7 Types of Automatic Sorting Equipment, Summarized in Place!
Three major features of automatic sorting system
【1】Can sort goods continuously and in large quantities. Due to the automatic assembly line operation method used in large-scale production, the automatic sorting system is not restricted by climate, time, human physical strength, etc., and can operate continuously. At the same time, because the automatic sorting system sorts a large number of pieces per unit time, automatic sorting The system's sorting capacity is to operate continuously for more than 100 hours, and can sort 7,000 packaged goods per hour. If manually used, it can only sort about 150 items per hour. At the same time, the sorting personnel cannot continue to work under this kind of labor intensity. Work 8 hours.
【2】The sorting error rate is extremely low. The sorting error rate of the automatic sorting system mainly depends on the accuracy of the input sorting information, which in turn depends on the input mechanism of the sorting information. If input using manual keyboard or voice recognition, the error rate is 3%. Above, if you use barcode scanning to input, there will be no errors unless there is an error in the printing of the barcode itself. Therefore, the current automatic sorting system mainly uses barcode technology to identify goods.
【3】The sorting operation is basically unmanned. One of the purposes of establishing automatic sorting systems abroad is to reduce the use of personnel, reduce the labor intensity of employees, and improve the efficiency of personnel use. Therefore, the automatic sorting system can minimize the use of personnel and is basically unmanned.
Seven types of sorting machines
1. Cross belt sorter
There are many types of cross-belt sorters. The most common one is the double-belt type. That is, there are two vertical belts on a trolley. It can transport one package on each belt or the two belts can be combined to transport one package. pack. When two sections of belts are combined to transport a package, pre-movement in the direction of the two sections of the sorting machine can be used to make the direction of the package consistent with the sorting direction to reduce the spacing requirements of the grids.
The advantages of the cross-belt sorter are low noise and a wide range of goods that can be sorted. Through bilateral package supply and grid opening optimization, the maximum capacity of a single unit can be achieved at about 20,000 pieces per hour. However, the disadvantages are also relatively obvious, that is, the construction cost is relatively expensive and the maintenance costs are high. At present, the main suppliers in this area include: FKI, Vanderlande, Cinetic, German BEUMER Machinery, Interroll, etc. Domestic ones include Putian and Shanghai Post.
2. Tumble sorter
The flip-tray sorter sorts out packages by tipping pallets. This sorter is also used in the express delivery industry, but it is more commonly used in the field of airport baggage sorting. The maximum capacity can reach 12,000 pieces per hour. The standard tipping sorter consists of a wooden pallet, a tipping device, and a bottom frame. Tipping is divided into mechanical tipping and electric tipping. Suppliers include FKI, Vanderlande, Germany's BEUMAN Machinery, etc.
3. Slider sorter
The slide sorter is shown in the figure, which is also a special form of slat conveyor. The surface of the conveyor is made of metal slats or tubes, like a bamboo mat, and there is a guide slider made of hard material on each slat or tube, which can slide laterally along the slats.
Usually the slider stops on the side of the conveyor. The lower part of the slider is connected with the guide rod under the slat by a pin. Through computer control, when the sorted goods arrive at the designated crossing, the controller causes the guide slider to move in an orderly manner. It automatically slides to the opposite side of the conveyor and pushes the goods into the sorting gate, so that the goods are led out of the main conveyor. This method gradually pushes the goods sideways without impacting the goods, so the goods are not easily damaged. It has a wide range of applications for the shape and size of the sorted goods. It is currently the latest high-speed sorting machine abroad.
The sliding block sorting machine is also a kind of sorting machine widely used in the express delivery industry. The slider sorter is a very reliable sorter with a very low failure rate. In large distribution centers, such as UPS's Louisville, a large number of slider sorters are used to complete pre-sorting and Final sorting. Multiple sliding block sorters can be used overlapping each other to meet the purpose where a single sliding block sorting machine cannot meet the capacity requirements.
4. Baffle sorter
The baffle sorter uses a baffle (bar) to block the goods moving forward on the conveyor, and guides the goods to a slide on one side for discharge. Another form of the baffle is that one end of the baffle serves as a fulcrum and can be rotated. When the baffle moves, it acts like a wall to block the forward movement of the goods. The friction force of the conveyor on the goods is used to push the goods, so that the goods move along the surface of the baffle and are discharged from the main conveyor to the slide. Normally, the baffle is on one side of the main conveyor, allowing the goods to continue moving forward; if the baffle moves laterally or rotates, the goods will be discharged to the slide.
The baffles are generally installed on both sides of the conveyor and do not contact the upper plane of the conveyor. Even during operation, they only contact the goods and do not touch the conveying surface of the conveyor, so it is suitable for most types of conveyors. As for the baffle itself, there are also different forms, such as straight type, curved type, and some are equipped with rollers or smooth plastic materials on the working surface of the baffle to reduce frictional resistance.
5. Tape floating sorter
This sorting structure is used on roller-type main conveyors, with two or more power-driven belts or a single chain installed transversely below between the main conveyor rollers. When the sorting machine mechanism receives instructions to start, the tape or chain lifts upward, touches the bottom of the product, lifts the product, and moves it out to the main conveyor side.
6． Roller floating sorter
This kind of sorting mechanism is used on roller-type or chain-type main conveyors. One or dozens of powered oblique rollers are installed below the surface of the main conveyor. When the sorting mechanism is started, the oblique rollers float upward. Lift up, touch the bottom of the goods, and move the goods diagonally out of the main conveyor. One of these floating sorters uses a row of rollers that can rotate to the left or right, and is lifted by Qigong to move the goods to the left. Or discharge to the right.
7． Slatted inclined sorting machine
This is a special type of slat conveyor. The goods are loaded on the slats of the conveyor. When the goods move to the position that needs to be sorted, one end of the slats automatically rises, causing the slats to tilt, thereby moving the goods. away from the main conveyor. The number of slats occupied by a commodity depends on the length of different commodities. The number of slats occupied is like one unit and tilted at the same time. Therefore, this sorting machine is not limited to the length of the commodity within a certain range.
The above are the various types of sorting machines. According to their classification, it is not difficult to see that each sorting machine has its own sorting objects. This is also an important difference between various sorting machines! However, the current automatic sorting machines are still limited to sorting small items and are still unable to move bulk items. Therefore, large item sorting machines are still the research focus of logistics experts.