What Are Power & Free Conveyor Systems?

Power & Free conveyor systems are the highest-level "smart" transport solution for industrial painting and assembly lines, in which the load trolleys carrying the products can move independently of the drive chain. The system consists of two channels: the first channel (Power) drives the system via a continuously rotating chain; the second channel (Free) is the free track on which the load trolleys sit and where they can detach from the system and wait when needed (buffering). This structure allows products to be stopped, held or re-introduced to the line in the desired order at the required stations, without colliding with one another.

What Are the Key Advantages?

• Flexible Flow and Accumulation: The ability to stop and buffer products wherever desired on the line prevents bottlenecks and provides operational flexibility.

• Operation at Different Speeds: It allows products with different processing times on the same line to be processed at their own speed or at their own stations without waiting for one another.

• Complex Route Management: Thanks to the switches on the line, products can be automatically routed to different directions, ovens, paint shops or quality-control points.

• High Durability: It delivers uninterrupted, long-lasting performance especially in demanding environmental conditions (high temperature, paint shops, etc.).

In Which Sectors and Applications Is It Used?

The automotive industry is the homeland of Power & Free systems. It is standard in chassis paint lines, body assembly processes, white-goods manufacturing and the surface treatment (coating, baking) processes of large metal parts. It is also used in any "heavy-duty" process where products need to wait or cool for a long time at different stations throughout the production process.

What Should You Consider When Investing?

The most important technical point in the investment process is the maximum load capacity and in-oven temperature resistance. Systems used on paint-shop lines must be resistant to expansion at high temperatures and have a structure that requires no lubrication (or uses special lubricant that does not disrupt the paint process). In addition, the ability of the route's switch mechanisms and software integration to manage the "sequencing" of products on the line without losing it is the key to success.

Why ACS Intralogistics Solutions?

As ACS Intralogistics Solutions, we engineer high-performance Power & Free systems that manage even your facility's most complex production and paint-shop processes end to end.

For us, Power & Free is not just a chain carrier; it is a smart logistics architecture that draws the "road map" of your products through the factory. We design our systems to work in flawless harmony with your facility's ovens and assembly stations, your automatic loading/unloading robots and your central management software (WMS). With ACS solutions that are resistant to demanding working conditions, quiet, energy-efficient and synchronized with your facility's rhythm, we ensure every part on your production line is processed at the right time, at the right station and under the safest conditions.