Conveyor Systems
Gravity and powered conveyors that move product continuously from receiving to pick to ship — reducing manual transport labor and eliminating bottlenecks in your product flow.
Not All Conveyors Are the Same System
Conveyor systems span a wide range — from simple gravity roller lines that cost relatively little and require no power, to high-speed sortation systems that route thousands of cartons per hour to multiple destinations. The right type depends on your product, your volume, and your flow.
Alloy designs conveyor systems from the ground up — analyzing your product dimensions, weight range, throughput targets, and floor layout before specifying a single component. We source, supply, and install every system we design, and we handle permitting where mechanical or electrical permits are required.
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Five Conveyor Families
Each conveyor type has a specific function. Most warehouse conveyor systems combine more than one type to handle different segments of the product flow.
Gravity Roller & Skate-Wheel Conveyors
No motor, no power consumption. Product moves by gravity or manual push along inclined or flat roller beds. The lowest-cost conveyor solution — ideal for truck loading and unloading, packing stations, and short-run transport where powered movement isn't required.
- Floor-mounted, portable, or pitched configurations
- Roller or skate-wheel beds sized for carton or tote dimensions
- Gravity spiral chutes for multi-level drops
- Best for: receiving docks, pack lines, truck loading
Belt Conveyors
A continuous belt surface moves product at a consistent speed regardless of weight variation or irregular packaging. Handles fragile items, polybags, and products that can't roll cleanly on rollers. Commonly used for induction, merge points, and final sortation feeding.
- Flat belt, incline belt, and decline configurations
- Variable speed for merge and induction zones
- Handles poly bags, padded envelopes, and irregular parcels
- Best for: induction stations, inclines, final-mile feeding
Roller Accumulation Conveyors
Powered rollers with zone-based accumulation — product queues in controlled zones without pressure building up between units. Zero-pressure accumulation prevents product damage at merge points, pack stations, and scanner tunnels where brief stops are unavoidable.
- Zero-pressure zones using photo-eye sensors
- Minimum-pressure configurations for lighter throughput
- Seamless integration with downstream sortation
- Best for: pick-to-ship lines, pack stations, staging
Sortation Conveyors
High-speed systems that read a barcode or RFID tag and divert each unit to the correct destination lane — orders, carriers, zones, or trailers. Replaces manual sort labor in high-volume shipping operations. Multiple divert technologies matched to your product type and speed requirement.
- Pop-up wheel divert for standard carton sortation
- Swing-arm divert for gentle handling
- Shoe sorter for high-speed, multi-lane operations
- Best for: shipping sorters, returns processing, zone routing
Vertical Reciprocating Conveyors (VRCs)
Mechanically lifts cartons, totes, or pallets between floor levels — connecting a mezzanine pick module to the shipping floor, or linking a second-floor storage area to ground-level pack stations. A VRC handles the vertical movement so operators don't carry loads up stairs or wait for freight elevators.
- Carton and tote VRCs for case-level movement
- Pallet VRCs for full-pallet vertical transport
- Capacities up to 10,000 lbs and 10+ stories
- Best for: mezzanine connections, multi-level facilities
Pallet Conveyors
Heavy-duty roller or chain-driven conveyor that moves full pallets through a facility — from receiving into storage staging, through stretch-wrap stations, and into truck dock positions. Eliminates forklift travel for repetitive pallet movements along fixed paths.
- Chain-driven and roller pallet conveyor options
- Capacity up to 6,000 lbs per pallet position
- Right-angle transfers and turntables for direction changes
- Best for: palletizing lines, receiving staging, stretch-wrap loops
Gravity vs. Powered: Which Do You Need?
Many operations benefit from both — powered conveyors where throughput demands it, gravity where product moves naturally or operator-paced flow is acceptable.
Gravity Conveyor
Lower cost, zero operating cost, simple maintenance
- No electrical infrastructure required — installs anywhere
- Zero energy operating cost after installation
- Minimal maintenance — no motors, drives, or controls
- Ideal where product flow is operator-paced
- Portable configurations can flex with operations changes
- Works for cartons, totes, and boxes with flat bottoms
Powered Conveyor
Higher throughput, automation-ready, system-integrated
- Moves product at controlled speed regardless of operator pace
- Handles inclines, declines, and vertical movement
- Accumulation zones allow queue management without damage
- Integrates with barcode scanners, WMS, and sortation logic
- Required for any automated sort, induction, or scan application
- Scales to very high throughput volumes
Common Conveyor Applications
Receiving & Putaway
Inbound conveyor lines move cases from the dock door into a receiving scan tunnel and forward to staging or storage without manual cart transport.
Pick Modules
Pick-module conveyors carry totes or cartons through multi-level pick zones, accumulating picks from each level before feeding into pack stations.
Sortation & Shipping
Sortation conveyors read each unit's label and divert to the correct carrier lane, dock door, or staging zone — replacing manual sort labor.
Mezzanine Connections
VRCs and incline belt conveyors connect pick areas on an upper level to pack and ship on the ground floor — eliminating stair climbing with loaded hands.
From Flow Analysis to Commissioned System
Flow Analysis
We map your current product flow — inbound, storage, pick, pack, ship — and identify where manual transport creates bottlenecks or excess labor cost.
System Design
CAD layout showing conveyor routing, equipment specifications, electrical requirements, and integration points with existing systems and dock infrastructure.
Installation
Mechanical installation and electrical tie-in coordinated with your facility operations. We plan installation sequences to minimize disruption to active operations.
Commissioning
Full system run-off under operating load, operator training, and documentation of maintenance procedures and emergency stop protocols before handoff.