V-TRACK™ Pick Conveyor: How a Simple Design Change Made Chub Automation Possible

For decades, the biggest obstacle to automating chub case packing wasn't the robot — it was the conveyor.

Flat-belt conveyors work well for trays, pouches, and cartons. But put a 2-lb ground beef chub on a flat belt and physics takes over. The chub rolls. It shifts. By the time the robot reaches the pick point, the product isn't where the vision system said it would be.

Engineers have tried workarounds: lane guides, side rails, timing screws, even custom fixtures. These add complexity, create more surfaces to clean, and still don't solve the fundamental issue. The product shape doesn't match the conveyor design.

JLS took a different approach.

The V-TRACK Design

The V-TRACK™ pick conveyor uses a V-shaped profile that cradles each chub in a stable, repeatable position. Instead of fighting the cylinder's tendency to roll, the conveyor geometry works with it — the chub settles naturally into the V and stays put.

This sounds simple. That's the point.

The most reliable automation solutions aren't the ones with the most clever workarounds — they're the ones that eliminate the problem at the source. V-TRACK doesn't compensate for rolling. It removes rolling from the equation entirely.

What That Means for the Pick

With chubs sitting in a known, stable position on V-TRACK, the [Osprey CL's](https://www.jlsautomation.com/automatic-chub-loading-system) vision system can accurately identify each product's position and orientation. Vision-guided delta robots with [VOB® vacuum tooling](https://www.jlsautomation.com/automatic-chub-loading-system) then acquire chubs cleanly — regardless of diameter (2" to 4.5"), length (4" to 24"), or weight (8 oz to 10 lbs).

The result is consistent pick accuracy at production speed. Up to 125 chubs per minute with a single robot head. Up to 200 chubs per minute in a dual-head configuration.

Without V-TRACK, those numbers aren't realistic. A robot can only pick what it can reliably find.

Built for the Environment

V-TRACK is constructed from sanitary stainless steel and designed for the same NEMA 4X washdown environment as the rest of the Osprey CL. There are no enclosed channels, no water traps, and no hidden surfaces that complicate cleaning. The conveyor is designed to get wet — just like every other component in the system.

This matters because chub packing happens in some of the most demanding environments in food processing. Ground meat, fresh sausage, and pet food manufacturing areas require aggressive, frequent sanitation. Equipment that can't handle that environment creates compliance risk and maintenance burden.

Changeover on V-TRACK

When switching between chub formats — say, from a 1-lb ground beef chub to a 5-lb sausage log — the V-TRACK conveyor accommodates the change as part of the Osprey CL's sub-one-minute changeover process. Select the new recipe on the HMI, adjust the rail guides, swap the VOB® end-of-arm tool. The V-profile handles both diameters without mechanical rebuilds.

This is a meaningful difference from systems that require lane guide changes, timing adjustments, or belt swaps when product dimensions change. Those changeovers can take 30 minutes or more — time your line isn't running.

The Bigger Point

Automation that works in a lab or on a demo floor is interesting. Automation that works in a 38°F meat plant, running mixed chub SKUs across two shifts, with daily high-pressure washdown — that's useful.

V-TRACK is the foundation that makes the Osprey CL practical for real production environments. It's not the flashiest component in the system, but it's the one that made chub automation work.

[CTA: Learn More About the Osprey CL]

---

The Osprey CL automatic chub loading system is designed and built by JLS Automation in York, Pennsylvania. To discuss your chub packing application, visit [jlsautomation.com/automatic-chub-loading-system](https://www.jlsautomation.com/automatic-chub-loading-system) or call (717) 505-3800.