Designing a Carton Flow Lane With Roller Track

Why Rail Instead of Full-Width Conveyor

A pick face does not need a conveyor across its whole width. Two rails of wheels under the carton edges deliver the same flow at a fraction of the weight, cost and installation time, and they can be cut to the rack depth on site.

Wheel Pitch Comes From the Shortest Carton

Set the pitch so at least three wheels are always under the shortest carton in the lane. Any wider and small cartons drop between wheels, stall and block the lane behind them. It is worth measuring the smallest SKU that will ever go into the lane rather than the typical one.

Wheel Material Comes From the Load and the Surface

Plastic wheels are quiet, do not corrode and will not mark a printed carton, which covers most pick faces. Metal wheels, including cutting-bearing types, are for heavy, hot, sharp-based or abrasive loads that would split a moulded wheel.

The rail itself is normally formed steel in both cases; an all-plastic rail flexes between supports and the lane sags.

Lane Width and Guides

Two rails under the carton edges is the standard arrangement. Wide or flexible bases need a third rail down the centre. Side guides keep cartons square to the lane, which matters more as lanes get longer and slopes get shallower.

Slope Is Set On Site

Slope is commissioned, not calculated from a catalogue: it is adjusted until the carton flows at a controlled pace, then checked with the lane both full and nearly empty, since the last carton behaves differently from the first. Long lanes are often staged, with a shallower final section or brake wheels before the pick face.

What to Hold as Spares

A lane stops because of one seized wheel. Keep wheels and end caps for the rail types you run, and identify drive belts and caps by their printed code so replacements match exactly.