Intralox, a company based out of New Orleans, makes directional conveyor belts that can push objects in any direction, providing some unique capabilities, such as merging, sorting, turning and aligning objects.

Omnidirectional conveyor belts have similar practical functions to Activated Roller Belts (ARBs), providing added benefits to manufactures, including quicker cycle times and enhanced usability. They can also handle products gently, without grippers or bumpers, and enable assembly lines to easily accommodate changing packaged materials through simple controls software modifications only. The palletizer infeed system in conjunction with omnidirectional conveyors also are able to precisely arrange packages in a pallet layer configuration to ensure proper formation, or can feed single or dual rows to layer forming robots.

Intralox isn’t the only company to make an omnidirectional conveyor belt, and as the technology becomes more widespread, more automation companies will be adding these types of conveyors to their technology.

At Eclipse Automation, we monitor relevant industries within the manufacturing landscape, searching for emerging markets, trends and new technology in order to provide the best in service and technology. Based on your specifications and existing equipment, Eclipse integrates the most reliable feeding and conveyor systems to ensure a smooth flow of components in your assembly processes.

Source: Popular Mechanics via Business Insider