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Tracking Package Location through Conveyor Roller Gaps
Customer Requirements: Detect packages along a conveyor in order to track location and ensure correct shipment
Solution: Diffuse mode BEAM-ARRAY™ system
Why Banner? Heavy Duty Build – housing is constructed of aluminum and epoxy-encapsulated circuitry, ensuring array performance
Customer Benefits
Improved Stability and Quality – The rugged housing combined with the solid and sturdy mounting creates a system that withstands vibration and provides consistently reliable results
Specialized Product – BEAM-ARRAY systems can be customized to fit specific customer applications and adjustments made quickly as application requirements change
Background
A large manufacturer of material handling systems was looking for a stable solution that could track packages and detect jams as they move along a conveyor to prevent them from being sent to the wrong location. Incorrect shipments cost companies money and negatively influence customer satisfaction.
Challenges
Bouncing and misalignment of sensors are the result of unstable mounting and consistent vibration from the conveyors. This leads to serious tracking errors and an increased risk of incorrect shipments. Regular vibration can cause extensive damage to many different sensing devices and the demand for heavy-duty material is high.
Boxes on large conveyors usually travel at relatively high speeds and sensors must be quick enough to provide accurate results. The material handling environment can also create dust and debris. The resulting built up dust on sensing solutions can create false readings or potentially damage the devices.
Solution
BEAM-ARRAY sensors have a fast response time and are able to keep pace with the demands of the system, dramatically reducing the numbers of false errors in comparison to the previous system.
Banner Engineering’s diffuse mode BEAM-ARRAY sensors solve problems typically seen in the material handling business. These array sensors are made with incredibly robust housing and sturdy mounting which helps them resist vibration damage and prevents the sensors from bouncing or shifting out of alignment. The robust LEDs generate high excess gain and can easily burn through ambient dust or build up that accumulates on the sensors. The sleek design makes them relatively easy to clean.
BEAM-ARRAY systems can be customized and made to fit almost any length that is needed on a conveyor belt. Professionals from Banner Engineering worked quickly to make changes that meet the customer’s requirements. Banner’s ability to quickly make customer specific product for changing demands, combined with a shorter lead time, made the entire purchasing and implementation process easy.
BEAM-ARRAY sensors allow for the option of having more than one output. By adding a second output, the BEAM-ARRAY can narrow detection down to which side of the array the package is on – left, right, or the center. This additional product feature lessens the likelihood of shipping errors.
Conclusion
The large volumes of packages and the high speeds at which they are processed can make preventing distribution errors particularly difficult. Vibration on a conveyor is inevitable and can cause permanent damage to many sensing solutions. Banner Engineering’s BEAM-ARRAY systems are built to resist damage or misalignment caused by vibration while maintaining a quick response time. BEAM-ARRAY systems can be tailor-fit for a customer and purchased with multiple outputs to help define the exact location of boxes.