Carefully designed to meet the customer’s unique requirements, L-A-C Logistics Automation provided an innovative automatic stacking and de-stacking system. The solution combined the L-A-C tote stacker chute, infeed and outfeed tote & carton conveyors, and an electronic manipulator arm, with integrated safety features throughout. The process begins with the operator using the electronic manipulator arm to pick full columns of totes from adjacent pallets and place them onto the infeed conveyor. This high-speed robotic tote handling solution efficiently moves the loaded totes from the pallet to the conveyor, utilising durable plastic totes designed for repeated use.
The infeed conveyor features 10 individually powered 600mm long Zero Line Pressure (ZLP) zones, capable of buffering up to 220 totes. This buffer zone allows for the unloading of 2 full pallets at once, providing the required 60-minute buffer at a throughput of 1500 totes. The automatic tote system ensures there is zero build-up of pressure between adjacent totes, maintaining smooth operation. As the column of totes advances towards the L-A-C de-stacker, the system automatically de-stacks returned totes by lifting and separating the bottom individual tote from the stack. The bottom tote is pneumatically gripped to ensure smooth detachment from the layer of totes above it. Each individual tote is then transported along the outfeed ZLP conveyor onto the customer’s legacy conveyor unit, using L-A-C’s conveyor drive to avoid interference with the existing control system. This automatic tote de-stacking solution repeats until the entire stack is reduced to single totes, all transferred via the outfeed conveyor.
Additionally, a sensor mounted on the legacy conveyor system monitors the flow of totes further down the line. Feedback from this sensor informs the L-A-C system of any potential build-ups, ensuring smooth operation. The outfeed conveyor after the de-stacker can also function as a manual tote infeed point if needed. L-A-C’s smart design incorporates numerous safety features, eliminating the need for physical guarding by placing all hazardous trap points out of reach. The infeed and outfeed of the de-stacker are equipped with high-density light guards, immediately halting the system if anything other than a column of totes enters the de-stacking area.
The de-stacker also features sensors that adjust for various tote stack heights, supporting a current throughput requirement of approx. 200 totes per hour with the capability to double this to 400 totes per hour if needed.
