01How wheel diverting works
The diverting section looks like an ordinary roller conveyor — which is the point. Embedded in the bed are rows of small wheels. Travelling parcels ride over them undisturbed. When the control system knows a parcel's destination — from the barcode read or DWS record upstream — the wheel rows under that parcel rotate to an angle as it crosses, and their powered rotation walks the parcel off the main line onto its chute or spur conveyor. Parcels for later exits simply keep travelling.
Because the diverting force is rolling contact under the parcel rather than a pusher arm against its side, wheel sorting is gentle on regular cartons and needs no parcel spacing beyond what the wheels need to act — though, like every sorter, it performs best behind a singulator that keeps parcels separated and identified.
02Forms in the range
The combination form deserves emphasis because it is how many real lines are built: the parcel is dimensioned, weighed and identified by the DWS section, and a few metres later the wheel section acts on that record. One line, one control conversation, no separate identification hardware at the sorter.
Wheel sorting in the Goodscan range
| Form | Arrangement | Typical duty |
|---|---|---|
| Swing wheel sorter | Wheel rows swivel to divert left or right from the main line | Carton lines with exits on both sides; fulfilment and depot sorting |
| Inclined wheel sorter | Angled wheel presentation for positive diverting of express parcels | Express and e-commerce carton flows |
| Dynamic DWS + wheel sorter combination | DWS measuring section directly upstream of the wheel diverting section | Lines that must measure, bill and sort in one pass — listed in the range as a combined equipment set |
03Wheel vs cross-belt: the honest comparison
Wheel sorters divert regular, rigid-bottomed cartons very well, and they do it with simpler mechanics and a smaller project than a cross-belt frame. Their limits are parcel-related: soft polybags can deform over the wheel bed, very light items may not track positively, and fragile goods prefer to be carried rather than rolled off. Destination density is also lower — exits need more line length than cross-belt chutes.
The decision is worked through in the cross-belt vs wheel sorter comparison; the short version is that wheel sorting is the value answer for disciplined carton flows, and cross-belt is the answer when the parcel mix stops being disciplined.