Automatic sorting system is one of the necessary facilities for advanced distribution centers. It has high sorting efficiency, usually 6000-12000 boxes of goods can be sorted per hour; It can be said that the automatic sorter is a key factor to improve the efficiency of logistics distribution.
The automatic sorting system has the following features:
1. Be able to sort goods continuously and in large quantities
Due to the automatic operation mode of assembly line used in mass production, the automatic sorting system can operate continuously without the constraints of climate, time, human strength, etc. At the same time, because the automatic sorting system has a large number of pieces sorted per unit time, the sorting capacity of the automatic sorting system is more than 100 hours of continuous operation, and 7000 pieces of packaged goods can be sorted per hour, If manual work is used, only about 150 pieces can be sorted per hour. At the same time, the sorting personnel cannot work continuously for 8 hours under such labor intensity.
2. Very low sorting error rate
The sorting error rate of the automatic sorting system mainly depends on the accuracy of the entered sorting information, which also depends on the input mechanism of the sorting information. If manual keyboard or voice recognition is used for input, the error rate will be more than 3%. If barcode scanning is used for input, unless there is an error in the printing of the barcode itself, there will be no error. Therefore, the current automatic sorting system mainly uses barcode technology to identify goods.
3. The sorting operation is basically unmanned
One of the purposes of establishing automatic sorting systems abroad is to reduce the use of personnel, reduce the labor intensity of workers, and improve the efficiency of the use of personnel. Therefore, the automatic sorting system can greatly reduce the use of personnel and basically achieve unmanned.
The following describes the main types of sorters:
1. Cross belt sorter
There are many types of cross belt sorters, and the common one is the one car double belt type, that is, there are two vertical belts on a car, which can carry a package on each belt or a package can be carried by combining two belts. When two sections of belts are combined to carry a parcel, the pre action in the direction of the two sections of belts of the sorter can make the direction of the parcel consistent with the sorting direction so as to reduce the gap between the chutes.
The advantages of cross belt sorter are low noise and wide range of sortable goods. Through bilateral bag feeding and gate optimization, a single Z can achieve a large capacity of about 20000 pieces per hour. However, the disadvantages are also obvious, that is, the cost is expensive and the maintenance cost is high.
2. Tilting tray sorter
The tilting tray sorter is used to sort out parcels by tilting trays. It is also used in the express industry, but more often in the airport baggage sorting field. The capacity of Z can reach 12000 pieces per hour. The standard tilting tray sorter is composed of wooden tray, tilting device and bottom frame. Tilting is divided into mechanical tilting and electric tilting.
3. Slide Sorter
Slider sorter is also a special type of strip conveyor. The surface of the conveyor is made of metal slats or pipes, such as bamboo mats. On each slat or pipe, there is a guide slider made of hard material, which can slide laterally along the slats.
At ordinary times, the sliding block stops at the side of the conveyor, and the lower part of the sliding block is connected with the guide rod under the slat. Through computer control, when the sorted goods arrive at the designated crossing, the controller makes the guide sliding block slide automatically and orderly to the opposite side of the conveyor, pushing the goods to the sorting crossing, so that the goods are led out of the main conveyor. This way is to gradually push the goods sideways without impacting the goods, so the goods are not easy to be damaged. It has a wide range of applications for the shape and size of goods to be sorted. It is a new type of high-speed sorter in Z abroad at present.
Slider sorter is also a kind of sorter that is widely used in express industry. The slider sorter is a very reliable sorter with a very low failure rate. In large distribution centers, such as Louisville of UPS, a large number of slider sorters are used to complete pre sorting and Z final sorting. Multiple slide sorters can be used in cross overlap to meet the purpose that a single slide sorter cannot meet the capacity requirements.
4. Swing arm sorter
Swing arm sorter uses a swing plate to block the goods moving forward on the conveyor, and guide the goods to the slide on one side for discharge. When the swing plate moves, it blocks the forward movement of the goods like a wall, and uses the friction force of the conveyor to push the goods, so that the goods move along the surface of the baffle and are discharged from the main conveyor to the chute. At ordinary times, the swing plate is at the side of the main conveyor, allowing the goods to continue moving forward; If the swing arm rotates, the goods will flow to the slide.
The swing arm is generally installed on both sides of the conveyor and does not contact the upper plane of the conveyor. Even during operation, it only contacts the goods and does not touch the conveyor surface, so it is applicable to most forms of conveyor.
5. Belt floating sorter
This sorting structure is used on the main roller conveyor. Two or more belts or a single chain driven by power are horizontally installed below the main conveyor rollers. When the sorter structure receives the command to start the inch, the belt or chain will be lifted upward, and the goods will be picked up by contacting the bottom of the goods, and then moved out to the main conveying side.
6. Roller floating sorter
This sorting mechanism is used on the roller or chain type main conveyor to install one or dozens of powered diagonal rollers below the surface of the main conveyor? When the sorting mechanism is started, the inclined roller floats upward, contacts the bottom of the goods, and moves the goods out of the main conveyor obliquely. One of these floating sorters is to use a row of rollers that can rotate to the left or right, and lift them with pneumatic power to discharge the goods to the left or right.
7. Slat tilt sorter
This is a special type of strip conveyor. The goods are loaded on the strips of the conveyor. When the goods move to the position where they need to be sorted, one end of the strip automatically rises, making the strip incline, so that the goods can be moved away from the main conveyor. The number of strips occupied by the goods depends on the length of different goods. The number of strips occupied by the goods is like a unit, which inclines at the same time. Therefore, This sorter has no restrictions on the length of goods within a certain range.
The above are the various types of sorters. According to their classification, we can easily see that each sorter has its own sorting object, which is also an important difference between various sorters! However, the current automatic sorter still focuses on the sorting of small items, and cannot drive large items. Therefore, the large item sorter is still the research focus of logistics experts.
