How the ferag.skysort tilt-tray sorter works
ferag.skysort uses a carrier chain running on low-friction rollers in a steel profile. Individual trays are mounted on the chain and tilt automatically at the correct discharge point — gently releasing items into chutes, containers, or downstream conveyors. The system operates quietly and energy-efficiently at speeds up to 1.4 m/s with throughput up to 8,400 trays per hour.
Because the carrier chain runs in all three dimensions, skysort can be routed across curves, inclines up to 20°, and multiple building levels — without transfer points. This eliminates system interfaces and reduces overall layout complexity for the integrator.
ferag.skysort is deployed wherever high item variety, gentle product handling, and multi-level routing are required:
- Order picking for e-commerce, retail, B2B and 3PL
- Sorting for dispatch, returns, incoming goods and restmail
- Fashion and footwear distribution (wide SKU range, fragile items)
- Mail-order pharmacies and medical products
- Photo product dispatch and traceability solutions
- Extending process chains without additional transfer points
- Conveying, sorting and order picking in one system
- Also ideal for bulky, light, round or sensitive products
- 3D capability, also across several levels
- Multilevel for maximum capacity in the tightest of spaces
- Modular and extensible design
- Energy-efficient technology thanks to rolling friction
- Proven and robust engineering
- Cost-effective in operation, service and maintenance
- Low-noise
- Automatic or manual tray loading
- Identification by barcode, RFID, 2D code, RFID and OCR
- Customised chutes
- Material flow controller (MFC) and visualisation
- Interfaces to WMS, WCS and peripheral systems
| Capacity | up to 8’400 trays/h |
| Speed | up to 1.4 m/s |
| Tray sizes | 650 x 450 mm / 650 x 500 mm / 650 x 1060 mm (double tray) |
| Maximum loading | 30 kg |
| Curve radii | 1‘500 mm small tray, 2‘250 mm large & double tray |
| Inclination | up to 20° |
Impressions
Case studies
Case Study
Optimized Space Utilization for Sorting Personalized Photo Products at CEWE
July 13, 2020
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A tilt-tray sorter is an intralogistics system where items are placed on individual trays mounted on a carrier chain. At the correct destination, the tray tilts automatically to discharge the item into a chute or container. ferag.skysort handles items up to 30 kg per tray at throughput rates up to 8,400 trays per hour, and routes across curves, inclines, and multiple building levels without transfer points.
ferag.skysort connects to any warehouse management system (WMS), warehouse control system (WCS), or ERP via standard interfaces. The integrated material flow controller (MFC) manages real-time routing and visualisation, providing a single control layer between the sorter and higher-level systems.
ferag.skysort is deployed in e-commerce fulfilment, fashion and footwear distribution, mail-order pharmacies, B2B warehousing, 3PL operations, postal and courier sorting, and photo product dispatch. It is particularly well-suited to applications with wide SKU ranges, mixed item types, or fragile products requiring gentle handling.
Yes. ferag.skysort is built on a modular architecture that allows additional sorting destinations, extended conveying routes, and increased capacity to be added without replacing existing infrastructure. This makes it suitable for phased investments and supports growing operations.
ferag.skysort uses rolling friction technology with minimal wear components, resulting in low maintenance requirements and high system availability. Ferag provides hardware and software service contracts, spare parts supply, and long-term modernisation support through its global service network in 18 countries.
