Heavy-duty
transport and conveyor systems
transport and conveyor systems
Automated heavy-duty conveyor systems
Vollert develops customized transport and conveyor systems for heavy-duty applications from 5 to 50 tons – wherever massive, large-format, and particularly heavy goods need to be moved safely and precisely.
Economical conveyor technology for massive loads
Whether aluminum and steel coils, slabs, slit strips, machine components, wagons, or excavator parts: our conveyor lines, process cranes, automated guided vehicles (AMRs), transport trolleys, and shuttles ensure a reliable flow of materials between production, processing, storage, and shipping. The focus is not only on load capacity, but above all on dynamic forces, acceleration and braking processes, and precise positioning. We take into account high starting torques, mass inertia, complex route layouts, and tight space conditions, as well as demanding safety requirements in the interaction between humans and machines. Robust designs, intelligent control concepts, and synchronized motion sequences ensure maximum process reliability and availability—even in multi-shift operation.
Chain and roller conveyors for heavy-duty applications Chain and roller conveyors for heavy-duty applications
Chain conveyors and roller conveyors form the backbone of many heavy-duty material flows. They connect production stations, buffer zones, processing machines, and transfer points to cranes or warehouses. For loads such as coils, slabs, or slit strips, they are designed to accommodate the specific weights, geometries, and surface requirements of the material—including a drive and control system for synchronized motion sequences.
Heavy-duty travelling platforms and cross-travel trolleys Heavy-duty travelling platforms and cross-travel trolleys
Heavy-duty travelling platforms enable the lateral transport of heavy loads between parallel conveyor lines or areas within a facility without the need for complex curved tracks or switches. They are particularly useful when loads need to be distributed among multiple lines or processing zones and the available travel path is limited. Vollert uses travelling platforms for railcars, furnace circulation systems, large components, and coils, among other applications.
Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) for heavy-duty applications Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) for heavy-duty applications
Autonomous guided vehicles (AMRs) provide flexibility in situations where fixed conveyor routes are too inflexible or structurally impractical. Vollert supplies heavy-duty AMRs for loads of up to 50 metric tons and beyond, which can be integrated into existing warehouse structures and communicate with higher-level control systems. Navigation safety, collision protection, and positioning accuracy are not optional extras but fundamental design requirements.
Heavy-duty shuttles connect warehouse and production areas with high cycle rates and precise handoff positions. They are particularly useful when material flows between automated warehouse systems and production lines must be tightly synchronized and reliably controlled. The design takes into account weights, diameters, surface sensitivity, and the requirements of the adjacent systems.
Ceiling-guided shuttle technology enables the flexible transport of heavy loads at ceiling level, thereby freeing up floor space for production and logistics processes below. It is particularly useful in environments where floor space is limited or where loads must be transported across multiple process stations without blocking the floor area. This conveyor technology is also useful when the load must be as freely accessible as possible—for example, for painting.
System selection - key questions:
What loads, geometries, and material surfaces need to be moved?
What is the path configuration—linear, transverse, or multidimensional?
What are the cycle time and throughput requirements?
How closely is the system integrated with adjacent production or warehousing processes?
Are fixed routes or flexible paths required?
What interfaces exist with WMS, MES, or crane control systems?
Which process steps or workflows should be automated?
Heavy-duty material handling has its own rules
Material handling systems for loads of 5 metric tons or more are governed by different physical and safety principles than traditional intralogistics solutions. Anyone handling heavy goods must not only manage load capacities but, above all, the dynamic forces that arise during acceleration, braking, and positioning. Inertia, acceleration ramps, and lateral forces determine the design just as much as the control architecture.
Added to this are the requirements of the production environment itself: cramped warehouse conditions, ongoing processes in the immediate vicinity, interfaces with machining equipment, cranes, or storage systems, as well as high availability requirements during multi-shift operation. In many applications, a failure along the conveyor line means an immediate production shutdown.
Conventional conveyor technology is not designed for this combination of load, dynamics, proximity to processes, and availability requirements. Vollert develops systems engineered specifically for this environment—with robust support structures, intelligent control concepts, and synchronized motion sequences that function reliably even under continuous load.
Design requirements in heavy-duty intralogistics
Load capacity - that is, the maximum weight that a conveyor system in heavy-duty intralogistics can safely handle, transport, or store—is the most visible parameter, but rarely the decisive one. In practice, it is the design details that determine process reliability, availability, and operational efficiency:
Dynamic forces generated during the acceleration and braking of heavy loads create stresses that must be accounted for in the supporting structure, the drives, and the control system. Anyone who underestimates these forces risks premature wear, unplanned downtime, and, in the worst case, safety issues. Vollert designs drives, braking systems, and guide structures to withstand actual operating loads—not nominal values under ideal conditions.
Positioning accuracy is another critical factor. Transfer operations to machining centers, cranes, or automated storage systems require repeatability that cannot be achieved with simple limit switch designs. Vollert integrates suitable measurement systems and control concepts that ensure reliable positioning even after long periods of operation and under varying load conditions.
Maintainability and accessibility are often considered too late in many projects. In heavy-duty environments where downtime directly results in production costs, maintenance intervals, spare parts strategies, and accessibility to drives and wear parts must be incorporated into the design from the very beginning.
Your advantage with our conveyor systems
100 years of expertise
We look back with pride on a 100-year success story as a leader in technology and innovation. We are constantly evolving in response to market requirements and are always working on innovative solutions to accelerate our customers' success.
Integrated supply chain
In order to optimize the supply chain, it is necessary to integrate all factors into a comprehensive concept, both logistically and in terms of production technology. We understand how to integrate our technology into higher-level software architecture. This is the decisive step towards a digital factory.
Automatically networked
We develop flexible value chains from rigid transport processes. From batch size 1 to series production, we work closely with our customers to develop the optimal material flow concept. We simulate the subsequent intralogistics processes using state-of-the-art visualization software and digital twins.
