Product transfer
Use pack footprint, stability, conveyor gaps and hot-film behaviour to specify reliable support.
Direct answer
Direct answer: A short, narrow, light or flexible product can tip, rotate, bridge or stall when its centre of gravity passes over a gap between belts, rollers or sealing sections. Reliable transfer requires the actual footprint, stiffness, weight distribution and film condition to be matched to the conveyor geometry, speed and support method.
The problem is not defined by length alone. A rigid carton may bridge a gap that stops a flexible pouch of the same length, while a tall light pack may remain supported but tip during acceleration. Film can also change the contact surface after sealing. The complete path from infeed to cooled discharge should therefore be checked.
| Transfer risk | What the pack may do | Evidence to provide |
|---|---|---|
| Short footprint | Drop into or stop at a conveyor gap. | Base length and the shortest stable contact area. |
| High centre of gravity | Tip during acceleration, braking or a level change. | Pack weight distribution and normal orientation. |
| Flexible base | Sag, catch or take the shape of rollers or openings. | Real filled sample, not an empty or rigid substitute. |
| Fresh hot film | Grip, mark or drag before the pack has cooled. | Finished pack at the real tunnel exit condition. |
Direct answer: Short products can lose support when their centre of gravity moves beyond one conveyor before the next surface has taken their weight.
The risk increases with large gaps, height differences, soft bases, high centres of gravity and speed changes. The film or a protruding feature can also catch even when the rigid product dimensions appear to fit.
Direct answer: A transfer gap is the unsupported distance between one conveying surface and the next, including any vertical or horizontal offset.
Its effect depends on the product footprint and stiffness, not only the measured gap. The gap should be reviewed at the sealer, tunnel entrance, tunnel exit and every downstream interface.
Direct answer: Additional support may be needed when the product cannot stay flat, centred and stable through the existing transfer at the required line conditions.
The device must be selected for the actual product and must not create a new pinch, marking or heat problem. It should be part of the machine design and risk assessment rather than an improvised site modification.
Direct answer: The trial should use the shortest, lightest, most flexible and least stable products at the expected spacing and through the full discharge path.
Run enough consecutive packs to expose intermittent bridging or rotation. Record where movement begins, whether hot film changes contact, and whether downstream accumulation affects the result.
Scope note: Conveyor gaps and support devices are machine-specific. Lancing should review drawings and samples before confirming a transfer arrangement.
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