What are packaging conveyors?
Automated packaging conveyors wrap or case loose items into consumer-friendly packs – this is called primary packaging. The conveyors also put packaged items into cartons or envelopes in preparation for shipping. This is called secondary packaging.
Automated packaging conveyor systems aren’t your grandfather’s conveyor belt, simply carrying items from point to point. An automated packaging conveyor can integrate with data collection equipment to weigh, sort, and track loads as they move through your facility.
On the first leg of the packaging journey, product is gathered and placed in its container. Some products only fit in their package a certain way. Automated conveyors can be equipped with tools to turn, straighten, and orient product correctly, reducing the risk of damaged packaging or damaged product.
Once the product is in the container, the packaging conveyor adds packing material and any additional materials, like coupon flyers or packing slips, before sealing the box and labeling it for shipment.
After packages are closed, taped, and labeled, the packaging conveyor sorts and stacks them in preparation for shipping.
Heavy packaging conveyors come into play at the end of the line. These rugged systems are built to handle heavy weights. They’re often used to consolidate cases onto pallets or other large containers. Then they move those loads onto the dock or directly into trucks and shipping containers.
The benefits of packaging conveyors
Here are a few ways packaging conveyors boost warehouse efficiency:
- Automating product movement eliminates bottlenecks. The packaging conveyor system keeps product moving at a steady pace, increasing throughput and productivity. Automated systems don’t get tired or distracted. With automation, a single overwhelmed workstation can no longer cause work to grind to a halt downstream. During peak seasons, a steady rate of output can be the difference between hitting carrier deadlines and shipping a day late.
- Conveyors improve the energy efficiency of packaging equipment. Goods are moved at a steady, predictable rate, so packaging equipment spends less time powered up and sitting idle. You can optimize the workflow so that certain sections of the line only run at certain times, reducing energy consumption. Conveyors also move product through the facility without relying on expensive, accident-prone vehicles like forklifts.
- Automated packaging conveyors improve worker safety. Workers in an automated facility have less contact with hazards like heavy loads and industrial machinery. By reducing repetitive actions like folding, taping, and stacking boxes, companies minimize workers’ risk of repetitive stress injuries – one of the top culprits of injuries requiring time off work.
- Automated systems maintain high levels of both speed and accuracy – so you’ll see a substantial ROI even in a low-velocity scenario. If your warehouse ships bulk orders, accumulation, merging, and dividing conveyors make sure each package is filled with the right amount of product. Fewer packaging errors means less damaged inventory, fewer unhappy customers, and fewer product returns.
- Conveyors are highly configurable to meet a facility’s needs. By using lifts, inclines, and spirals, you can take advantage of your facility’s vertical space, reducing the packaging area’s footprint and freeing up valuable floor space. Most systems are modular, so you can customize the layout to fit your needs now and in the future.
Talk to a materials handling expert about how packaging conveyors could impact your facility.
How are packaging conveyors used?
Automated packaging conveyor systems increase efficiency at every step of the packaging process – from packing cartons to marking labels to sorting packages for shipment.
Packaging conveyors in primary and secondary packaging
Primary packaging gathers loose items into packs – for example, collecting and weighing apples to fill a 3-pound bag. An automated conveyor uses intelligent tools to fill these packages without damaging the product. Tools can perform actions like:
- Sorting
- Turning
- Matching
- Allocating
- Inserting
Secondary packaging collects primary packages and cases them for shipment. These conveyor systems include accumulation, merging, and dividing tools to send the right number into each box. The smart conveyor weighs cases as they move down the line to flag any that may have been over- or underpacked.
Types of packaging conveyor systems?
You’ll find an automated packaging conveyor for every type of product and packaging.
- Boxes aren’t the only containers automated packaging systems can fill. There are conveyor systems for every type of specialized package, including bags, pouches, boxes, blister packs, and clamshells.
- Easy-to-santize stainless steel packaging conveyors help the pharmaceutical and food and beverage industries prevent contamination. In industries like these, where products have a limited shelf life, fast and hygienic handling is incredibly important.
- Speed-controlled conveyor systems delicately handle fragile products like electronics without jarring them.
- Accumulation and merging conveyors gather together loose items to fill a pack.
- Dividing conveyors take the opposite approach, splitting up bulk collections into package-sized groups.
- Roller conveyors are a flexible, portable way to move packed cartons to the next stop on their journey.
- Heavy-duty conveyors move large palletized loads onto trucks or into containers for shipping.