Merge control
Inch-and-Install Merges
High-density merging that meters product into measured gaps on the collector line — releasing each item into an open pocket on a first-in, first-out basis so lines combine at speed without collisions or stop-start.
The challenge
Bringing several infeed lines together onto one collector conveyor is one of the hardest problems in material handling. Do it with simple stop-start logic and throughput collapses — every hesitation on the main line ripples back up the infeeds. The goal is to combine lines at full speed without items colliding or jamming, and without leaving wasteful gaps that throttle everything downstream.
What we build
We build inch-and-install merge control: the collector line is treated as a moving series of measured pockets, and product from each infeed is released — "installed" — into an open pocket as it passes. The conveyor inches product into position in defined increments and slots each item into the next available gap on a first-in, first-out basis, so multiple lines zipper together into a single dense stream without stopping.
The technology
The merge runs on continuous, real-time position tracking. A virtual axis measures pocket length along the collector conveyor and generates a release pulse every defined increment of travel; when a pocket is open and an infeed has product waiting, the control releases exactly one item into that gap. Because every release is timed to the conveyor's actual position rather than a fixed timer, gaps stay tight and predictable at speed, and the logic scales with the number of infeed lines being merged.
Why it matters
Merge is usually the throughput bottleneck of a whole sortation system — everything upstream is throttled by how fast lines can be combined. Inch-and-install merging keeps the collector line full and collision-free at high speed, so the downstream sorter runs at its rated capacity instead of being starved or jammed by an imprecise merge.