Conveyor Meter

Conveyor Meter (id=oni.term.conveyor_meter) is a building that measures and controls throughput on a conveyor line by allowing a precise quantity of material to pass before it stops the flow. Once the specified amount has passed through the device, the Conveyor Meter closes its valve and prevents further transit until it is reset or receives a control signal to reopen. This behavior makes it a deterministic flow-control component for material handling.

Conveyor Meters are used wherever exact batch quantities or paced delivery are required rather than continuous flow. They enable reliable dosing of inputs for production buildings, automated sorting setups, and timed transfers between storage and processing lines. Because the meter stops flow after the configured amount, it can be integrated into larger automation circuits to trigger downstream actions when a batch has completed or to maintain inventory thresholds without manual intervention.

• The Conveyor Meter enforces an exact pass-through amount and then shuts off the conveyor flow until reopened.
• It functions as a gating mechanism for conveyor-based logistics, providing precise, repeatable batches instead of an uninterrupted stream.
• Typical applications include feeding a machine or storage with fixed quantities, implementing simple batching systems, and coordinating multi-step processing where each stage requires set input amounts.
• The device can be combined with other automation components to create closed-loop control: meters supply consistent batches while sensors and switches manage when to restart flow.
• Because it physically stops material movement after the quota is reached, layouts that use Conveyor Meters should account for potential accumulation upstream; place sufficient buffer storage or ensure conveyors and incoming sources can pause without blocking critical paths.

The Conveyor Meter’s straightforward role — pass a set amount, then close — makes it a fundamental element for reliable material handling in automated bases. Design decisions around where to place meters should balance the need for precise batching against space for upstream buffering and the complexity of any automation needed to resume flow.