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LogistiQ this week launched FlowLogiQ L11, a large package singulator for items weighing up to 70 lb. and 30 in. long, or 31.7 kg and 76.2 cm. The singulator converts disorganized bulk flows into a single-file, properly gapped line suitable for automated sortation systems in parcel-processing facilities.
In applications that handle 15,000 packages per hour with an average parcel length of 27 in. (68.5 cm) and a product gap of 12 in. (30.4 cm), the system can achieve an error rate of just 1.5%.
“Distribution centers are processing more packages than ever, and reaching throughput targets requires optimizing the pre-sort process,” said Jerry Guerra, CEO, LogistiQ. “Even the highest-performance sorters require a stable, single-file flow to be all they can be, and the new FlowLogiQ system transforms bulk flow through the pre-sort process so operations can optimize overall throughput.”
LogistiQ said it provides the practical, flexible automated material handling systems that retailers, e-commerce businesses, and parcel carriers depend on. The company designs, manufactures and integrates advanced conveyor and sortation systems, backed by more than 5,200 field installations and round-the-clock support from hundreds of service personnel.
Port Clinton, Ohio-based LogistiQ said it serves end users and systems integrators across North America.
LogistiQ says FlowLogiQ L11 has more strength, less noise
LogistiQ said FlowLogiQ L11 uses more drive motors than the alternatives at three per 10 ft. (3 m), compared with one per 10 ft. It asserted that this provides greater speed control in singulating and gapping functions. The company added that the number of drives also simplifies restarting the system in the event of a jam or maintenance.
Triple the number of motors means the system can start and stop while laden with up to 100 lb. per foot (45.3 kg per 30.4 cm) of belt, avoiding the need to unload packages to restart the system, said LogistiQ. This higher level of granularity in drive zones enables the optimization of speed profiles for specific materials and required flow rates, while servo-driven gappers help to optimize accuracy and throughput as packages reach the sorter.
A patent-pending bag shelf enables FlowLogiQ L11 to handle large reusable bags full of small packages. This is an increasingly common packaging type in parcel distribution centers. The facilities use them to package together small orders headed to the same outbound destination to increase processing efficiency.
After initial alignment, the shelf provides extra clearance to prevent pinching and jams, keeping the packages’ centers of gravity on the narrow belts for a single-file flow.
The patented Poly-V drive belt also helps to reduce noise levels during operation, enabling FlowLogiQ L11 to operate at 8 to 10 decibels quieter than similar solutions. Noise is an important consideration for parcel warehouses that use such systems, and operations often take expensive additional steps to limit noise, such as physically enclosing them.
The Poly-V belt-driven system does not use compressed air to drive the rollers as other products do, also reducing noise and enabling a more worker-friendly environment, said the company.
In addition, LogistiQ said it designed FlowLogiQ L11 with the needs of maintenance staff in mind. Rather than requiring technicians to climb under the singulator to access serviceable components, the system has drawers for personnel to pull out and get easy access to replace parts or handle other maintenance tasks.