Conveyor system

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An overhead chain conveyor moves cars at Mercedes

in Germany

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 transport of
heavy or bulky materials. Conveyor
systems allow quick and efficient
transport for a wide variety of materials,
which make them very popular in the
material handling and packaging
industries. They also have popular
consumer applications, as they are often
found in supermarkets and airports,
constituting the final leg of item/ bag
delivery to customers. Many kinds of
conveying systems are available and are
used according to the various needs of
different industries. There are chain
conveyors (floor and overhead) as well.
Chain conveyors consist of enclosed
tracks, I-Beam, towline, power & free, and
hand pushed trolleys.

Industries where used

A lineshaft roller conveyor moves boxed produce at a

distribution center
A Conveyor belt conveys papers at a newspaper print
plant

Roller conveyor for carton transport in the apparel

industry

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 labor 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 Mining,
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 transport,
accumulation and sorting, the material
sizes, weights and shapes and where the
loading and pickup points need to be.

Care and maintenance

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 and system audits, close
monitoring of motors and reducers,
keeping key parts in stock, and proper
training of personnel.

Increasing the service life of a conveyor

system involves: choosing the right
conveyor type, the right system design and
paying attention to regular maintenance
practices.

A conveyor system that is designed

properly will last a long time with proper
maintenance. Here are six of the biggest
problems to watch for in overhead type
conveyor systems including I-beam
monorails, enclosed track conveyors and
power and free conveyors. Overhead
conveyor systems have been used in
numerous applications from shop
displays, assembly lines to paint finishing
plants and more.[1]

Impact and wear-resistant

materials used in
manufacturing
Conveyor systems require materials suited
to the displacement of heavy loads and
the wear-resistance to hold-up over time
without seizing due to deformation. Where
static control is a factor, special materials
designed to either dissipate or conduct
electrical charges are used. Examples of
conveyor handling materials include
UHMW, nylon, Nylatron NSM, HDPE, Tivar,
Tivar ESd, and polyurethane.

Growth in various industries

As far as growth is concerned the material
handling and conveyor system makers are
getting utmost exposure in the industries
like automotive, pharmaceutical,
packaging and different production plants.
The portable conveyors are likewise
growing fast in the construction sector
and by the year 2014 the purchase rate for
conveyor systems in North America,
Europe and Asia is likely to grow even
further. The most commonly purchased
types of conveyors are line-shaft roller
conveyors, chain conveyors and conveyor
belts at packaging factories and industrial
plants where usually product finishing and
monitoring are carried. Commercial and
civil sectors are increasingly implementing
conveyors at airports, shopping malls, etc.

Types
Belt driven roller conveyor for cartons and totes.

Flexible conveyor

Aero-mechanical conveyor
Automotive conveyor
Belt conveyor
Belt-driven live roller conveyor
Bucket conveyor
Chain conveyor
Chain-driven live roller conveyor
Drag conveyor
Dust-proof conveyor
Electric track vehicle system
Flexible conveyor
Gravity conveyor
Gravity skatewheel conveyor
Lineshaft roller conveyor
Motorized-drive roller conveyor
Overhead I-beam conveyor
Overland conveyor
Pharmaceutical conveyor
Plastic belt conveyor
 Pneumatic conveyor
Screw or auger conveyor
Spiral conveyor
Tubular Gallery conveyor
Vertical conveyor
Vibrating conveyor
Wire mesh conveyor

Pneumatic …

Every pneumatic system uses pipes or

ducts called transport lines that carry a
mixture of materials and a stream of air.
These materials are free flowing powdery
materials like cement and fly ash.
Products are moved through tubes by air
pressure. Pneumatic conveyors are either
carrier systems or dilute-phase systems;
carrier systems simply push items from
one entry point to one exit point, such as
the money-exchanging pneumatic tubes
used at a bank drive-through window.
Dilute-phase systems use push-pull
pressure to guide materials through
various entry and exit points. Air
compressors or blowers can be used to
generate the air flow. Three systems 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 used 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 …

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 to convey dry bulk solids [2]
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 …

The flexible conveyor is based on a

conveyor beam in aluminum 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. These conveyors can
be worked around obstacles and keep
production lines flowing. They are made at
varying levels and can work in multiple
environments. They are used in food
packaging, case packing, and
pharmaceutical industries and also in
large retail stores such as Wal-Mart and
Kmart.

Spiral …

Like vertical conveyors, spiral conveyors

raise and lower materials to different
levels of a facility. In contrast, spiral
conveyors are able to transport material
loads in a continuous flow. A helical spiral
or screw rotates within a sealed tube and
the speed makes the product in the
conveyor rotate with the screw. The
tumbling effect provides a homogeneous
mix of particles in the conveyor, which is
essential when feeding pre-mixed
ingredients and maintaining mixing
integrity. Industries that require a higher
output of materials - food and beverage,
retail case packaging, pharmaceuticals -
typically incorporate these conveyors into
their systems over standard vertical
conveyors due to their ability to facilitate
high throughput. Most spiral conveyors
also have a lower angle of incline or
decline (11 degrees or less) to prevent
sliding and tumbling during operation.

Vertical …

Vertical conveyors, also commonly

referred to as freight lifts and material lifts,
are conveyor systems used to raise or
lower materials to different levels of a
facility during the handling process.
Examples of these conveyors applied in
the industrial assembly process include
transporting materials to different floors.
While similar in look to freight elevators,
vertical conveyors are not equipped to
transport people, only materials.

Vertical lift conveyors contain two

adjacent, parallel conveyors for
simultaneous upward movement of
adjacent surfaces of the parallel
conveyors. One of the conveyors normally
has spaced apart flights (pans) for
transporting bulk food items. The dual
conveyors rotate in opposite directions,
but are operated from one gear box to
ensure equal belt speed. One of the
conveyors is pivotally hinged to the other
conveyor for swinging the attached
conveyor away from the remaining
conveyor for access to the facing surfaces
of the parallel conveyors.[3] Vertical lift
conveyors can be manually or
automatically loaded and controlled.[4]
Almost all vertical conveyors can be
systematically integrated with horizontal
conveyors, since both of these conveyor
systems work in tandem to create a
cohesive material handling assembly line.

Vertical conveyor with forks

Like spiral conveyors, vertical conveyors
that use forks can transport material loads
in a continuous flow. With these forks the
load can be taken from one horizontal
conveyor and put down on another
horizontal conveyor on a different level. By
adding more forks, more products can be
lifted at the same time. Conventional
vertical conveyors must have input and
output of material loads moving in the
same direction. By using forks many
combinations of different input- and
output- levels in different directions are
possible. A vertical conveyor with forks
can even be used as a vertical sorter.
Compared to a spiral conveyor a vertical
conveyor - with or without forks - takes up
less space.

Vertical reciprocating conveyors (or VRC)

are another type of unit handling system.
Typical applications include moving unit
loads between floor levels, working with
multiple accumulation conveyors, and
interfacing overhead conveyors line.
Common material to be conveyed includes
pallets, sacks, custom fixtures or product
racks and more.[5]

Heavy-duty roller …
Heavy-duty roller conveyors are used for
moving items that weigh at least 500
pounds (230 kg). This type of conveyor
makes the handling of such heavy
equipment/products easier and more time
effective. Many of the heavy duty roller
conveyors can move as fast as 75 feet per
minute (23 m/min).

Other types of heavy-duty roller conveyors

are gravity roller conveyors, chain-driven
live roller conveyors, pallet accumulation
conveyors, multi-strand chain conveyors,
and chain and roller transfers.
Gravity roller conveyors are easy to use
and are used in many different types of
industries such as automotive and retail.

Chain-driven live roller conveyors are used

for single or bi-directional material
handling. Large, heavy loads are moved by
chain driven live roller conveyors.

Pallet accumulation conveyors are

powered through a mechanical clutch.
This is used instead of individually
powered and controlled sections of
conveyors.

Multi-strand chain conveyors are used for

double-pitch roller chains. Products that
cannot be moved on traditional roller
conveyors can be moved by a multi-strand
chain conveyor.

Chain and roller conveyors are short runs

of two or more strands of double-pitch
chain conveyors built into a chain-driven
line roller conveyor. These pop up under
the load and move the load off of the
conveyor.

See also
Belt conveyor
Chain conveyor
Checkweigher
 Manufacturing
Material handling
Moving bed heat exchanger
Moving walkway
Treadmill

References
1. "Overhead Conveyors and Material
Handling" . Mhel.co.uk. Archived from
the original on 2016-09-02. Retrieved
2016-08-23.
2. "Archived copy" . Archived from the
original on 2018-01-03. Retrieved
2018-01-02.
 3. "Vertical Lift Conveyors" .
Freepatentsonline.com. Retrieved
2013-03-27.
4. "Conveyors" . Mhia.org. 2005-07-16.
Archived from the original on 2012-
03-04. Retrieved 2013-03-27.
5. "Vertical Lift & Reciprocating Conveyor
Manufacturer | Industrial Kinetics" .
Iki.com. Retrieved 30 August 2019.

M.Marcu-Pipeline Conveyors
(theory,photos,state of the art 1990-
Pneumatic Pipeline conveyors with
wheeled containers) at page 45 in:
"Material handling in pyrometallurgy:
proceedings of the International
Symposium on Materials Handling in
Pyrometallurgy, Hamilton, Ontario, August
26–30, 1990-Pergamon press"

External links
Conveyor and Sortation Systems (CSS)
The importance of conveyor and
sortation systems for controlled growth
(2:03 min. video)

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