up surprisingly often. This mystery lies at the core of the unique material handling conveyor we use to build IntelliFinishing systems, which is why we are here to unravel it.
The Power Behind Turning Corners
The first method we have for turning corners involves using the design feature of having both front and rear trolleys on every carrier in an IntelliFinishing system. Carriers will, at minimum, have two trolleys, but they could also be designed to have four trolleys (called dual and quad trolley carriers, respectively. It’s even possible to have three trolley carriers with two trolleys on one end of a carrier and one at the other end. Each trolley consists of spring-loaded, cantilevered friction wheels (4 per trolley) made of synthetic rubber that press upward upon an aluminum tube that can be spun using small motors and drive belts. The friction between the tubes and the friction wheels transports the trolley forward or backward, depending on the direction of rotation of the spinning tube. The action has often been compared to worm drives, but without gears, relying only on the friction to provide the force requirements.
However, most of the time, we don’t have a powered spinning tube in the corners of our system layouts. Instead, front trolleys of a carrier are powered to move off the end of a straight section of friction tube, and then coast around the support track corner, powered only by the back trolleys, before hitting another section of straight friction tube after the turn. Then the front trolleys pull the back trolleys around the unpowered corner. It’s deceptively simple! That said, the turns do have to be designed based on the length of the carrier, the turn radius required, and the other dimensions of the product, especially the width to prevent collisions with support structures or other equipment.
Flexibility through Innovation
Sometimes, especially for our lightweight 500 series, we do power the corners. The corner can be “powered” by rotating a flexible synthetic rubber tube through the movement of the carrier instead of an aluminum tube. With the ability to flex right around corners while spinning, it adds force to the turn, which is sometimes required for lighter-weight products hung on this relatively lightweight conveyor. Just note: even our lightest weight conveyor, the 500 series, can transport products up to about 1,000 pounds per carrier, so it’s not “light-weight” compared to many chain-based monorail conveyors.
Cornering with Deadhead Turns and Shuttles
Another option we have for 180-degree turns, which are unique compared to chain-based conveyors, is to use deadhead turns instead of two 90-degree turns. With a deadhead turn, the carrier is taken to the end of a straight track and stopped. It is then reversed in direction and hits a 45-degree switch turn to an adjacent track and then another 45-degree turn to join a parallel track line headed in the opposite direction. A deadhead turn is particularly useful for placing process equipment closer together compared to a traditional conveyor U-turn. This is one possible way for an IntelliFinishing system to shrink the total required footprint, saving manufacturers space for other revenue-generating activities.
Shuttles bring a different type of flexibility to our systems. A shuttle can move a whole section of the track assembly laterally or side to side. With shuttles, the carrier goes out onto the shuttle, then the whole track moves sideways to the next process, which could be right beside the last process or several processes away. Carriers have many options when traversing shuttles to go forward and backward into and out of multiple process options. Shuttles work more like hallways than traditional tracks and each process is just a “doorway” on either side of the shuttle. Shuttles are particularly good at helping to shrink system footprints and making processes more flexible.
Turning corners with IntelliFinishing’s material handling system offers greater design flexibility compared to traditional monorails or even compared to Power and Free conveyors. To learn more about the practical applications of our usual turns, our deadhead turns, and the use of laterally moving shuttles, on IntelliFinishing systems, we encourage you to browse our video collections at intellifinishing.com or watch this video: FAQ 12 – How Does it Turn Corners? – IntelliFinishing
Embracing the IntelliFinishing paradigm of conveyance through a finishing process allows for smooth turns, a high degree of part variety, variable processes, quieter operation, and enhanced productivity. Discover the edge of our unique material handling strategies today by exploring www.intellifinishing.com.
