Sortation chutes and spiral chutes
Spiral and straight chutes bring items down by gravity, and bagging chutes receive what the sorter sends out; the chutes need no drives, automatic bagging stations have their own.
Spiral and straight chutes bring items down by gravity, and bagging chutes receive what the sorter sends out; the chutes need no drives, automatic bagging stations have their own.
What a sorter sends out needs somewhere to land: straight chutes and gravity roller chutes hold a short queue and lead to roll cages, pallets or bags. A spiral chute winds down around a central column and brings items from a mezzanine, steel platform or upper floor to the level below, with no motor and almost no maintenance; flat robot-sorting platforms and multi-level warehouses use it widely. Bagging chutes hang a bag underneath and prompt a change when it is full, so small parcels ship in bags.
Typical uses
- Drops from flat robot-sorting platforms
- Downward flow from mezzanines and upper floors
- Receiving and buffering at sorter destinations
- Bagging small parcels
How to choose
- Drop height and space: spiral chutes for floors and platforms, straight or roller chutes for short side drops at a sorter
- Item weight and fragility: lower slope, cushioning and full-chute sensors for fragile goods
- What follows: bagging chutes for small items, cage or pallet chutes for larger ones
- Bag changes: automatic bagging stations if bags must change without stopping
When it is not the right choice
- Cartons heavier than the chute is rated for, and very wide items: gravity chutes impact and jam; use a spiral conveyor or vertical lift
- Moving items up: chutes only go down; use an incline belt or spiral conveyor
- Large cartons going straight into cages or onto pallets: no bagging station; a roller chute with full detection
Key figures
| Spiral chute width | About 200–600 mm |
|---|---|
| Item weight | Set by the chosen chute; published models cover about 28 g to 23 kg |
| Infeed height | Single sections of about 3.66 m appear in published data; multi-level designs per project |
| Slope | Some published models are about 16–20°; use a gentler pitch for fragile goods |
| Destination types | Straight chute, roller chute, bagging chute, cage chute, two-level chute |
Figures are typical configuration ranges; exact specifications are set per project.
Options
- Full-chute sensors and lights
- Cushioning sections and impact liners
- Automatic bagging stations: clear, change, close and label bags
- Steel or plastic spiral surfaces
Scope of supply
- Machine, drives and control cabinet, assembled and dry-run tested before shipping
- The equipment's own control and fleet software; interfaces to your existing WMS / ERP as the project requires
- Drawings: general arrangement, foundation and anchor plan, electrical schematics
- Conformity documents for the equipment and the whole line, the split of responsibilities and the acceptance criteria are set out in the contract according to the project scope
- Spare-parts list and wear-part recommendation; a first batch can ship with the equipment
- Factory acceptance (FAT): attend in person or follow by live video
- Installation, commissioning and operator training can be included in the offer
What we need for an offer
- Drop height and available diameter or length
- Smallest and largest item size, weight range, packaging, fragility
- Number and spacing of destinations; bags, cages or pallets downstream
- Items to buffer per destination, bag size, full-chute detection or automatic bag change