Every year, billions of packages are shipped to customers around the world. With such a large volume and an increasing demand for faster shipping, major logistics companies are looking for ways to avoid major bottlenecks in material flow and intralogistics processes.
Because of this, solutions that can help with the effective transfer of product across miles of conveyor are in high demand. Many strategies are currently employed such as zone control, vertical transfer stations, shoe sorters, and automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS). However, in order to properly implement these strategies, a sensible conveyor sensor solution is required.
SICK’s Z18 SimpleSense is a family of photoelectric sensors that are the perfect solution for conveyors. Having sensors that can accurately and quickly detect objects is fundamental for all material flow strategies. Acting as the “eyes” for the conveyor system, the Z18 is exactly how it sounds – a simple solution to help you improve your operations and make material flow more optimal.
Simple & Flexible Solution
The Z18 provides simple mounting with a low installation cost that can accommodate a number of different conveyor designs. And, because the install cost is so low and easily repeatable, you’ll reduce labor costs.
It’s also incredibly flexible, with numerous options on how and where to mount the sensors on your conveyors. This family of products provides a variety of housing styles, giving you the ability to increase the performance of the system without increasing installation costs. You simply choose whichever housing style fits with your application.
For example, one style provides the ability to pivot on a gimbal while others remain fixed. Depending on your needs, the variety of housing options and multiple light spots can accommodate any installation you can imagine.
Economical Control of Package Flow
With miles of conveyors in each logistics facility that require many sensors, simplicity is not the only important factor. An economical and affordable solution is just as important as its simplicity.
When you’re installing thousands of sensors on conveyors to monitor the progress of packages, you want a sensor that can control the flow of critical areas like dimensioning tunnels and barcode tunnels, but doesn’t break the bank. The Z18 delivers on an affordable solution that gives you complete control of package flow through key areas on your conveyor, like inbound, outbound, and returns areas.
Simple Installation with Reliable Performance
And, finally, while affordability and simple installation are both important factors when purchasing multiple sensors, what is perhaps most important of all is the reliability of the sensors. When sensors are unreliable, they have the potential to fail or cause false trips which can lead to costly downtime.
The Z18 SimpleSense is a reliable sensor that requires no troubleshooting once installed. Simply connect it to power and it is up and running. And, if the sensor does need to replaced, the simple installation works to your advantage and causes little to no downtime. In addition, the bright LEDs on the sensor also provide more reliable and accurate detection of package flow.
The choice is simple: SICK’s Z18 SimpleSense provides a simple and affordable solution to gain accurate and reliable zone control on your production line.
