Prototypes Built Using New 3D Printer

Ultimation’s new 3D printer is now building prototypes that will help the company quickly design, test and develop specialized plastic parts for conveyor systems.

Ultimation won the industrial 3D printer in a pitch contest hosted by Michigan Economic Development Corporation by showing how it could help solve a business problem and support their company overall. Tommaso Helwig, Ultimation’s engineering manager, made the winning pitch.

“Working with the Photocentric LC Magna 3D Printer has been a great experience because it can handle complex designs and large formats,” said Tommaso.

 

He added that the new printer also allows the company to implement design changes more quickly and cost-effectively than outsourcing prototype work.

Engineer in front of 3D printer for prototypes

Once the new printer was delivered, the Ultimation team ensured it was set up in a proper temperature- and light-controlled environment. Extensive staff training using a variety of materials yielded several learnings. For example, the team discovered that shorter parts can be printed in stacks or layers, making for a more efficient build.

One of the first applications was the design and development of a sleeve for Ultimation’s motor-driven conveyor rollers to provide added protection when shipping the sensitive electrical components.

According to Tommaso, having the on-site capability for parts prototyping is helping Ultimation attract new conveyor projects—especially for proprietary containers for vertical farming.

“Our ability to quickly design and test designs in-house is a big advantage, especially when coupled with Ultimation’s extensive knowledge of the industry,” he said.

A next step for the team is to continue exploring the printer’s capabilities. Tommaso explained that the Photocentric LC Magna is used widely in the dental industry for mouth guards and other items. The Ultimation team is exploring options for using the 3D technology for conveyor parts in food preparation and handling environments which have similar high safety standards.

“This printer really opens up the options for us to continue to innovate for our customers,” said Tommaso. “We are just starting to scratch the surface of its capabilities.”

Ultimation introduces three new controls packages that integrate conveyor and material handling systems for warehouses, industry

New offerings facilitate seamless connections for a more efficient production line

ROSEVILLE, Mich. (April 27, 2023) – Ultimation Industries today announced the addition of three new controls packages including two programmable logic controllers (PLC) and one variable speed controller to its portfolio of on-line, ready-to-ship material handling products. The controllers can seamlessly integrate a variety of material handling systems within industrial facilities for greater efficiency. Ultimation is the leading direct-to-consumer conveyor manufacturer, specializing in solving productivity challenges with fast-to-deploy solutions for the vertical farming, food processing, automotive, heavy equipment, warehousing, fulfillment and delivery sectors.

“Ultimation’s new programmable logic controllers are specially designed to enable continuous monitoring and control of input and output devices between our various lines of conveyor equipment such as motor driven roller conveyors, belt systems and lifters for a more efficient production line,” said Kali Cresent, general manager for Ultimation.

Cresent explained that moving materials within an industrial facility often requires different material handling solutions to load, move, lift, buffer, and offload parts and products as they move their way through the production process. PLCs can provide seamless connections between a variety of conveyors while reducing or eliminating the manual work involved in transporting products from one system to another.

The new controllers available through Ultimation include:

  • PLC Panel Package for 24V MDR Conveyor Systems. Motorized-driven roller conveyors (MDRs) are the workhorse of warehouses and distribution centers around the world, providing fast, smooth movement of packages, tote bins, pallets, tires, cartons and more. The PLC panel package adds to the efficiency, with its six-module 24VDC CompactLogix L16 Controller and a 5.7” PanelView Plus with touch-screen capability. It’s designed to work with Ultimation, Interroll or Itoh Denki 24V MDRs. The PLC package is contained within a wall mountable NEMA 1 enclosure with manual lock.

PLC Control Package Qimarox MK1

  • Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) Package for Belt Conveyors. Belt conveyors come in a variety of lengths and widths, and are great for transporting regular and irregular shaped objects, including totes, packaged goods and bulk boxes. The VFD Control Package consists of an enclosed AC micro drive with mounting plate, a VFD to motor power cable, and 10-foot AC power cable, which allows for easy adjustment of speed and torque of the gearmotor to match the requirements of the BS100B Series belt conveyor system from Ultimation.

DuraPulse GS-10 Variable Frequency Drive

  • PLC Package for Qimarox ProRunner MK1 Vertical Conveyor Systems. This package contains everything required to integrate the Qimarox ProRunner MK1 vertical conveyor into a warehouse application. The ProRunner MK1 has a small footprint and requires minimal maintenance. The PLC automation controller package monitors the lift system and its various components, such as the sensors and motors. It senses when there’s an object that needs to be lifted and uses pre-programmed logic to determine height and other factors before starting the lifting sequence. It uses this information to control the operation of the lift and ensure safe and efficient operation.

Qimarox MK1 Vertical Conveyor PLC Control Package

All Ultimation PLCs are engineered with an e-stop to keep operators safe, according to Cresent. The 240W 3-phase 380-480V AC input power supply is fitted with a rotary disconnect to ensure that the panel is de-energized while the enclosure door is open. The enclosure itself includes a locking door to ensure that only the intended people are accessing the inside of the enclosure.

“The Ultimation team can assist customers in configuring and quoting the correct control package for their application, whether it’s a ‘turn-key’ solution or a shipped-to-order configuration,” said Cresent.

For more information about Ultimation Industries conveyor solutions, visit https://www.ultimationinc.com.

Ultimation Adds Curved Conveyors to its Quick-Ship Offerings for Greater Material Handling Flexibility

Motor-driven roller curves allow manufacturers and distributors to easily create full-loop systems for better space utilization

ROSEVILLE, Mich. (Mar 30, 2023) – Conveyor technology has literally turned the corner, thanks to Ultimation Industries’ latest offering of curved motor-driven roller (MDR) conveyor segments for on-line quick-ship customers. Ultimation is the leading direct-to-consumer conveyor manufacturer, specializing in solving productivity challenges with fast-to-deploy solutions for the vertical farming, food processing, automotive, heavy equipment, warehousing, fulfillment and delivery sectors.

 

“Curved conveyor sections have always been available for our custom-built material handling projects, but the introduction of curved MDR conveyors in our quick-ship line affordably brings this technology to small- and medium-sized businesses,” said Kali Cresent, general manager for Ultimation.

 

MDRs operate with 24-volt DC power and use motorized rollers within the conveyor frames to move products from location to location. They use zero pressure accumulation, which means loads continue moving along the MDR conveyor until they get close to (but do not touch) the product unit in front, ensuring there are no gaps in the assembly line.

Powered Roller Conveyor Curve 24V 90 Degree 43" R

Motorized curved conveyors from Ultimation can help fast-growing small businesses scale quickly and maximize use of facility space.

Curved sections allow manufacturers and distributors to create a full-loop system or configure conveyors around warehouse obstacles or other equipment. The MDR curved conveyor section comes in a variety of lengths to meet customers’ needs.

 

Cresent says MDRs are a great choice for energy efficiency because they only use electricity when they are actively moving cargo. They’re also quiet and can handle a multitude of products such as packages, tote bins, pallets, tires, cartons and more.

 

“MDR curves can help fast-growing small business such as distribution centers or those involved in e-commerce to scale quickly and maximize use of facility space,” said Cresent, adding that they seamlessly plug into straight MDR conveyor sections.

 

Replacement parts for curved conveyors are also available through Ultimation’s online store. The powered rollers are universal and can be used in curved or straight MDRs.

 

For more information about Ultimation Industries conveyor solutions, visit https://www.ultimationinc.com.

How We Helped: Stories from our Customers

It’s springtime and that means outdoor and recreational projects for Ultimation customers. Here are three examples of how some of our in-stock, quick-ship solutions are making outdoor chores less of a chore:

Home improvement helpers

One customer discovered it’s easy to be green when using Ultimation heavy duty rollers with brackets. The customer used a homemade hoist and 15-inch galvanized steel rollers to get solar panels from the ground to the roof. The rollers move the panels up and over the edge of the roof, and “worked like a charm,” according to the customer.

Another customer used the same type of roller to move logs inside during a log cabin build project. The rollers were mounted to the sill of a window opening.

“I loaded each log onto my tractors forks, then turned toward this roller, thus inserting the log into the build area and onto the roller,” the customer writes.

The rollers are durable with a 250-pound capacity.

Roller bracket solar panels

Rolling on the river

There’s nothing like time in the water on a warm summer day, and Ultimation heavy-duty rollers can help make it easier to launch and load boats of all types. “I put these rollers on my raft trailer to make it easier for me to load my raft on the trailer on dry land and they work great,” says one customer.

Raft trailer rollers kayaks

rollers on boat dock

Another used a lightweight gravity conveyor solution to get a fishing boat in and out of the water.

“Used it on a boat dock to easily roll down and up a 15-foot jon boat without scratching the hull,” the customer says.

The conveyor costs under $100 and has a maximum load capacity of 900 pounds when the conveyor frame is fully supported.

For more solutions, visit Ultimation’s online store.

Lean and green: Lean principles and modern material handling systems can improve vertical farm efficiency, says Ultimation Industries

Conveyor solutions help indoor farmers apply lean principles for better productivity

ROSEVILLE, Mich. (Mar. 01, 2023) – Lean manufacturing has long been a way for industrial companies to improve efficiency and productivity, and the same principles can be applied successfully to vertical farming operations, according to Ultimation Industries. Ultimation is the leading direct-to-consumer conveyor manufacturer, specializing in solving productivity challenges with fast-to-deploy solutions for the vertical farming, food processing, automotive, heavy equipment, warehousing, fulfillment and delivery sectors.

“Emerging industries such as vertical farming need to quickly offset start-up costs and keep operational costs in line to be economically viable,” said Richard Canny, president of Ultimation Industries. “One way to do that is to apply ‘lean’ principles and technologies that build efficiencies right into the infrastructure, such as modern material handling systems.”

The vertical farming industry is projected to grow from over $4 billion in 2022 to nearly $21 billion in 2029. According to experts, the rising adoption of automation practices is one factor behind the projected increase.

Conveyor for Vertical Farming

Vertical farming conveyor systems from Ultimation Industries move at speeds that allow for fast harvesting and packaging.

Strategic implementation of conveyor solutions can be used to target the Lean principles of eliminating waste, fast delivery and optimizing operations.  Here are some ways conveyor systems can drive efficiencies in vertical farming and other industries:

Eliminate waste. Vertical farming eliminates waste by reducing the distance food travels from producer to consumer and decreasing spoilage due to long-haul transport. But inside the four walls, the most targeted areas for waste reduction are space, energy and labor. Modern conveyor systems can contribute to efficiencies in all three areas. Overhead conveyors, for example, take advantage of unused vertical space by lifting grow trays when they’re not being actively managed and bringing them down to operator level for harvesting. This allows more produce to be grown within the same footprint.

Motorized driven rollers, or MDRs, are a great choice for energy efficiency because they only use electricity when they are actively moving cargo. They’re also quiet and can handle a multitude of products such as packages, tote bins, pallets, tires, cartons and more. Power and Free conveyors enable tight concentration of product in some areas while then allowing separation of the products when required for movement to processing areas. Conveyors can also help reduce the manual labor of carrying items by hand, quickly and safely transporting plants from point A to point B within the farm.

Deliver fast. Bringing produce to market quickly is a hallmark of vertical farming. That means material handling systems need to move at speeds that allow for fast harvesting and packaging.  Belt conveyor systems can handle small to heavy items and will move them throughout the facility quickly, safely and efficiently. The speed of Portec systems, for example, make them ideal for vertical farms as well as other demanding material handling environments, such as distribution centers, parcel handling operations and food/wine/beverage facilities.  Because they are durable and low maintenance, there’s less downtime.

Optimize the whole. Vertical farming systems require great efficiency across all of its resources: the volume each plant occupies, the energy to move product around, labor, ventilation systems, lighting and nutrients. Conveyors enable the optimization of each resource as much as possible and allows indoor farmers to defray capital costs of the equipment over the largest number of plants.

Technologies used in the infrastructure planning stages such as 3D CAD, motion and simulation studies and FEA (Finite Element Analysis) of structural components ensure that conveyors, rack structures and the entire system can be optimized for strength, weight and cost. Solutions may include a combination of robots as well as overhead conveyors, floor conveyors and specialized plant processing equipment.

“Indoor farming systems are best optimized through a balanced use of low-cost material handling systems for the slow growing areas, complemented by more sophisticated conveyors and other devices for faster moving material handling tasks,” said Canny.

Ultimation has worked with many of the leading players in the industry and can help with early-stage development work relating to the material handling systems, structural supports, drainage and other farm mechanical systems. For more information about Ultimation Industries and solutions for vertical farming, visit https://www.ultimationinc.com.