Carton and case reject conveyors

Positive handling for rigid packs

Which reject mechanism suits cartons and cases?

A side pusher can give a short, positive movement for many stable cartons with adequate pitch. An overhead sweep can clear a wider belt or avoid a projecting side cylinder. Swing-arm and lane-divert systems suit larger cases or products that need to transfer into a rework or manual-inspection route rather than drop into a bin.

The pack’s centre of gravity, base area and surface determine how it accelerates sideways. Tall cartons can overturn, glossy cases may slide further than expected and damaged board can catch a guide. Product trials establish the correct blade profile, stroke, speed and receiving geometry.

Reject after print, label and closure inspection

Vision systems can identify missing labels, unreadable codes, wrong artwork, open flaps, damaged cartons or absent components. Checkweighers, X-ray and metal detection can provide additional fail decisions. The conveyor controls retain the association between each inspection result and physical pack until the reject action is complete.

Bins, chutes and rework lanes

Small cartons may enter a lockable bin. Larger cases often need a powered spur, gravity section or controlled rework lane. The receiving route must accept the product at the required rate without allowing a rejected item to return to accepted production.

Lane-ready, transfer-confirmed and lane-full signals can be included where the destination is another conveyor. A blocked receiving route can raise the agreed alarm or stop response before the next reject is attempted.

Heavy and awkward cases

Where conventional ejection would be impractical, a stop-on-detect arrangement may be considered. The conveyor stops with the failed case in a defined position for controlled removal and reset. This is assessed against throughput, operator access and the site’s assurance requirements.