Power and Free Conveyor Alternative

Power and Free conveyors are essential in applications where space is limited, where asynchronous operations are involved, or where a complex production process requires multiple paths. However, despite their many features/benefits, Power and Free conveyors require a large up-front investment, and their Return on Investment (ROI) can range from medium to long-term, depending on the application.

For this reason, Pacline offers creative power and free conveyor alternative robotic solutions that can create “Power and Free” functionality while using multiple synchronous conveyors. There are many possible applications in which Pacline’s part-transfer robot can create a higher level of flexibility in your operation.

Examples of Alternative Robotic Solutions for Power and Free Conveyors

Part Curing in Paint/Finishing

Challenge: Reducing oven size and energy consumption while maximizing throughput in the paint and finishing process.

Solution: Using two synchronous conveyors, one for the cure oven (slow chain speed) and another for the rest of the process (regular chain speed), our part-transfer robot can seamlessly transfer painted parts between the two conveyors. This paint and finishing conveyor solution helps to optimize oven size and achieve the required part cure time.

Assembly/Testing Lines

Challenge: Synchronous assembly lines are well-suited to a single conveyor. However, if parts need to undergo a Go/No Go testing process at the end of the assembly line, the testing process could interfere with timely assembly line indexing.

Solution: Our part-transfer robot can transfer assembled parts from the assembly conveyor to a separate testing conveyor, ensuring that testing and approval/rejection of parts do not impact the assembly line’s efficiency.

Part Sortation

Solution: Our part-transfer robot can automatically unload parts from one conveyor and load them onto a designated conveyor for routing to the correct area of the plant, using a vision system and/or barcode readers for part identification.

Takeaway to Shipping

Challenge: A manufacturing or finishing process may require a slow-moving synchronous conveyor. Downstream from this conveyor, parts may be stored into rolling carts and routed to the shipping area (or they may be skidded and taken away with forklifts). 

Solution: Pacline offers a high-speed conveyor for product take-away to the shipping area, complemented by a part-transfer robot that would unload parts from your process conveyor and onto the shipping transfer conveyor.

Get in touch with us today and discover how we can automate your material handling processes with our robotic overhead conveyor solution without the need for a complex power and free conveyor system.