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Roller and chain conveyors link several processing stations; on the track stand wire mesh baskets with components

The fastest machine is of no use if the part does not arrive in time.

Material flow and conveying

In an integrated production line, it is not the fastest station that determines the throughput, but the interplay. Where the cycle is lost cannot be fixed by making one station faster.
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AI-generated visualization — not a photograph of a delivered system

1 · The challenge

Not a machine problem, but a material flow problem

Four symptoms that occur again and again in integrated production lines — and that all have the same cause.

  • One station stops, the line stops with it

    Although only one step is affected, the whole production comes to a standstill.

  • Congestion in front, idling behind

    Parts pile up in front of one process while capacity behind it remains unused.

  • The part lies wrong

    At the next process, the component does not arrive in the position it needs — it has to be aligned, turned or transferred.

  • Two systems, each fast enough on its own

    Together they still do not reach the required throughput.

None of these problems is solved by making one station faster. They arise between the machines, not in them.

2 · Engineering considerations

First the flow is examined, not the conveyor

Where do waiting times arise, where does material back up, where does a station run empty? Only when it is clear where the cycle is actually lost do we talk about roller conveyors or chain conveyors.

  • In which position does the component have to arrive?

    This determines whether a workpiece carrier is needed or whether the part can be transported freely.

  • How different are the cycle times?

    The greater the difference between the processes involved, the more important the decoupling.

  • What happens if a station fails?

    Without a buffer the line stops; with a buffer it keeps running for a while.

The selection is made project-specifically. There is no conveyor that is always right — which one fits is decided by component, part position, cycle time differences, failure behavior, space conditions and cost-effectiveness together.

3 · The solution concept

Four building blocks of a line

Conveying, workpiece carriers, buffers and line integration. They are designed together — each one on its own can topple the planned throughput.

Conveying

Roller conveyorsBelt conveyorsChain conveyorsWorkpiece carrier systemsTransfer systemsBuffer stationsSpecial-purpose conveying

Particularly often in use with us

Chain conveyorsWorkpiece carrier systemsBuffer stations

Together, these three describe one picture of a system: robust, cycled transport with a defined part position and decoupled processes. Exactly the environment in which parts cleaning and deburring systems stand.

Special-purpose conveying arises where standard solutions do not cover the task.

Workpiece carriers

The workpiece carrier holds the component in a defined position — across the entire line. We design and manufacture it ourselves, for one component or for several different ones.

It appears in all three of our service areas: as a parts carrier in cleaning, as a clamping fixture in deburring, here as a means of transport. That is no coincidence — whoever holds the part determines the result.

Buffers

A buffer station decouples two processes from each other. Only then does a faster machine bring anything at all when the slower one stops briefly — and only then does a malfunction not immediately bring the whole line to a standstill.

Buffers are the most inconspicuous part of a line and often the point at which the planned output is decided.

Material handling and line integration

Part feedingLoading and unloadingTransferringPalletizingDepalletizingLine integration of several processesIntegration into existing lines

Line integration is the point at which individual machines become a line — and at which the question of responsibility has to be settled. Who is responsible for what is stated on the page on individual solutions, not in the fine print.

4 · The result

A line in which the processes do not wait for each other

With a defined part position, decoupled cycles and planned transfer points — coordinated instead of assembled.

Planning the material flow and supplying the conveying are the same service with us. We do not supply the components and leave the coordination to you.

Scope of supply

Vertical integration and digital system lifecycle

Vertical integrationDigital system lifecycle
Food industryAutomotive industry

Questions and answers

Frequently asked questions about material flow

My system is fast enough — why is the cycle still not right?

Because the problem rarely sits in the machine, but in the flow before and after it. Where do waiting times arise, where does material back up, where does a station run empty? Only when it is clear where the cycle is actually lost do we talk about roller conveyors or chain conveyors. The fastest machine is of no use if the part does not arrive in time.

What does an integrated line consist of?

Of four building blocks: conveying, workpiece carriers, buffers and line integration. They are designed together — each one on its own can topple the planned throughput. Added to this is a question that is often asked too late: in which position does the component have to arrive at the next station?

Applications

Components on which the material flow is decided

2 worked-out tasks name material flow and conveying as a possible concept. What tips the balance in each of them is on its own page.

Each case sets out the design factors, the possible system concepts and the methods in detail — here you only find what it is about.

Defined part temperature

The component is clean and dry — and still not ready for handover: a part that is too warm is of no use for a leak test.

Large and heavy parts

Size and weight are not a surcharge on an existing system design: they act on system dimensions, payload, workpiece fixture and loading at the same time.

None of these cases inevitably leads to material flow and conveying. Which concept it becomes arises from the interplay of the design factors — the machine type is the result of the system design, not its starting point.

All applications

Direct contact

AddressITR GmbH powered by Zippel
Hauptstraße 31
93186 Pettendorf
Pettendorf bei Regensburg
Phone+49 (0) 9409-777 3598
Fax +49 (0) 9409-777 3607
Emailinfo@itr-anlagenbau.com