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Magnetic controller limits pallet speeds without wear

25 March, 2013

The Swiss logistics equipment specialist Interroll has announced a magnetically-based speed controller for pallets that, it says, “takes safe pallet-handling operations to a new level”. The company has spent three years developing the wear-free technology that works without uising friction pads

For decades, conveyor manufacturers have relied on speed controller cartridges, integrated inside rollers, to brake pallets when they are in contact with a roller. A key element of this technology is the friction pads that use a gearbox to regulate their speed. Centrifugal force drives the pads to the outside of the speed controller cylinder to produce a braking effect. The heavier the pallet, the greater the braking.

But this approach causes wear which, in turn, can lead to costly downtime. Interroll’s new magnetic speed controller does away with the friction pads, and thus the wear. It can handle up to 90 pallets per hour compared to 5–30 pallets for conventional speed controllers. The new system prevents uncontrolled pallet movements and, if damaged, the system locks down automatically to stop the pallets.

The new speed controller limits pallet speeds to less than 0.3m/s, independently of their weight (which can vary from 25–1,250kg). This avoids impact loads, while the load on the pallet remains stable. The system has been tested for 50,000 cycles with high throughput.




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