Keeping Palletless Sunflower Seed Loads Moving
with a Smooth-Transfer Conveyor System

Alba Manufacturing recently worked with CS Robotics to develop a conveyor solution for a sunflower seed producer’s robotic palletizing application. The producer had increased production significantly but was struggling to find enough employees to manually stack the packaged product and transfer pallets. Automation offered a way to keep production moving while reducing the amount of manual product handling required.

Unlike a conventional palletizing system, this application does not use pallets to support and transport the completed unit loads. Instead, the robotic palletizer places each load onto a 42" x 50" corrugated slip sheet positioned directly on the conveyor rollers. The conveyor system then transports the load without the structural support typically provided by a pallet.

Before CS Robotics proceeded with the final system design, the end user shipped representative product and sample slip sheets to Alba for proof-of-concept testing. The objective was to verify that loads weighing up to 2,000 pounds could travel across the conveyor while maintaining their stability and integrity.

The successful testing confirmed that the slip sheets and unsupported loads could be conveyed. Alba then supplied eight sections of Chain Driven Live Roller Conveyor and two Chain Driven Live Roller Conveyor Turntables for integration into the robotic palletizing system.

Because each unit load is supported only by a corrugated slip sheet, the conveyor was specifically designed to minimize product disturbance during transfer. Close roller spacing provides consistent support beneath the slip sheets as the loads move across the system.

Conventional pop-up transfers were replaced with turntables to create smoother directional changes and improve overall load stability. Conveyor-mounted and floor-mounted transition rollers were also incorporated to fill the gaps between the conveyor sections and turntables, helping the loads move smoothly throughout the system.

The completed solution provided the sunflower seed producer with a reliable way to accommodate its increased production without relying on employees to manually stack products and transfer pallets. By testing the actual product and slip sheets before the equipment was ordered, Alba also helped CS Robotics verify the concept and reduce uncertainty before moving forward with the final design.

CS Robotics appreciated both the robustness of Alba’s conveyor equipment and the speed at which it could be installed. Rather than receiving an assortment of components requiring extensive field assembly, CS Robotics received completed conveyor sections ready for system integration.

As CS Robotics explained, "Alba sends us a completed conveyor—not an erector set."

Alba Manufacturing continues to be a trusted partner for challenging unit-load handling applications, offering durable, efficient and easy-to-install conveyor solutions. For more information or to locate your nearest Alba Partner Network member, call 866.252.2634 or visit www.albamfg.com.

Conveyor/Product Specifications

Value Added Features