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Transfers are connections between conveyor objects, represented by a white box on a conveyor in the simulation model. Transfer Types are global settings that you can import to any Transfer that connects one conveyor to another conveyor. Conveyor-to-conveyor transfers are different from Entry Transfer Types or Exit Transfer Types, which are for Transfers to non-conveyor objects.

This section will explain the settings that you can customize when you create or edit Transfer Types using the Conveyor System tool. Before reading this section, you should be familiar with the purpose and basic functionality of the Conveyor System tool. See the following sections for more information:

• Introduction to the Conveyor System Tool
• Accessing Type Properties
• Managing Conveyor System Types

Before using the Transfer Type Properties dialog box, you need to be aware of the differences between a Side Transfer and an Inline Transfer:

• Inline Transfer - A transfer in which the item's orientation will remain unchanged as it moves across the transfer. Inline Transfers start when the item's leading edge reaches the transfer point and finish when the item's trailing edge passes across the transfer point.
• Side Transfer - A transfer in which the item's orientation will change during the transfer. For a diverting side transfer, the transfer starts when the item's center reaches the transfer point, and finishes when the items is completely on the divert conveyor. For a merging side transfer, the transfer starts when the transfer reaches the end of the upstream conveyor, and ends when it is completely transferred onto the merge conveyor.

You will need to define the angles at which transferring conveyors will be considered an Inline Transfer or a Side Transfer, as discussed below.

The following image shows the various settings available in the Transfer Type Properties dialog box:

Inline Transfer Settings

The Inline Transfer group box has the following settings:

• Max Angle - This setting determines the maximum angle the incoming conveyor must be relative to the receiving conveyor in order to be considered an Inline Transfer. For example, if you enter 45 as and the incoming conveyor is greater than a 45 degree angle relative to the receiving conveyor, it will act like a Side Transfer rather than an Inline Transfer.
• Use Speed of - Defines which conveyor's speed the item will take as it crosses the transfer.
  • Receiving Conveyor - The item will take the speed of the destination conveyor.
  • Sending Conveyor - The item will take the speed of the origin conveyor.
  • Faster Conveyor - The item will take the speed of the faster conveyor.
  • Slower Conveyor - The item will take the speed of the slower conveyor.
  • Conveyor Under Item Center - The item will take the speed of the origin conveyor for the first half of its length, and then take the speed of the destination conveyor for the second half of its length.

Side Transfer Settings

When an item moves over a side transfer, it will go through the following steps.

1. If the transfer type has a non-zero Start Time, the item will stop and wait for the Start Time at the point where the transfer begins.
2. The item will move across the transfer. Use the Transfer Time field to define the time it will take.
   
   • Defined Speed - If selected, the item will use the Defined Speed to move across the transfer.
   • Defined Time - If selected, the item will use the Defined Time to move across the transfer.
   • Motion-Aligned Conveyor Speed - If selected, the item will take the speed of the conveyor whose motion is aligned with the transfer motion of the item. For a diverting side transfer, this is the speed of the destination conveyor, or the conveyor that the item is being diverted to. For a merging side transfer, it is the speed of the origin conveyor, or the conveyor pushing the item onto the destination merge conveyor.
3. If the transfer type has a non-zero Finish Time, the item will stop and wait for the Finish Time at the point where the transfer ends.

Pop-Up Distance - If non-zero, the item will move this distance vertically during the start and finish times. It will move up for the Start Time, and back down for the Finish Time.

Additional Settings

Do Smooth Transitions - Check this box if you want an item to gradually change its orientation and position so that it matches the angle of the receiving conveyor as it moves across the transfer. This is most applicable for inline transfers that are not exactly inline (they have a transfer angle not equal to zero), for Inline Transfers where the location of the transfer is not in the center of the conveyor, or for Side Transfers where the transfer is not an exact 90-degree transfer.