A gripper elevator (or wedge conveyor) is composed of two conveyors running parallel to each other, allowing product to be gripped between the two conveyors.
Gripper elevators have a number of uses, including:
- Elevating or lowering product to a different level within a plant
- Removing product from pucks (depucking)
- Moving product over an aisle
- Changing orientation of products (inverting)
- Temporarily inverting products for air rinse, etc.
All Flextrac Series gripper elevators are built using the MM3/DM3 (83mm) frame. Since they run sideways, the catenary sag found at the drive end of modular plastic chain conveyors isn’t possible. As such, they use a special idler end with jack screws able to extend the tail end to take up slack in the chain.
Many applications require movement of multiple sizes of product. To make changeover simple, gripper elevators can be configured with a manual or automatic width adjustment.
Since products vary, there are multiple chain types available to properly grip product without damaging it.
Box Gripper
As its name implies, box gripper chain is ideal for boxes, but is also useful for glass and plastic packaging. It is availble in three different hardnesses depending on the product to be gripped.
Finger Gripper
Finger gripper chain uses small silicone finger to grip the product.
Wedge Gripper
Wedge gripper chain uses soft “fins” to grip the product. It is ideal for paperboard or printed products that could be sensitive to touch.
Contact QC Conveyors today to learn how a gripper elevator can make your factory more efficient.
