Turnkey Automation
High-Speed Product Sorting & Buffer System
Two high-speed lines sort product into six lanes, with buffer towers that absorb downstream stops and then catch up.
CLIENT
INDUSTRY
SOLUTION
DURATION
The Challenge
A manufacturer needed to sort product from two edger lines at high speed into six lanes, each feeding a manual inspection station. Any pause downstream, whether a jam past the inspector or an inspector simply taking a break, would back up the sorter and stop both lines. The customer’s engineering department designed the mechanical and electrical systems and needed a partner to build, wire, program and prove out the full system before it reached the plant floor.
Key Requirements
- Sort product from two infeed lines into six lanes at high speed
- Buffer each lane ahead of its inspection station
- Keep both lines running through downstream stops
- Empty the buffer automatically when the line resumes
- Build and test the full system before shipment
- Work from the customer’s mechanical and electrical designs
The ICR Solution
Working with the customer’s engineering department, ICR built the high-speed product sorting system: mechanical build and assembly, field wiring and control programs. The sorting section takes product from two edger lines and diverts each piece into one of six lanes at high speed. Each lane ends in a buffer tower ICR also programmed: when anything downstream of the inspector stops, or the inspector steps away, the tower accumulates product instead of halting the sorter. When the line resumes, the tower meters product back out slowly so the lane catches up without flooding the inspector. ICR assembled and tested the complete system at its own facility before shipment.
Equipment & Technology
- Two high-speed edger/sorter infeed lines
- 6-lane sorting section with diverters
- Buffer accumulation towers, one per lane
- Kinetix 5700 servo drives on the accumulators
- PowerFlex 525 drives on conveyors, rollcases and saws
- POINT I/O and safety I/O on an EtherNet/IP network
- Bypass and rework return conveyors
Scope of Work
- Mechanical Build & Assembly
- Field Device Wiring
- PLC Programming
- Servo Programming
- In-House Assembly & Testing
- Commissioning Support
Results
Both lines now sort at full speed into six lanes, and a stop at any inspection station no longer stops production. The buffer towers soak up product during a jam or a break, then feed it back gradually so each lane catches up on its own. Because ICR assembled and tested everything in house first, the system arrived proven and ready to run.