OQ @ tipinstructurecom/courses/t (8) The beginning of Conveyors Conveyor belts and systems go back pretty far in time, helping to ensure the manufacturing industry has been able to prosper and grow. Here we're looking back into the history of conveyors and how they’ve developed since their earliest days. Conveyors are essential to quarrying, mining, and mineral processing operations, but we sometimes take them for granted. Did you know that it was not so long ago in human history that these hardworking machines didn’t exist? Imagine your surface or open-pit mining operation without any conveyors — things would not be moving very quickly or efficiently, and the whole undertaking would be a lot more dangerous! To show conveyors a little Scanned with CamScannerTo show conveyors a little appreciation, we're taking a look at their history from their roots in the late 1700s through decades of improvement and innovation that transformed them into the reliable machines we depend on today. The earliest conveyors If conveyors have a single inventor or first installation site, that information has sadly been lost to time. What is known is that while Henry Ford made conveyors famous with his automobile assembly lines in the early 20" century, he did not invent them (as many people incorrectly believe) - he just improved upon old technology. In fact, various sources point to 1795 as the year when conveyors first appeared. These early conveyors were short, made from leather belts and wooden beds, and were hand- operated. They were mainly used in ports to move agricultural products fram chara ta chin Scanned with CamScannerThe earliest conveyors If conveyors have a single inventor or first installation site, that information has sadly been lost to time. What is known is that while Henry Ford made conveyors famous with his automobile assembly lines in the early 20th century, he did not invent them (as many people incorrectly believe) - he just improved upon old technology. In fact, various sources point to 1795 as the year when conveyors first appeared. These early conveyors were short, made from leather belts and wooden beds, and were hand- operated. They were mainly used in ports to move agricultural products from shore to ship. First Invented The first primitive and basic conveyor belts were invented Scanned with CamScannerFirst Invented The first primitive and basic conveyor belts were invented and used in the 19% centur y, with some basic systems even seen in the late 18" century. A key moment came in 1892 when Thomas Robins, an American inventor, began a series of developments that ended with a conveyor belt that began to be used to carry coal, ores, and other related materials. By 1901 the Swedish engineering company Sandvik started the production of the first steel conveyor belts and by 1905 Irish-born but Yorkshire-based engineer Richard Sutcliffe invented the first conveyor belts to be used in coal mines. They completely revolutionized the mining industry making it more efficient. Scanned with CamScannerRails are out, conveyors are in With Sutcliffe’s underground conveyor belt, mining and quarrying were revolutionized over the following few decades, as massive quantities of material could now be moved from the extraction point with much less labor. No longer did expensive rail lines need to be laid and maintained. And when a mine’s LOM (expected life of the mine) was over, a conveyor was much easier to pack up and remove than a rail line, which was pretty much permanent. It did take some good publicity to popularize conveyors, however, as news of technical innovations didn’t spread as quickly back then as it does today. Plus, it certainly was not as easy to purchase and set up conveyors in the early days. In 1908, inventor Hymle Goddard patented the first roller conveyor, and then things really started to get moving. Henry Ford famously began using conveyors on the assembly lines in his automobile plants around 1913, and soon problem-solvers in countless Scanned with CamScannerIn 1908, inventor Hymle Goddard patented the first roller conveyor, and then things really started to get moving. Henry Ford famously began using conveyors on the assembly lines in his automobile plants around 1913, and soon problem-solvers in countless industries began refining conveyors and inventing new types, as well. In the quarrying, mining, and mineral processing industries, conveyors were quickly replacing the locomotive and rail lines throughout the 1920s until the outbreak of war in the 1940s. Industrial revolution + Invention sand developm ents g continued , with a Henry Ford introducin & = conveyor- belt assembly lines at the Highland Scanned with CamScannerInvention sand developm ents continued , with y Henry Ford introducin g ess y: conveyor- belt assembly lines at the Highland Park, Michigan factory of Ford Motors in 1913 and by 1957 the B.F. Goodrich Company managed to patent a specific conveyor belt, which was soon produced and sold as the Turnover Conveyor Belt System. It featured a half-twist element which allows it to perform better than standard belts due to its longer life span. Plastics became a regular featuring in belting by the 1970s, with Louisiana-based Company Intralox registering the first patent for all plastic, modular belting. Leather to Snecialiced Scanned with CamScannerLeather to Specialised Synthetics The very first conveyor belts created were mainly constructed from leather, canvas and rubber. They were set across wooden systems which allowed them to move with ease and create the conveyor movement necessary for the transportation of mainly mined goods. The modern conveyor belt is constructed from a special combination of synthetic materials, polymers, and different fabrics, and they are now designed to remove the need for expensive maintenance to the belt at all. Conveyor Belts to Remember Scanned with CamScannerConveyor Belts to Remember Back in 1972, the concept designer Hyacinthe Marcel Bocchetti and the French Society REI created what was then the longest straight conveyor in the world, measuring 13.8km. Longest Conveyor in the World In 2015 the longest belt system is quite a bit bigger, measuring 60 miles long and it is based in the west Sahara. For over thirty years this belt has been in use and just like some of the earliest belts, it is used for the mining industry taking phosphate from the mines down to the coast. Image credit: jbdodane/Flickr ‘Scanned with CamScannerThe modern conveyor has a lot of innovative thinkers, engineers, and inventors to thank for its current state and in another 20-30 years, you can be sure there will be even more developments and even more effective materials discovered for creating more effective processes. The present and the future: computerization and customization In recent years, computerization has made conveyors even more reliable and easier to work within quarrying, mining, and mineral processing operations. Conveyors are now “smart” and can alert operators to maintenance needs. They can also run, stop, and change the speed in response to programmed commands. Computerization has led to more customization of conveyor systems to achieve the exact outcomes mine and quarry operators need. Scanned with CamScannerThe present and the future: computerization and customization In recent years, computerization has made conveyors even more reliable and easier to work within quarrying, mining, and mineral processing operations. Conveyors are now “smart” and can alert operators to maintenance needs. They can also run, stop, and change the speed in response to programmed commands. Computerization has led to more customization of conveyor systems to achieve the exact outcomes mine and quarry operators need. Indeed, finding the right conveyor for your needs now often involves customizing a system that can efficiently and economically move material from the extraction point to stockpile and beyond, no matter what challenges the mine or quarry site present. In the future, better machine learning Scanned with CamScannerIn the future, better machine learning and artificial intelligence (Al) is predicted to refine conveyors to reduce maintenance and breakdowns even further and remove more direct human oversight while work is underway. The result will be increased safety in our mines and quarries, as well as increased efficiency. The History of Material Handling Conveyors Since 1795 - Infographic Conveyor systems have been an integral part of material handling for over 100 years, and their origins can be traced back even further than that. Transport of bulk materials by conveyor belts dates back to around 1795, although the vast majority of these early iterations were used to move grains over very short distances. Did you know? ed with CamScannerThe History of Material Handling Conveyors Since 1795 - Infographic Conveyor systems have been an integral part of material handling for over 100 years, and their origins can be traced back even further than that. Transport of bulk materials by conveyor belts dates back to around 1795, although the vast majority of these early iterations were used to move grains over very short distances. Did you know? o The first conveyor belts were made out of a leather or canvas belt traveling over a flat wooden bed © Today, the longest conveyor belt in the world is used in the phosphate mines of Western Sahara and measures 60 miles long. o During World War Il, manufacturers created synthetic materials to make belting because of the scarcity of natural components. Scanned with CamScanner© During World War Il, manufacturers created synthetic materials to make belting because of the scarcity of natural components. 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