Neck-Guided Air Conveyor
The Sentry Single-Plenum Neck-Guided Air Conveyor System is designed to transport empty plastic bottles (normally considered to be unstable) in single file suspended by the neck ring on an oil impregnated wearstrip. High efficiency blowers pressurize the plenum and a custom sanitary louver design directs air flow toward the neck finish in the direction of travel to propel the product forward.
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Bottles are guided with either stationary or multi-position pneumatically-actuated neck and body guides. Some bottles may require an additional stationary or pneumatically actuated shoulder guide to improve flow.
Plenum dividers are utilized to create multiple air flow control zones. These zones utilize pre-mounted sensors and custom programming to regulate back pressure and speed. Each zone contains a magnahelix gauge to visually monitor zone pressures.
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Vertically adjustable hand-wheel actuated transitions are used to change between bottle sizes when interfacing with base-registered conveyors.
Pallet Conveyor
When it comes to performance, strength, and durability, Sentry pallet conveyor stands alone. Generally speaking, the loading and unloading of pallets in and out of the production process can be very taxing on the longevity of conveyor. Accordingly, the Sentry brand of pallet conveyor features our familiar robust construction that weathers the daily routine in a warehouse environment.
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However, frame construction is not enough. Pallet style conveyors must also be able to provide gentle, reliable handling of the pallet and its cargo. From roller-chain to close center chain-drive-live-roller, Sentry offers a wide range of styles and options designed to provide smooth transportation for empty plastic or wooden pallets as well as heavy-load full pallets with wrapped and unwrapped loads.
Standard options include pop-up transfers, rotating-style transfers, pallet stackers, and dispensers. Heavy-duty guarding for sensors are provided as standard equipment.
Cable Conveyor
Cable conveyor, or "cable track" as it's sometimes known, is one of the more classic of technologies in the history of conveyor. Simply put, it provides economical single-file transportation for empty aluminum or plastic containers.
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In addition to the affordable design, cable conveyor can also be a very versatile means of transportation. Due to the compact light-weight profile, this product is easily supported and can weave its way through congested areas where most conventional conveyors would not normally fit. The strength of the nylon coated 3/8" steel cable allows for longer distances between motors and ultimately a noticeable energy savings when compared to table top solutions. Options include top covers, automatic multi-position hold-down rails and painted mild steel, aluminum, and stainless steel constructions.
Accumulators
Accumulators are designed to maximize efficiency by keeping the filler running during normal stoppages by adding temporary storage between production machinery. The filler is the beating heart of any beverage line. Product does not make it to the rail shelves when the filler is idle. Unexpected interruptions in the packaging area, container jams, and reel changes at the labeler can all be very costly if there is too little or no buffer.
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Accumulators offer gentle product handling and relief of back pressure by accepting overflow from the mass conveyors and (as needed) reintroducing the stored containers back to the line at the appropriate rate as the downstream conditions allow. In addition to adding a much needed grace period to the
production process, bi-directional tables, uni-directional tables, and inline accumulators also allow for the "spin-out" of containers that remain in the filler when production stops so that un-capped containers do not go to waste waiting for the line to restart.
Spiral Conveyor
Floor space in a production environment is something that there never seems to be enough of. Spiral incline and decline conveyors occupy a minimal amount of square footage due to their compact design. At Sentry, we partner with some of the best spiral conveyor manufacturers in the business in order to provide the best possible solution. Spiral conveyors can also be very flexible in the sense that the product can exit in any direction (regardless of the direction of flow) eliminating the need for additional overhead curves and associated motors.
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Spiral technology has been used primarily for full case transportation over the years. However, today's equipment has evolved to the point where we can now
elevate and decline loose bottles and cans in mass flow. This gives us the flexibility to open up even more floor space that would normally be required to make drastic elevation changes with traditional conveyor. Every application is carefully evaluated to ensure the speed, pitch, and angles are ideal for the handling of products. Many options and features are available such as dual track, multiple entry, and high capacity units.
Activated Roller Belts
Activated Roller Belt (ARB) technology has exploded into the marketplace. Although roller-embedded chains have been around for many years, the new and ever expanding creativity in how it is applied has spawned a whole new way of thinking when it comes to case and pack handling. Activated Roller Belts, combined with a Sentry controls package, give the end user the ability to make complex maneuvers in very small footprints.
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Sentry is a licensed OEM for the Activated Roller Belt solution. This is a proven and innovative method of sorting, merging, rejecting, and even rotating packages with positive rail justification. Pneumatically actuated skid plates, located under the carry-way of the chain, form "activation zones". When
energized, these zones influence, manipulate, and direct the flow of the product with ease and precision without compromising affordability.
Isometric Air Conveyor
Sentry Isometric Air Conveyor is the answer to conventional transportation conveyor when speed and gentle handling of sensitive containers are required. Direct drive blowers pressurize the body (or plenum) of the conveyor and air is directed through to the carrying surface by a proprietary series of louvers. Typical products would include bright or decorated aluminum cans, cups, and all types of closures.
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The air cushion is designed to provide both lift and propulsion of the product without the back pressure that is usually generated on chain driven surfaces. Bright, annealed, stainless steel louvered decks, along with custom engineered stainless steel, hold down covers, come together to contain the product as well
as regulate and direct the flow of the air.
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Sentry Isometric Air Conveyor provides for reduced maintenance time, as well as lower overall cost of ownership over conventional chain-type conveyors. The plenums are available in both painted mild steel and stainless steel.
Table Top Conveyor
Table Top-style conveyors are ideal for the single-file transportation of glass bottles, aluminum cans, and a variety of plastic containers. This type of conveyor can be used for a multitude of applications ranging from high-speed filling to lower-speed pharmaceutical production.
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Our sturdy 11-gauge frame construction is available in both painted mild steel and polished stainless steel. All Sentry conveyors are custom engineered for each project. An extensive assortment of chain types and guide materials provide for optimal handling of the product.
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Typical uses for Table Top conveyors would include the feeding and discharging of fillers, labelers, inspection equipment, and congested areas
where sideflexing is required. Available options include drip pans, dust covers, and sanitary closed-top construction. We also have several guide-rail adjustment features to choose from with varying levels of automation and repeatability.
Mat Top Conveyor
Mat Top-style conveyors are a great solution when mass transportation and inline accumulation is required. The smooth "flight-less" surface inherent to these types of chains provides for seamless transition from chain to chain when accelerating or decelerating unstable products at higher speeds.
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Sentry Mat Top conveyors feature the same rugged construction as our Table Top conveyors, and are also offered in both painted mild steel and polished stainless steel construction. A variety of chain pitches and thickness are available depending on the product.
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In addition to transportation and accumulation, Mat Top conveyors are also commonly used to single-file containers at higher speeds as well as to
re-introduce the product back to mass for packaging. Smaller pitch Mat Top chains can be used in conjunction with a friction or dynamic nose-over to create close coupled transfers for smaller packages when transfer plates are simply not an option.
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Standard options include drip pans for lubricated chains, catch pans for broken glass, and sanitary closed-top construction. Anti-static strips can be intermittently added to the carry chain to help dissipate the charge that can build when conveying plastic containers in bulk.
Case Conveyor
The Sentry line of case conveyor is among the most diverse of all the products that we offer. Years ago, when fillers were slower and packages were "one-size-fits-all", case conveyor was simply a commodity. These days, with filler rates into the thousands of containers per minute and packages that are lighter weight and smaller than ever before, case conveyor has become a critical component to the packaging process.
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Whether you are looking for the more traditional "live-roller" style conveyor, or a more complex zero pressure mat-top type of conveyor, Sentry has a design suited for the task. The Sentry "built-to-perform/built-to-last" standard of construction is especially important in the world of case conveyor. Bulky, big
bottle shells and large-count cases can be particularly hard on conveyor. Equally, wide-way leading products like 6x2x1 packages can be a nightmare if handled improperly. Sentry combines decades of solid engineering practices with the finesse of proven control strategies to provide one of the more versatile case conveying solutions on the market. Options include painted mild steel or polished stainless steel construction, automatic side guides, and catch pans.
Pack Conveyor
What is Pack Conveyor? And is it really so different than Mat Top? Well, in may ways it is indeed the same. However, the devil is always in the details. Pack conveyors, unlike Table Top or Mat Top-style conveyors, are specifically designed for hard-to-handle packages.
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Multi-packs such as film bundles, decorated cartons, and banded six-packs are generally considered to be secondary packages--meaning only that they are not the finished product. These smaller collations, marketed more towards the individual rather than a family or group, are by their very nature compact. Therefore, transportation to the merchant can be a challenge. The solution is to assemble the secondary units into larger host cases such as trays, boxes, or
shells to complete the finished goods and create a more stable load for the palletizing process.
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While handling techniques such as the use of close coupled transfers, dynamic guide rails, and low-back pressure chains are all vital to the success of pack-style conveyors, our design experience and control philosophies are what make all of the difference.