Placing Products into the Vending Machine

Important!
Please test the products several times to ensure they move smoothly in the slot and can be picked up easily from the pickup port. Even if you follow the tips in this document, there are many special situations that we can't cover, like different friction levels from various packages. This means that products might still have delivery issues. Therefore, thorough testing is crucial for ensuring smooth delivery during machine operation.

Why is Choosing the Right Product Types and Measurements Important for Slot Placement?

Product jams/breakage/interference can stop the vending machine from functioning and require manual intervention which is one of the most undesirable scenarios for an unattended business.
To maximize the cost-performance efficiency, the compact space inside the vending machine is designed to accommodate as many products (both number and types) as possible. Properly and carefully choosing and placing the products is a guarantee to leverage this efficiency fully.
The slots’ mechanical working nature determines the jam may happen in various spaces and during movement.

Selecting the Appropriate Product Height

There are three parameters to consider when determining the product height.

The height of the machine's whole product cabinet.

The typical height of the product cabinet is 124~126 cm to room 6 layers. When tall products take more than 3 layers, the overall layers will be reduced to 5 or less. See Table 2.

The distance between the slot edge and the glass gate.

The distance between the slot edge and the glass gate should be ≥ product height + 2 cm. See Table 1.

The height of the slot.

The slot height should be ≥ product height + 4 cm. See Table 1.


Measure the height of the product cabinet. Calculate and distribute the layers as per the products’ dimension.	Measure the distance between the slot edge and the glass.	Measure the slot height.

Table 1


The height of the 6 evenly placed trays is 16cm.	When tall bottles take ≥ 3 layers, the cabinet can only room 5 or less layers in total.

Table 2

Loading Product

Choosing a Suitable Spiral

Measure the product height.

Refer to the section above for this part.

Measure the slot width.

The slot width should be ≥ product width + 5~10 mm.

Measure the spring pitch distance.

The spring pitch distance should be ≥ product thickness + 5~10 mm.

Note
The product shouldn’t be clamped too tightly or loose in the spring.


Measure the spring pitch distance	Measure the slot width

Adjusting the Spiral Direction

For bottled drinks, the spiral direction is typically adjusted to 3 or 9 o’clock.

For thin products, the spiral direction is typically adjusted to 5 or 6 o’clock.

Correct Spiral Slot Placement


The products should lean backward.	Find suitable spiral sizes for different products.

Incorrect Spiral Slot Placement

The top of the product should not touch the upper tray.	The product’s width should not exceed the width of the spiral/slot.	The product should not be too small to be held by the spiral.

The product is too thick for the spiral spacing.	The product should not extend beyond the boundaries of the tray.	After pushing back the tray, the spiral may rebound upward, causing the bottle to slip out.

Loading Products to Belt Slot

Please do not pull out the tray to load products. If the tray is fully loaded and then pushed back in, the products can shift or become displaced.

Important: Make sure to use the straight slide rails specifically designed for the belt tray. Using angled slide rails intended for spiral trays can cause the belt tray to tilt downward when pulled out, potentially leading to products falling off the belt slot.


Belt slot tray and straight slide rail.	Angled slide trail for spiral tray

Choosing Suitable Goods for Belt Slot

Measure the slot width.

The width of the goods shall be ≥ 1/2 of the slot’s width.

Measure the belt length.

The total length of the belt should ≥ the cumulative total length of the goods placed + 10 mm.

The slot height should be ≥ the height of the goods + 25 mm.

Correct Belt Slot Placement


Ensure the center of the product aligns with the center of the belt.		Properly organize the products.

Incorrect belt slot placement

The product is too small relative to the width of the belt.	The product is not positioned at the center of the belt.	An unusually light product may rotate on the belt slot, potentially triggering the light sensor by mistake.

A thin product may fall backward in the belt slot.	If a product leans against the one in front of it, they may fall together.	The longitudinal length of the product should be less than 100 mm. Otherwise, it may activate the light sensor before being fully moved out.

FAQ

When will the product get stuck?

1	When the product is exceedingly tall.	Touch the bottom of the upper drawer. Stuck in the slot. When the product is delivered, it will touch against the glass of the vending machine. The delivery may fail.
2	When the product is exceedingly thick.	It may be squeezed tightly in the spiral space and fail to be dropped.
3	When the product is exceedingly thin.	It will slip through the space of the spiral. It may topple over on the belt slot.
4	When the product is exceedingly wide.	It will be stuck between the slot dividers and fail to be delivered.
5	When the packaging is irregular in shape, like a cone, ball, or triangular.	The products may misalign and interfere with one another.
6	The products are placed without adhering to the standard requirements.
7	Other special situations

Other special tips

When using machines without an elevator, place the Tetra Brik cartons and aluminum cans on the lower layers. Dropping these types of goods from a higher position carries a risk of breakage and damage.
Place carbonated drinks on the lower layers as well. Dropping this type of drink may cause shaking, which can lead to splashing when the customer opens the cap.
When placing unevenly weighted products, the heavy end should be placed downward, otherwise it may topple and fall off.

Spring specifications and usage recommendations for various goods

Diameter	Spring pitch	Spring length	Quantity placed	Single / Dual Slot	Size of Goods (mm)	Examples of Food	Recommended position of spring opening
66 mm	28 mm	452	15	Dual	Width: less than 135 Thickness: less than 20	Spicy cooked food	Six o'clock on the left Six o'clock on the right
	28 mm	452	15	Single	Width: less than 65 Thickness: less than 20	Spicy cooked food	Six o'clock
	38 mm	452	11	Dual	Width: less than 135 Thickness: less than 30	Spicy cooked food	Five o'clock on the left Five o'clock on the right
	38 mm	452	11	Single	Width: less than 65 Thickness: less than 30	Cigarette	Five o'clock
	60 mm	443	7	Dual	Width: less than 125 Thickness: less than 52	Betel nut	Five o'clock on the left Seven o'clock on the right
	60 mm	443	7	Single	Width: less than 65 Thickness: less than 52	Boxed milk	Five o'clock
	70 mm	443	6	Dual	Width: less than 125 Thickness: less than 62	Snacks	Five o'clock on the left Seven o'clock on the right
	70 mm	443	6	Single	Width: less than 70 Thickness: less than 62	Small-bottled drinks	Nine o'clock
	86 mm	443	5	Dual	Width: less than 125 Thickness: less than 76	Snacks	Three o'clock on the left Nine o'clock on the right
	86 mm	443	5	Single	Width: less than 65 Thickness: less than 76	Common bottle / Canned drinks	Three o'clock
	105 mm	443	4	Dual	Width: less than 125 Thickness: less than 97	Small-boxed install noodles	Two o'clock on the left Ten o'clock on the right
	130 mm	443	3	Dual	Width: less than 125 Thickness: less than 122	Large-boxed install noodles	Two o'clock on the left Ten o'clock on the right
90 mm	95 mm	425	4	Single	Width: less than 83 Thickness: less than 87	Mizone	Three o'clock