Product flow
Product often has to be stored in one area and processed in another. Letting staff reach their work areas directly reduces the bottlenecks that routing around the line creates, and helps where product is accumulating.
01Engineered solution
Lift gate conveyors
A conveyor running down the middle of a floor forces everyone to walk around it, or to climb over it. A lift gate raises a section like a drawbridge so people and trucks cross the line where they actually need to.
Range of motion
02What it is
A section that lifts, then returns to running.
A lift gate is a conveyor section that can be raised or lowered to open access through a line that would otherwise have to be walked around. It operates much like a drawbridge.
Gas-spring assistance carries the weight of the section, and the gearmotor acts as a counterweight, so the gate can be raised by hand without force. The springs are balanced so the gate moves consistently rather than dropping, which is what protects both the operator and the conveyor. When the gate is lowered the conveyor returns to normal operation.
Why not a crossover
Crossovers and catwalks solve the same problem by making people climb. A lift gate removes the climb entirely, which shortens the route, removes the fall risk and gives back the floor space the stairs occupied.
03What it changes
Four things a gate fixes.
Aisles down the middle of a floor exist because the line cannot be crossed. Make it crossable and the layout opens up.
Mobility
Staff and forklifts can move between lines instead of queueing at the ends of them, which removes congestion. It also removes the need for crossovers and catwalks.
Operator safety
The injury risk on a mid-floor conveyor comes from people reaching over a running line rather than walking the long way round. A gate removes the reason to reach.
Machine access
Equipment on the far side of a line stays reachable for operation, cleaning and maintenance without taking the conveyor out of service.
04Platforms
Where a gate can be fitted.
Lift gates are a standard special on the industrial platforms and can be engineered into the sanitary and flexible-chain ranges.
Industrial
2200 and 3200 Series
Lift gates are standard specials on both platforms. Access is gained without catwalks, crossovers or stopping production.
Sanitary
Stainless modular belt
Sanitary conveyors are built to be cleaned quickly. A gate reduces the downtime that happens when staff need to reach the other side during cleaning.
Flexible chain
FlexMove
Flexible-chain layouts are compact and change as the line changes. Gates are engineered to order into those routes.
The gate mechanism does not constrain the belt choice.
- Belts
- V-guided and non-V-guided
- Industrial
- Standard special
- Sanitary
- Engineered to order
- Flexible chain
- Engineered to order
05Specification
What the gate assembly includes.
These features are part of the lift gate itself rather than options, because they are what make it safe to operate by hand.
Balanced and stopped
- Gearmotor acts as a counterweight for easy opening
- Gas-shock controlled pivot mechanism
- Spring-latch horizontal position stop
- Vertical position stop
Handled by one person
- Easy-access lift handles
- Clear side guards over the pivot mechanism area
Fixed and adjustable
- Aluminium extruded support with T-slot construction
- Height adjustment
- Structure must be bolted to the floor
The support has to be anchored.
A lift gate structure must be bolted to the floor. The gate is counterbalanced rather
than locked, so the support carries the load through the whole range of motion and is
not a free-standing stand.
06Optional controls
Decide what happens when the gate lifts.
Without controls the belt keeps running with a gap in the line. These options tie the gate position to the motor.
“Conveyor down” interlock switch
A switch that reports whether the gate is in the conveyor-down position, so the rest of the control system can act on the gate's state rather than assume it.
Automatic stop/start control
Stops the lift gate conveyor motor when the gate is lifted and restarts it when the gate returns to the conveyor-down position, without manual intervention.
Automatic stop/start with clearing timer
A push button signals a timer to clear the conveyor contents before the motor stops, so the gate is not raised onto product still sitting on the section. The motor restarts when the gate is lowered.
Choosing between them
The interlock reports state, the automatic control acts on it, and the clearing timer decides what happens to product already on the gate when someone wants to cross.
07Where they are used
Fast floors with long lines.
Gates matter most where people and product cross the same floor repeatedly.
E-commerce fulfilment
Order fulfilment needs flexibility without dropping the rate. Gates give the access that keeps throughput and quality consistent as volumes change.
Food handling
Sanitary lines are designed to be cleaned quickly. A gate cuts the downtime caused by staff having to reach other areas mid-clean.
Manufacturing
Staff can cross the floor safely while production rate and quality checks continue either side of the gate.
Warehousing
Product moves to storage or shipment without staff walking the length of a line or climbing over it.
08Gallery
Gate arrangements.
Engineered gates on flexible-chain and industrial layouts.
09Frequently asked questions
Lift gate conveyors.
Safety, benefits and what has to be true of the installation.
How does a lift gate improve safety?
It removes the reason to reach across a running conveyor, and it removes the crossovers and catwalks that would otherwise have to be climbed. The gate itself is counterbalanced so it can be raised and lowered by hand in a controlled way.
What are the benefits of integrating one?
Increased line efficiency, improved safety and more flexibility in how the floor is laid out, because the line no longer has to be walked around.
Does the conveyor have to stop when the gate is raised?
Not necessarily. With no controls fitted the belt keeps running, which is why the optional interlock and automatic stop/start controls exist. Which you need depends on whether product can safely be on the section when the gate lifts.
Will it work with our belt type?
Lift gates are compatible with both V-guided and non-V-guided belts.
Does the gate need fixing to the floor?
Yes. The gate structure must be bolted to the floor, because the support carries the gate through its whole range of motion.
10Related solutions
Often specified alongside.
Access is usually one requirement among several on the same line.
Tell us where the line has to be crossed.
Give us the layout, the traffic that has to pass and whether product can be on the section when the gate lifts, and Roarer can specify the gate and its controls.
Discuss your application