The concept of a gravity spiral chute is nothing new. So, does such a simple idea still have a place in today’s sortation and handling systems incorporating IOT, robotics, automated power conveyors, etc? The technology behind Safeglide spiral chutes could not be simpler. The profile itself was developed by the Post Office in the 1980’s and realised by Broadwater Mouldings ltd, who now own the trademark, and they’re still in production today.
The chutes are constructed primarily of GRP moulded sections, centred around a steel post – that’s about as complicated as it gets. The engineered camber and tough sliding surface control the speed of descent, with different pitches available to cater for different material interactions such as plastic totes, cardboard cartons and baggage.
Jack Stevenson, Chute Project Manager for Broadwater Mouldings said; “We are often asked to design strange and convoluted systems, when the simple fact is the goods just need to get from one area to another. We build chutes from standard parts as much as possible, and try not to complicate things unnecessarily.”
So how does something as basic as this fit in the world of automation? Well, here’s the thing – they’re beguiling in their simplicity as they are a blank canvas. Safeglide chutes can, of course, be used as they are and most warehouses do. They provide a solution of transferring goods from one floor down to another (Or indeed several floors to ground level). However, with the current demand for baggage handling, parcel handling and sortation; technology is needed to bring order to the chaos. Photocells can easily be mounted to a Safeglide chute, to be used as an optical switch or simply count for throughput. Automated barriers can be used to hold back parcels on the chute to prevent collisions or simply to manage the timings of the items on the chute. Barcode scanners, labelling machines, printers, x-ray machines (why not?)… Essentially anything needed for automating the handling process can be applied to a Safeglide spiral and integrated seamlessly into an existing or brand-new system.
Jack went on to say “There is very little to go wrong with a spiral chute, even with the tech bolted on. They literally comprise of a sliding surface and a camber. As long as they are mostly dust free, and the items being used do not exceed the capacity of the profile then they look after themselves. There are not many pieces of warehouse equipment that you can simply maintain with a duster”.
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