What is the minimum weight package that can be
accumulated on Roach SMART ZONE®?
Since SMART ZONE® does
not require physical package or carton weight to depress mechanical
sensor, absolute minimal weight objects can now be accumulated on SMART ZONE®
conveyors. We actually accumulated single sheets of paper
during research and development of Roach SMART ZONE®.
How is SMART ZONE® powered?
Roach SMART ZONE®
is powered by a 24 Volt DC power supply. Customer simply runs 115V
single phase input to SMART ZONE'S® DC
power supply. The power supply then delivers a low voltage signal
to photo sensors located in each accumulating zone.
How many zones can be powered by a single SMART ZONE®
power supply?
50 zones or a maximum of 100 feet of zoned
accumulation conveyor may be powered by a single SMART ZONE®
power supply. Therefore, in many heavy duty applications, when
5-foot long zones are required, a total of 20 zones or 100 feet of
conveyor are powered by a single 24 Volt DC power supply. Also,
power supply is generally located near the center bed section of the
conveyor and is shipped mounted to conveyor frame.
What are the various components required per
accumulation zone?
Although the individual zone components vary by SMART ZONE®
model, all Roach SMART ZONE® conveyors
require a photo sensor, reflector and solenoid valve. Air
cylinders vary from model to model while an air cylinder is used on
model SZ251CDA and SZ192CDA simply to engage or disengage the mechanical
clutch in each zone.
What connections are required when installing
SMART ZONE®?
Photo sensors, reflectors, solenoid valves and
cylinders are shipped mounted, connected AND tested on Roach SMART ZONE®.
However, when mating individual SMART ZONE®
bed sections during field installation, two simple
connections are required. First, photo sensors must be adjoined
across bed sections via DC Micro QD connectors. This is a
screw-type connection with NO tools required. And, the 3/8"
I.D. hose connecting solenoid valves is adjoined with another tools-free
connection by pushing the hose onto a barbed fitting on the solenoid
valve. It takes only seconds to make these connections.
What
is the operational difference between zone singulation discharge and
slug release discharge?
The standard mode of product release for Roach SMART ZONE®
is zone singulation operation. Here, each product is
accumulated in a separate zone on the conveyor and each product advances
into the next disharge zone when that zone releases its accumulated
product. When the discharge-most zone is ready to offload, a
single product is released and when that product clears the photo
sensor, one product moves into that discharge-most zone. This
process continues down the entire conveyor, allowing one product at a
time to advance into the discharge-most available zone on the
conveyor. However, with optional slug release discharge, most
commonly all zones are powered to release all accumulated products at
once. Finally, slug loading is another optional feature that
allows a group or "slug" of products to enter SMART ZONE®
at once, and all products move forward until the
discharge-most zone photo sensor is blocked.