Production lines are running faster, while packaging is becoming lighter, thinner and more delicate. Recyclable materials, reduced plastic films, paper and cardboard are changing the way products behave along production lines. On one hand, these changes represent an important step towards greater sustainability. On the other, they introduce new challenges in product handling and manipulation.
Lighter and more deformable packages require increasingly delicate, precise and versatile conveying systems. This is where activated ball systems are finding more and more applications.
Originally developed for sorting applications in the logistics sector, the activated ball sorter like MH Material Handling’s Magic Sorter has proven to be extremely versatile in packaging lines as well.
The operating principle is based on the activation of freerunning balls integrated into a plastic modular chain. Depending on the system used to activate the balls from below, different results can be achieved.
The simplest application is obtained by allowing the balls to run over a uniform surface during the normal movement of the chain. In this way, the product is accelerated compared to the nominal conveyor speed, in some cases approaching almost twice the set speed.
One of the most common applications involves the use of a belt positioned perpendicular to the movement of the chain. By activating the motion of the lower belt, the product acquires a transverse movement component that can be used for rejection, sorting or distribution across multiple lanes.
By placing rotating plates or belts moving in opposite directions under the chain surface, products can instead be rotated around their vertical axis. In these applications, precision and repeatability depend heavily on both the mechanical design and the control sequence of the system.
From an application point of view, one of the most interesting aspects of this technology is the possibility of handling even extremely light or thin products. Since the product is driven from below, the risk of jamming or losing stability during diversion is reduced.
Experimental tests have also shown good results with products featuring non-perfectly regular bottoms. This characteristic is becoming increasingly important due to the evolution of packaging materials.
The growing use of recyclable and compostable packaging is leading to less rigid, more deformable packages that are often more difficult to handle. While improving packaging sustainability, they also make product handling along the line more delicate.
In this scenario, systems such as MH Material Handling’s Magic Sorter activated ball sorter make it possible to address issues that, until a few years ago, were considered marginal.
They offer new possibilities in the handling of complex products and help maintain efficiency and production continuity even with increasingly advanced packaging solutions.
