The 2-tier carriage chain conveyor with storage facility is a piece handling system used for feeding and unloading pieces from fettling and glazing lines.

The conveyor consists of:
· no. 2 front end elevators for transferring carriages from one level the other.
· Two-tier chain conveyor, with variable length in 2.0 m steps according to system needs and maximum number of stored pieces.
· Piece-holder carriages, of a quantity in proportion to belt length.

OPERATION
· The loading elevator picks up an empty carriage from the lower tier and places it on the upper tier where the piece is loaded.
· The full carriage is moved along the conveyor by the drive chains with idle rollers, until it meets the queue of full carriages. In this position, even if the chains continue moving, the carriage stops since it rests on the chains by means of idle rollers, enabling it to stop (when it meets the queue) or move.
· When the carriage reaches the unloading elevator and the piece is picked up, the elevator transfers the empty carriage on the lower tier, where a pair of drive chains return it toward the loading elevator.

FEATURES
· Facility for controlling several groups of pieces stored on the same conveyor, thus releasing and optimising several operations executed on the same conveyor.
· Facility for automating loading and unloading by manipulators or robots.
· Facility for installing manual or robotised inspection and finishing stations on the conveyor, containing water film air suction booths.