How gap transfer conveyors bridge the distance between independently-driven machines on your line, and when your layout calls for one.
On most bottling lines, individual machines — an unscrambler, filler, capper, labeler — each have their own conveyor section, own drive motor, and own control logic. In practice, the physical distance between where one machine discharges containers and where the next machine's infeed begins doesn't always match up perfectly with either machine's built-in conveyor length.
A gap transfer conveyor is purpose-built to bridge that distance: a standalone conveyor section, typically running dual independent motor-driven belts, that sits between two machines and carries containers across the gap without relying on either adjacent machine's drive system.
Because it runs its own independent drive, a gap transfer conveyor's speed can be tuned separately from the machines on either side of it — useful when you need to adjust container spacing or accommodate a speed mismatch between an upstream and downstream machine without re-engineering either one.
Gap transfers are typically built from 304 stainless steel for washdown durability and sized by their maximum gap distance — how much physical space they're rated to bridge reliably while keeping containers upright and properly spaced.
A gap transfer also creates useful open real estate mid-line — for example, giving an ink jet coder a clean, stable stretch of conveyor to date- or lot-code the bottom of a container before it reaches the next machine.
A standard conveyor can span distance, but gap transfer conveyors are purpose-built for the specific job of bridging between two independently-driven machines, often with dual independent belts that let each end run at a different speed to accommodate spacing changes between machines.
Measure the actual distance between the discharge point of your upstream machine and the infeed of your downstream machine, then choose a gap transfer rated for at least that distance with some margin for layout adjustments.
Most are built with dual independent motor-driven belts rather than relying on either adjacent machine, which keeps container spacing and speed control independent of the equipment on either side.
Yes — the added open section is a common spot to mount an ink jet coder for bottom-coding bottles with a date or lot code between machines, without disrupting either machine's own conveyor footprint.
See our gap transfer conveyors, or talk to us about sizing one for your layout.
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