 An overhead chain conveyor conveys cars at Mercedes in Germany |  A lineshaft roller conveyor conveys boxed produce at a distribution center |  A Conveyor belt conveys papers at a newspaper print plant |
A conveyor system is a common piece of mechanical handling equipment that moves materials from one location to another. Conveyors are especially useful in applications involving the transportation of heavy or bulky materials. Conveyor systems allow quick and efficient transportation for a wide variety of materials, which make them very popular in the material handling and packaging industries. Many kinds of conveying systems are available, and are used according to the various needs of different industries.
Conveyor systems are used widespread across a range of industries due to the numerous benefits they provide.
- Conveyors are able to safely transport materials from one level to another, which when done by human labour would be strenuous and expensive.
- They can be installed almost anywhere, and are much safer than using a forklift or other machine to move materials.
- They can move loads of all shapes, sizes and weights. Also, many have advanced safety features that help prevent accidents.
- There are a variety of options available for running conveying systems, including the hydraulic, mechanical and fully automated systems, which are equipped to fit individual needs.
Conveyor systems are commonly used in many industries, including the automotive, agricultural, computer, electronic, food processing, aerospace, pharmaceutical, chemical, bottling and canning, print finishing and packaging. Although a wide variety of materials can be conveyed, some of the most common include food items such as beans and nuts, bottles and cans, automotive components, scrap metal, pills and powders, wood and furniture and grain and animal feed. Many factors are important in the accurate selection of a conveyor system. It is important to know how the conveyor system will be used beforehand. Some individual areas that are helpful to consider are the required conveyor operations, such as transportation, accumulation and sorting, the material sizes, weights and shapes and where the loading and pickup points need to be.
Care and Maintenance of Conveyor Systems
A conveyor system is often the lifeline to a company’s ability to effectively move its product in a timely fashion. The steps that a company can take to ensure that it performs at peak capacity, include regular inspections, close monitoring of motors and reducers, keeping key parts in stock, and proper training of personnel.
Types of Conveyor Systems
- Gravity Roller Conveyor
- Gravity Skatewheel Conveyor
- Belt conveyor
- Wire Mesh
- Plastic Belt
- Belt Driven Live Roller
- Lineshaft roller conveyor
- Chain conveyor
- Screw conveyor
- Chain Driven Live Roller Conveyor
Pneumatic Conveyor Systems
Every pneumatic system, makes use of pipes or ducts called transportation lines that carry mixture of materials and a stream of air. These materials are such as dry pulverised or free flowing or light powdery materials like cement, fly ash etc. These materials can be transported conveniently to various destinations by means of a stream of high velocity air through pipe lines. Products are moved through various tubes via air pressure, allowing for extra vertical versatility. Pneumatic conveyors are either carrier systems or dillute-phase systems; carrier systems simply push items from one entry point to one exit point, such as the money exchanging tubes used at a bank drive-thru window. Dillute-phase systems use push/pull pressure to guide materials through various entry and/or exit points. Three basic systems that are used to generate high velocity air stream: 1. Suction or Vacuum systems: utilizing a vacuum created in the pipeline to draw the material with the surrounding air.The system operated at a low pressure, which is practically 0.4-0.5 atm below atmosphere, and is utilized mainly in conveying light free flowing materials. 2. Pressure Type systems: in which a positive pressure is used to push material from one point to the next. The system is ideal for conveying material from one loading point to a number of unloading points. It operates at a pressure of 6 atm and upwards. 3. Combination systems: in which a suction system is ised to convey material from a number of loading points and a pressure system is employed to deliver it to a number of unloading points.
Vibrating Conveyor Systems
A Vibrating Conveyor is a machine with a solid conveying surface which is turned up on the side to form a trough. They are used extensively in food grade applications where sanitation, washdown, and low maintenance are essential. Vibrating conveyors are also suitable for harsh, very hot, dirty, or corrosive environments. They can be used to convey newly cast metal parts which may reach upwards of 1,500 °F (820 °C). Due to the fixed nature of the conveying pans vibrating conveyors can also perform tasks such as sorting, screening, classifying and orienting parts. Vibrating conveyors have been built to convey material at angles exceeding 45° from horizontal using special pan shapes. Flat pans will convey most materials at a 5° Incline from horizontal line.
Flexible Conveyor Systems
The flexible conveyor is based on a conveyor beam in aluminium or stainless steel, with low friction slide rails guiding a plastic multi-flexing chain. Products to be conveyed travel directly on the conveyor, or on pallets/carriers.
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