More smaller U.S. households, in combination with the trend of single-serve packaging to ensure freshness and help encourage healthy eating, means container size is shrinking too. Conveying small loads on a packaging line can be problematic because there’s not much surface to keep them stable. Two new versions of the Narrow Trak spiral conveyor from Ryson Intl. address this challenge by reliably transporting small packages (cartons or containers) in a single file or in a continuous mass flow at speeds in excess of 200 feet per minute.

These new vertical conveyors come with 6- and 9-inch wide nesting slats, which provide a flat conveying surface without gaps to ensure smooth end- or side-transfers. And unlike other conveyors that use side grippers to transport packages at high speeds, the Narrow Trak systems don’t require time-consuming adjustments to run different sizes. Additionally, the company’s proprietary low-friction chain slat design helps reduce maintenance needs, keeping uptime high for high-throughput packaging lines in the food, beverage, personal care and pharmaceutical/nutraceutical markets.

Super-compact, the spirals save valuable floor space. For example, units with 6-inch wide slats measure just 4-feet 3-inches in their outside diameter.

See the Narrow Trak spiral conveyor at Pack Expo 2016 (Nov. 6-9; Chicago) in the Ryson Intl. Booth N-5528.