A bombay sorter, also called a bomb bay or split tray sorter, sorts items on a loop of trays whose bottoms split open to drop each item straight down into a chute, carton, or bag below. The vertical drop sorts flat and odd-shaped goods densely and stacks them flat at packout.

Bombay sorter at a glance

A bombay sorter runs trays around a continuous oval loop, and at each destination the two halves of the tray bottom open like trap doors so the item drops vertically into the container beneath. This downward discharge sets it apart from every other loop sorter: cross belt and tilt tray push or tip items off to the side, while a bombay sorter drops them straight down. That makes it strong at sorting flat goods such as books, folded apparel, mailers, and documents, and at handling odd or round small items that would roll off other sorters, all in a dense footprint. Single, dual, and quad tray configurations reach throughput from roughly 5,000 to 35,000 items per hour. One honest limit: because items drop by gravity, a bombay sorter is not suited to fragile goods that cannot take a short fall.

How does a bombay sorter work?

A bombay sorter loads one item per tray at an induction station, manually or automatically, and scans its barcode. Trays circulate on an oval loop, and the controls track each tray to its assigned destination. At that point, a mechanism splits the tray bottom open and the item drops straight down into the chute, tote, or shipping carton positioned below. The tray then closes and locks for the next cycle. Because the discharge is a controlled vertical drop, flat items can stack directly into the outbound carton with little handling at packout, and the tight drop zone lets the sorter pack many destinations into a small floor area. Dual and quad tray designs carry more items per carrier to raise throughput without enlarging the loop.

Bombay sorter specifications

Verified against published split tray sorter platform data across the industry. Final configuration is engineered to product mix, throughput, and destinations.

 

Where are bombay sorters used?

E-commerce fulfillment. Sorting flat-packed and small items into shipping cartons by order.

Apparel and fashion. Dropping folded garments and accessories into cartons or bags.

Books and media. Stacking books, documents, and printed matter flat at packout.

Postal and CEP. Sorting mailers, packets, and lightweight parcels at high rate.

Pharmacy and retail. Routing small bottles, polybags, and odd-shaped items densely.

How is a bombay sorter different from cross belt and tilt tray?

All three are loop sorters, but they discharge in different directions, which decides what each sorts best. A bombay sorter drops items straight down through a split tray, so it stacks flat goods into cartons and sorts odd or round small items in a dense footprint. A cross belt sorter runs a powered belt to push items off to the side with precise placement and recirculation, and a tilt tray sorter tips a tray to slide items off sideways. Choose a bombay sorter for flat, light, and odd-shaped goods that drop and stack well. Choose cross belt or tilt tray for mixed parcels, side discharge to chutes, or fragile items that cannot take a drop.

Plan a bombay sorter

HOJ engineers and integrates bombay sorters as an independent integrator, matching single, dual, or quad split tray configurations and induction to your product mix and destinations. Talk to a specialist.