Merge problems with high speed sorters

To meet customer demands on distribution the necessity of sorting systems for unit loads in regard to quantity and capacity is growing up constantly. Due to that, manufactures offer powerful sorting machines with a capacity up to 15.000 pieces per hour. Those machines are for instance Crossbelt or Tilt-Tray sorters. The output of these sorters is calculated by the equation of throughput. The point of interest is the merge, referring to the overall efficiency of the single sorter. The motion sequence during merging has to be absolutely quick and precise to achieve exact positioning using minimized distances of the single items and high velocities on the main conveyer. Actual research activities at the Institute of Logistics Engineering at the Technical University of Graz will provide improved solutions for this problem. The mathematical and mechanical models are representing a way how to describe and optimize the merging of single piece items. A basic example will show the transactions while merging in detail and the results will be discussed. Furthermore a layout proposal to simplify and increase the merging of goods will be presented.