logistics Logistics is generally the detailed organization and implementation of a complex operation. In a general business sense, logistics manages the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of consumption to meet the requirements of ...

, a sorter is a system which performs sortation of products (goods, luggage, mail, etc.) according to their destinations. Patrick M McGuire, ''Conveyors: Application, Selection, and Integration''
6.3. Sorters
/ref> A common type of sorter is a

conveyor A conveyor system is a common piece of mechanical handling equipment that moves materials from one location to another. Conveyors are especially useful in applications involving the transport of heavy or bulky materials. Conveyor systems allow ...

-based system. While they may be based on other conveyor systems, usually sorters are unique types of conveyors. Sortation is the process of identifying items on a conveyor system and diverting them to specific destinations. Sorters are applied to different applications depending upon the product and the requested rate.

Common elements of sorters

A feeder system whose sole purpose to feed the products into the sorter in proper orientation and with proper spacing, so that the sorter could operate correctly. Another common element are receptacles which receive the products as they leave the sorter towards a proper destination. Receptacles may be as simple as chutes, or gravity conveyors, or powered conveyors.

Sorter types

There is a number of typical sorter designs. * Cross belt sorter *Paddle sorter *Pop-up transfer sorter **Lineshaft pop-up wheel sorter **Pop-up steerable roller sorter *Pusher or puller sorter *Parcel Singulator *Line Sorter *Shoe sorter *Slide tray sorter *Split tray sorter (bomb-bay sorter) *

Tilt tray sorter A tilt-tray sorter is a mechanical assembly similar to a conveyor belt but instead of a continuous belt, it consists of individual trays traveling in the same direction. A tilt-tray sorter can be configured in an inline (AKA over/under) formatio ...

References

{{reflist Logistics Industrial machinery