The Application

Pusher mechanisms on divert lines in the food industry are often required to work 24/7 in order to meet demand; users are looking for low maintenance solutions that provide long term reliability.

Hepco’s GV3 Linear slides give unrivalled performance over long periods with no need for those minor adjustments that so often trouble other solutions. The same can be said of our SL2 stainless steel system that can operate with food compatible grease in areas where food is being directly processed.

Product Solution

The biscuit divert line application presents one major challenge in respect of supporting the guide, as machine designers would rather not provide support beams spanning the conveyor. The advantage of being able to select a spacer slide and support only at the ends is often a key reason why GV3 is chosen in front of other solutions.

Spacer slides are available in widths from 12mm to 120mm and the choice will be based on number of carriages, carriage loading and the span to be covered. The most commonly used spacer slide in this application are widths 25 and 44mm. Individual arms link each carriage with an arm fitted to the carriage to divert the product. The complete assembly is driven by a single motor at the side.

This is a simple application where GV3 provides an easy to install solution with no support structure. The low maintenance is achieved by the use of bearing cap wipers providing lubrication to the V slide surfaces.