How Gapping Belt Induction Conveyors Work
When exiting a merge and prior to scanning and sorting, cartons must be separated by gaps to assure good barcode reads & sortation. A gapper consists of two conveyors operating at a slightly greater speed than the incoming flow of cartons, which “pulls a gap” between adjacent cartons.
By accelerating or decelerating gapping belt conveyor you maximize the throughput and minimize the gap between products entering the sorter.
“Blow through” Gapping – the gapper conveyors operate at a fixed speed and the ratio between the conveyors is fixed. The “pitch,” or distance between the leading edges of the products, tends to be a fixed distance. If the application has a wide variance between small and large boxes, wide gaps can occur. This is possible wasted space and a reduction in sorter throughput.
“Gap Optimization” Gapping – the distance between incoming boxes is sensed and conveyor speed is quickly accelerated or decelerated, resulting in a consistent gap size. This allows you to get the maximum throughput and performance from your sorter.