Material Handling and Conveyance
Essential in the realm of industrial automation.
Material handling and conveyance systems are the backbone of industrial automation, utilizing various types of conveyor systems to transfer raw materials, components, and finished products throughout the production process. By automating materials handling, manufacturers can significantly boost efficiency, enhance safety, and streamline operations.
These systems, ranging from material handling conveyors to robotic transport, enable precise control over the movement, placement, and sorting of materials. This results in increased accuracy, reduced error rates, and minimized downtime. Whether you’re managing delicate parts or bulk goods, the right material handling equipment transforms your facility’s output.
As a result, conveyors and material handling technologies are critical to driving operational excellence and scaling modern manufacturing.
iTRAK Systems
A Preferred Integrator for Intelligent Track Systems
DT Engineering is a preferred integrator of Intelligent Track Systems by Rockwell Automation and a Gold OEM Partner of Rockwell Automation. The iTRAK systems represent the next generation of material handling conveyors. Besides being scalable and modular, they are perfect for conveyance applications requiring both high speeds and superior accuracy, all while minimizing the system’s footprint. iTrak solutions are a powerful component in your productivity tooling strategy, allowing rapid throughput.
Types of Material Handling and Conveyance. Transforming production operations and improving productivity.
Elevator
Elevators act as the lift mechanism to transfer items vertically between storage locations and other points in material handling workflows. These systems can be configured to transport materials of varying size, weight, and shape.
Vibratory
A specialized conveyor system designed to move bulk materials or parts through a controlled vibratory motion. It consists of three main components: a bowl or tray, an electromagnetic drive unit, and a control system.
Linear
Designed to handle diverse loads, ranging from lightweight items to heavy machinery components. Linear conveyors promote smoother conveyors and material handling processes, optimizing the layout of manufacturing facilities and reducing operational costs.
Dial
Dials consist of a rotating plate with multiple pockets that distribute items to the assembly line. They are designed to handle various sizes and shapes, ensuring consistent and accurate part presentation, reducing risk, and improving overall productivity.
Carousel
With their circular design, carousel feeders provide a continuous and efficient flow of parts or components from one station to another. Carousel feeders ensure precise positioning and reliable delivery of items, minimizing errors and increasing production accuracy.
Robotics
Robots can navigate complex materials handling, identify and manipulate various objects, and execute precise movements. Whether it involves picking and placing items onto conveyors, palletizing, or transporting heavy loads, robots offer unrivaled speed, accuracy, and reliability.
Revolutionize your operations.
Embrace innovation and reshape the future of manufacturing.
Take control of your production flow with DT Engineering’s fully integrated material handling and conveyor systems. From elevators and carousels to robotics and iTRAK innovations, we provide material handling equipment that helps you achieve greater productivity, accuracy, and safety.
Let us help you reshape the future of manufacturing with custom conveyors and material handling solutions tailored to your needs.
FAQs
What type of conveyor is best for my material?
The right conveyor type depends on what you are moving, how fast you need to move it, and where it needs to go within your facility. DT Engineering designs and integrates a full range of material handling systems, including linear conveyors for diverse load types, vibratory systems for bulk materials and parts, carousel feeders for precise component delivery, elevator systems for vertical transfer, and iTRAK intelligent track systems for high-speed applications requiring superior accuracy in a compact footprint. The selection process starts with understanding your material, your throughput targets, and your floor layout.
Will the system handle bulk solids, powders, cartons, pallets, or mixed materials?
Material handling systems can be configured to accommodate a wide range of product types, from delicate components to bulk goods. Vibratory conveyors are well suited for bulk materials and loose parts, linear systems handle varied load sizes including heavier machinery components, and robotic handling adds the flexibility to identify, manipulate, and transport mixed or irregular items with precision. DT Engineering engineers solutions around the specific characteristics of what you are moving, so the system performs reliably whether you are running a single material type or managing multiple product formats on the same line.
How do you prevent bridging, clogging, or material buildup?
Preventing flow disruptions starts at the design stage. Vibratory conveyor systems use controlled electromagnetic motion to keep materials moving consistently and reduce the risk of stoppages common with gravity-fed or static systems. System geometry, drive settings, and tray or bowl configuration are selected based on material behavior, so the solution is matched to how your specific product actually moves. For facilities running abrasive, sticky, or fine materials, these design decisions directly reduce downtime and maintenance burden.
What kind of transfer rate can the system support?
Can the system be customized to fit our plant layout?
How do you keep the process clean and safe?
Transfer rate is determined by the conveyor type, system configuration, and the nature of the material being handled. iTRAK intelligent track systems are specifically designed for applications requiring rapid throughput combined with high positional accuracy, making them a strong fit for high-speed production environments. Across all system types, DT Engineering sizes and configures each solution to meet the throughput targets of the application, whether that means continuous high-volume flow or precise, controlled part presentation at assembly stations.
Every material handling solution DT Engineering delivers is tailored to the specific constraints and objectives of the facility. Conveyor systems, from linear and elevator configurations to carousel feeders and robotic transport, can be arranged and scaled to work within existing floor plans, integrate with upstream and downstream equipment, and accommodate expansion over time. The iTRAK platform adds particular flexibility given its modular and scalable design, allowing the system to adapt as production needs evolve without requiring a full redesign.
Clean and safe material handling is built into system selection and design from the start. Enclosed conveyor configurations and controlled vibratory motion reduce particulate exposure and material spillage. Robotic handling eliminates manual contact with parts in environments where contamination or ergonomic risk is a concern. DT Engineering also factors safety into the broader automation integration, ensuring that material flow equipment operates within a coordinated, well-guarded production environment that supports both worker safety and product integrity.