Cart-Trak Testing Leads to Cost-Effective Carton Flow Design

Mallard Engineers Test Cart-Trak with Bearing Rollers

If you’ve been considering roller carton flow rack as a means to improving order picking productivity and accuracy, then you have to see this. The Mallard in-house testing lab ran a series of scenarios to demonstrate how we approach achieving the most cost-effective Cart-Trak roller carton flow lane design. As you can see, by just taking a few extra minutes, you can build a highly effective carton flow lane using the most cost-effective means. Take a look.

Cart-Trak Roller Carton Flow

We tested standard cardboard boxes weighing 22 lbs. each. What makes this inventory good candidates for the roller carton flow? Several characteristics are at play here.

1. The boxes are flat on the bottom
2. They are uniform in size
3. They are within the allowable weight variance of Cart-Trak

Roller carton flow lanes are best used for same-size cartons or totes where you can provide full carton coverage to ensure consistent flow. When you have inventory that varies in size or shape, we most often recommend our wheeled carton flow, which allows for a variety of sizes across the wheeled carton flow bed. Cart-Trak rollers have a galvanized finish to prevent rust and make them easy to clean, and the roller rails are designed for quick installation into standard pallet rack bays.

Now that we’ve determined Cart-Trak roller carton flow is an ideal choice, we have the option of using our standard bushing rollers or bearing rollers. The bearing rollers provide a smooth, consistent flow using fewer rollers and less pitch than standard rollers. Where it makes sense to use Cart-Trak with bearing rollers, we make the recommendation… as you can see in the video.

Test Parameters

• System type – Cart-Trak with bearing rollers
• Roller centers – 3”
• Pitch – 1”
• Inventory – flat-bottom boxes 22 lbs. each
• 12” steel skid plates

Test Scenario #1 – Cart-Trak with Bearing Rollers

In this first test, as expected, we see the boxes flow very well in the lane. The bearing rollers are efficient for moving the heavy boxes without hang-ups. However, we notice that the boxes hit the front stop beam with a lot of force. The team adds a 12” steel skid plate to the end of the lane to reduce the impact. The skid plate simply drops into place and serves to slow the lead carton. The team has one more trick up their sleeve, and so they drop in another skid plate behind the first to slow the rear carton and prevent it from hitting the front carton too hard and pushing it into the stop beam with force. That second skid plate does the trick.

This lane configuration works… but is our work done building the most cost-effective carton flow solution? It’s worth another test, to be sure. Let’s check out scenario #2.

Test Scenario #2 – ½ Lane Cart-Trak with Bearing Rollers & ½ Lane Standard Cart-Trak

We’ve shown this configuration before, where we use a hybrid lane design with both bearing and bushing rollers. Sometimes it is the best solution, sometimes not so much, so it is always best to test the lane design with the inventory to be sure.

The Mallard team uses Cart-Trak with bearing rollers for the first 48” of the lane and then finishes the lane with standard Cart-Trak rollers. The bearing rollers get the inventory rolling well enough to keep it moving consistently down the lane to the pick aisle. Again, however, we still see the cartons hitting the stop beam a bit too hard. With the addition of skid plates like in the first test, we solve that challenge, and we’ve created a less-costly carton flow solution that works with optimal efficiency.

When to Use Skid Plates

Skid plates are a quick, easy solution for heavy inventory that can tend to hit the front beam too hard in a carton flow lane. They are designed for use with roller or wheeled carton flow.

Skid plate features:

• Easy to place anywhere along the carton flow lane
• Slows heavy cartons helping control flow speed
• Customized to fit your carton flow lane
• Helpful in separating cartons at the pick face to eliminate back pressure

When to Ask for Help

The Mallard team is available to help you find the best gravity flow solution for your order processing operation. Our gravity flow systems are custom configured to your precise needs and are ergonomically designed to alleviate your workers’ physical stresses. They can also be paired with automated picking systems and devices. Call our experts for advice and a free consultation.