Conveyor and lifting technology
Indispensable in intralogistics: sorters
Sorters prove to be indispensable intralogistics systems when it comes to quickly picking, sequencing, transporting and precisely allocating and distributing even the largest volumes of goods and parcels. Current examples demonstrate the reliability and wide range of applications of sorter technologies.
DPD's new parcel handling center in Erftstadt near Cologne is one of the most efficient and modern DPD locations in Europe. The sorter systems in the 1.3 hectare transshipment hall, which is equipped with 320 gates, transport and sort more than 18,000 parcels per hour. As general contractor, Vanderlande Industries equipped the center with this high-performance automated sorting and conveying technology.
The process is as follows: The goods delivered by the trucks are unloaded in the unloading hall via 24 ergonomic telescopic belt conveyors - 12 on each side of the building - with employees feeding the packages into the system in parallel via 24 input lines. The different cartons and product groups are first separated according to size and weight: Using 3-sided scanning and scales, a decision is made as to whether they are small packages ("Smalls"), normal packages ("Normals") or non-conveyables ("NC"). The products are then first fed to their specific sorters. The NC conveyor line is located centrally in the unloading building and leads to a central processing station, from where the NCs are manually sorted onto the conveyor system and transported to the respective loading fingers.
Small parts consignments are fed into a "split tray sorter" with a sorting capacity of 6,000 parcels per hour. The small parcels to be sorted are inserted manually into sorter trays. These open over the respective assigned sorting target - there are 200 in total - in two parts facing downwards, so that the conveyed goods reach the target container.
Equally suitable for parcels and tire stacks
Two corresponding sorting circuits, for which sorters of the "Crossorter 1500" type are installed, act as outgoing sorters for the normal packages. The systems, each more than 400 meters long, are 2.5 meters per second fast, pick up packages up to 1,500 millimeters long and up to 800 millimeters wide as well as tires and tire stacks and offer a technical sorting capacity of more than 11,000 packages per hour. The items consolidated at the small parts sorter are also automatically fed into the sorter, which acts as the heart of the system, via integrated conveyor technology.
A total of 164 diverters are installed for the two sorter circuits: The 120 swap body (WB) outfeeds, designed as gravity accumulation lines, are each connected to a WB gate and a roller telescope system. The 44 small vehicle discharges lead into a storage lane, which generally extends over four loading gates.
Linear sorter for up to 24,000 items per hour
Dematic designs and manufactures a comprehensive line of sorters and sortation systems that can be adapted to meet the diverse throughput requirements of warehouses and distribution centers. The systems are used by retail chains and distributors, mail order companies, online department stores, 3PLs, food producers, hardware manufacturers, freight and parcel services for reliable high-speed product and parcel sortation.
The high-performance sorters and sorting systems are equipped with an extended control system. This supports the visualization and functional control of the subsystems for merging, feeding and sorting. The control system is accessed via the Dematic ITPortal, a web-based interface of the Dematic IT Warehouse Control Suite. The sorting systems thus offer extended user control for hardware management, diagnostics and performance monitoring.
The FlexSort SL2 LinearSorter from Dematic is designed for long operating times and high throughput rates of between 9,000 and 24,000 items per hour and offers two separation methods: With angled ejection, the item pushes off the sorter line at an angle, while parallel ejection allows smaller gaps between the cartons and therefore more throughput at a lower sorting speed. With its redundant drive motors, the FlexSort SL2 can be used in applications up to 400 meters in length.
High-speed sorter: From 20 grams to 75 kilograms
The CrossbeltSorter FlexSort SC3 from Dematic is a high-speed sorting solution for high throughput rates in distribution centers. The system for fast and gentle sorting of a wide range of products combines different areas and functions such as compaction, transportation and dispatch. The belt conveyor transport modules guarantee reliable sorting of shipping bags, piece goods, cartons and containers weighing from 20 grams up to 75 kilograms. Each individual item to be sorted is precisely monitored and tracked throughout the entire infeed, transportation and distribution process. Operators can also save up to 50 percent on energy costs during operation by using synchronous motors with the FlexSort SC3.
When it comes to conveyor technology solutions and, for example, sorter feeders, Dematic's flexibly configurable Modular Conveyor System (MCS) offers a complete, globally identical product family in the conveyor technology segment. With its versatile, combinable modules and wide range of functions, the system, which is suitable for a variety of transport goods and sizes, can be tailored to individual customer requirements. The component spectrum with more than 30 modules ranges from compact, roller-based conveyor section changers to right-angled infeed and outfeed systems and transfer rollers.
High-performance sorter for 1.5 million packages per day
TGW has installed 7.5 kilometers of conveyor technology in the new distribution center of the Chinese e-commerce specialist CNSS in Danyang, 300 kilometers west of Shanghai. Up to 7,500 packages per hour are dispatched from here. The goods delivered by truck are immediately handed over to the TGW conveyor system to be stored automatically using a radio system. "We have connected all levels via our conveyor technology and transport the goods on conveyors, three channelizers and via two Natrix sorters," explains Albert Fischlmayr, Project Manager at TGW.
The ordered items are manually placed in containers on the conveyor line and transported to the basement, where they are conveyed to a PicktoWall system with shelves accessible from both sides. On one side, order pickers place the goods on the shelf indicated by the PicktoLight system; on the other side, a light signal indicates to the employee as soon as an order is ready to be packed. The goods packed in cartons are then conveyed to the sorter.
The longest "Natrix" sorter from TGW is 100 meters long and distributes the packages over 30 chutes to the assigned shipping route. Another sorter allocates the picked containers to the correct PicktoWall routes via four chutes.
Closing gaps with the TrayDeck
The Beumer Group has developed the TrayDeck for handling baggage at airports: "TrayDeck is a device that we attach to the tray. When the tray moves to discharge the piece of baggage, TrayDeck follows its movement exactly and thus permanently closes the gap - even in curves," says Finn Laugesen, Director Customer Support at the Beumer Group. This solution does not affect the energy consumption or the capacity of the sorting system.Operators can obtain this device from Beumer not only for new systems. With the plug-and-play system, existing sorters can also be easily retrofitted. Airport operators in the Middle East and in North and South America are currently equipping their baggage handling systems with TrayDeck.
CNSS can dispatch up to 7,500 packages per hour with this system, depending on the carton size. According to TGW, "the Natrix shoe sorter is particularly suitable for sorting a wide variety of goods with different dimensions in the high-performance sorting area". The goods are transported through extruded aluminum profiles similar to a beam conveyor. The push-off trays can be moved on these profiles at right angles to the conveying direction and are guided in guides underneath the sorter carpet. Driven or non-driven roller conveyors or chutes, for example, are available as target conveyors.
"With the goal of becoming the leading warehouse and distribution service provider worldwide, we want to set new standards in the industry with the help of technology and innovation," says Jay Wang, CEO at CNSS. That is why we are equipping our distribution centers with high-performance sorters and conveyor technology from TGW. By combining excellent technology with the know-how of professional experts and customized software, we have the capacity to handle an average of 1.5 million packages per day; during peak season, we will be able to process 2 million packages per day."
Brazilian Post relies on Swiss sorter technology
Leap from China to Brazil: Interroll has signed a framework agreement with the American system integrator NPI for the delivery of four additional crossbelt sorters with associated conveyor technology to the Brazilian postal service, after six sorters had already been ordered in November 2014. The first sorter will be delivered in 2015 and the last sorters will be installed in 2017.
Doubling of sorting capacity at UPS
The logistics service provider UPS has expanded its hub in Nuremberg with systems from Siemens Postal, Parcel & Airport Logistics. The modernization has doubled the sorting capacity from 15,000 to 30,000 parcels per hour. Instead of the previous conventional conveyor systems, five Visicon singulators and eight sorting systems with a total of 87 terminals are now in use.
"It was very important to us that normal business operations at UPS were not affected during the installation of our new systems," says Michael Reichle, CEO of Siemens Postal, Parcel & Airport Logistics. As with the previous expansion of the UPS air freight hub in Cologne/Bonn, Siemens carried out the modernization during ongoing operations. UPS, one of the largest employers at the Port of Nuremberg, sees Nuremberg as an important hub for its cross-border European network and as a bridge to other destinations in countries such as Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Italy.
Sorter technology based on the plug & play principle
Gebhardt Fördertechnik has developed the GridSorter as a plug & play sorter based on its Flexconveyor, a modular, decentralized conveyor system, in cooperation with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. Thanks to its modularity and decentralized control, it is easy to put into operation. The sorter consists of an interconnected area of 90-degree converters and is, as Gebhardt Fördertechnik explains, "a kind of chessboard of conveyor modules, each of which can process data and make and execute decisions independently."
Sensors are used to detect the position of the load carriers and actuators are used to move the load carriers. The actuators and sensors are connected to the controller of the conveyor module, the FlexBox, so that it can make decisions based on the data supplied. The FlexBoxes of neighboring modules are connected via Ethernet to enable communication through message exchange.
The GridSorter is installed using a frame construction to which feeders, conveyor modules and outlets are simply attached. It generally offers an advantageous ratio of throughput and space requirement. Depending on the layout, the individual modules have different utilization rates, which can change dynamically during operation. Less used modules can be used for buffering conveyed goods. The end points can be located close together in a small area and their number can be varied. This opens up new fields of application in addition to the traditional ones, such as sequencing and sorting as a link between the miniload and picking workstations. This is because the ability to buffer conveyed goods on the sorter can reduce the average access time and increase the continuity of conveyor flows.
Reinhard Irrgang
Contact:
Beumer Group GmbH & Co KG
Dematic GmbHwww.dematic.com
Gebhardt Fördertechnik GmbHwww.gebhardt-foerdertechnik.de
Interroll Fördertechnik GmbHwww.interroll.com
TGW Logistics Groupwww.tgw-group.com
Siemens Postal, Parcel & Airport Logisticswww.siemens.com/logistics
Vanderlande Industrieswww.vanderlande.com
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