SICK has announced it has developed a new Roller Sensor Bar aimed at addressing common conveyor downtime issues within packaging, parcel sorting and logistics hubs.
The SICK Roller Sensor Bar is described as having been ‘perfected’ to deliver high sensing performance when detecting the leading edges of varied, flat or irregular shaped packages on conveyors.
Mounted between rollers or belted sections, the product’s ‘flexible’ concept is said to dispense with the need to pre-qualify and stock multiple sensor types.
Mounted using spring-loaded end caps, a pre-configured SICK Roller Sensor Bar is ready to start work without needing to be aligned, the firm revealed. Whether mounted during conveyor manufacture or fitted to an existing production line, SICK added that the time taken to install it is ‘minimal’.
David Hannaby, SICK’s UK product manager for presence detection, said, “Conveyor jams are a common headache for all sorts of packaging industry environments. The Roller Sensor Bar eliminates the unplanned downtime caused when conventional sensor set-ups cause jamming, package build-ups or misdirects.
“Jams can happen when packages catch on sensing holes in the conveyor walls, or on the sensor themselves. The Roller Sensor Bar can also be configured without blind zones at the sides of the conveyor. Installation and alignment time is reduced, and there is no need to purchase extra mounting brackets or reflectors.”
SICK added that it has made it ‘quick and easy’ to customise the Roller Sensor Bar so that it can detect a range of shapes and sizes of packages simultaneously, in any orientation, and even when they have irregular or thin leading edges. It can therefore be adapted for a range of detection needs including non-transparent poly bags, jiffy packs and pallets.
Users specify the sensor bar length ranging from 200mm to 1.2 metres, then set between two and eight sensing points spaced 50mm to 200mm apart. As a result, SICK explained they achieve alignment precision and avoid detection blind zones.
