MOTION DESIGN GUIDE

CONVEYORS

Sponsored by:

brought to you by:

Sponsored by:

www.motioncontroltips.com
mknorthamerica.com www.opto22.com
MOTION DESIGN GUIDE I CONVEYORS

Image courtesy: mk North America

Conveyors move loose bulk material or discrete packaged products

from one place to another in automated material-handling settings.
The array of materials, controls, and modular subcomponents for
conveyors has only proliferated in recent years … allowing all-new
conveyor designs for customized sorting, filing, and warehouse-
automation tasks.

In this Design Guide, the editors of Design World detail the most
▼
▼
LISA EITEL
common conveyor types and variations as well best practices for Executive editor
sizing, selection, and installation.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
▼

Basics of conveyors — and conveyor-selection criteria.............................................3

Customizing belt conveyors for discrete-product transport......................................6

Deep dive: What is a knife-edge conveyor unit?.......................................................7

DANIELLE COLLINS
Maintaining conveyor systems...................................................................................9 Senior editor

The intersection of production and warehouse automation....................................10

Conveyors with plastic modular belting...................................................................11

Chain-on-edge conveyors and where they’re used..................................................13

All about power and free conveyors and their applications....................................14

Deep dive: Pitch in the context of conveyors..........................................................15

What are precision-link conveyors?..........................................................................16

What are pallet conveyors?......................................................................................17 Sponsored by:

© Copyright 2020 WTWH Media ®

www.wtwhmedia.com I marketing.wtwhmedia.com I www.designworldonline.com I www.motioncontroltips.com

@designworld /DesignWorldNetwork @motion_control mknorthamerica.com
Basics of conveyors —
and conveyor-selection criteria
C
onveyors are automated tracks that move bulk material
or discrete products from one area to another. They’re
the backbone of material-handling applications that
need top efficiency and throughput. Recent advances in
materials, controls and modular subcomponents have spurred
new large conveyors for bulk material transport, miniature
conveyors for discrete sorting, and everything in between.
Just about any product made of metal, food, cosmetics,
medical supplies, plastics or boxes moves on a conveyor
during manufacture. No wonder that conveyors come in
all shapes and sizes — from belt widths of less than 2 in.
(for moving extremely small parts) to several feet wide for
transferring bulk substances.
Once viewed as an afterthought, conveyors have become
an integral component in myriad automated facilities and
applications.
To select a conveyor, first answer these questions about the
application.
1. What types of product is the application moving?
Conveyors for material handling of bulk product (as found in
mining or process applications) as well as large-scale single-
item transport (as in automatic car washes) are generally
more rugged than those for moving discrete product. So bulk
conveyors often employ steel-belted and rubber conveyance
surfaces or steel-chain (and roller-pin) conveyor variations
paired with large ac motor-based drives. Cleated belt and screw
conveyors are also common where product must go through an
elevation change during conveyance.
Conveyors for moving arrays of discrete product — the focus
of this Design Guide — take other forms. Some employ thin
flat belt made of engineered fabric with nylon, PVC, styrene-
butadiene synthetic rubber (SBR), or other durable synthetic
materials. Specially shaped motor-driven pulleys engage
(with tension-maintained friction) the conveyor belt and make
it (and any product riding on it) advance. Benefits of this
design include simplicity and cost-effectiveness; thinness
of conveyance medium for easier transfers off and onto the
conveyor-belt ends even for very small objects; the ability

Conveyors are classified by both their conveyance media and application. Some conveyors serve to transport bulk or discrete product in a steady
stream — with little interaction with transported goods along the way. These are ruggedized units optimized for high throughput. Slightly more
demanding conveyor installations shuttle product between locations or machines. Still more demanding are conveyors to move materials into or out
of machines or stations. These actually require positioning capabilities to ensure proper handling of product. The most demanding conveyors run
workpieces and other goods through assembly or other workstations and machinery without break. Many such conveyors for this demanding task
employ custom workpiece pucks to steady product while machines perform work on the items.

3 I www.motioncontroltips.com
mknorthamerica.com

(continued)
Basics of conveyors — and conveyor-selection criteria
Conveyors today include new large conveyors for bulk material
transport, miniature conveyors for discrete sorting, and everything
in between. The latter come in an array of shapes and widths.
to withstand a wide range of temperatures; and customizable
surfaces — for easy release of baked confections, for example.
In other instances, conveyors consist of a series of both
unpowered and powered cylindrical rollers. These roller-based
conveyors work best for transporting flat-bottomed objects such
as carboard boxes or molded part pucks.
Simple conveyors with only unpowered rollers work as manual
conveyors (to let personnel push items along the low-friction
conveying surface) or gravity conveyors which incorporate
downward slopes — often as diverting-conveyor “offramps” to
feed items to their final workplace or collection destinations.
Here a competitive conveyor option is the ball-table conveyor
— studded with freewheeling spherical rollers to let conveyed
product freely glide along.
Warehouse automation and production logistics are
reliant on conveyors to satisfy the increasingly complex
demands of ecommerce and distribution.
The motorized rollers on roller-based conveyors can either
couple to a gearmotor on the conveyor flank or directly integrate
motors called drum motors inside their cylindrical bodies —
in turn usually made of stainless steel. Conveyors to position
items with moderate accuracy (say, for simple spacing of boxes)
4 I www.motioncontroltips.com
MOTION DESIGN GUIDE I CONVEYORS
might employ only motorized rollers. In contrast, systems or
sections of conveyor with laxer requirements (or relying on
peripheral systems for final positioning functions) might gang a
few unpowered rollers to each powered roller via cords or bands
made of round polyurethane belt. These bands loop around
and nestle into grooves on the powered and unpowered roller
ends; tension keeps the round bands firmly set in their grooves
and facilitates the transmission of power from motorized roller to
ganged passive rollers.
In still other cases, conveyors for discrete product transport must
advance items with minimal energy loss and especially high
precision — to position workpieces or other items for assembly,
for example. These often employ synchronous mechanical drives
having toothed pulleys (sprockets) that positively mate with and
drive either:
Lengths of timing belt engineered to maximize reliability and
precision while minimizing shock and noise. These are most
common in linear indexing applications. Timing-belt conveyor
variations are also useful in parallel conveyors with open
centers, which run twin belts in tandem to advance items by
interfacing with their edges. These are often complemented
by tight conveyor sidewalls that keep conveyed items centered
and oriented one way.
Plastic modular belt — which are assembled arrays of links
pinned together for flexibility to bend around conveyor ends
and (in some cases) around conveyor curves as well. These
belts are sometimes studded with freewheeling rollers to allow
mknorthamerica.com
 MOTION DESIGN GUIDE I CONVEYORS
(continued)
Basics of conveyors

On this Ossid NextGen 500E shrink wrapper, several conveyors work in tandem to feed food on trays into the machine body; allow on-conveyor
application and flying-shear cutting of a web of plastic wrap; permit removal of air from the packages; provide transport through a heat station for
wrap shrinking; and take the case-ready wrapped food items out of the machine and onward. The machine packages up to 60 items per min.

conveyed items to slide freely — again, for accumulation and
similar functions.
In other cases, plastic modular belt includes motor-driven studs
that complement the primary (medial) direction of conveyance
by moving items laterally (side to side) over the conveyor width.
With these synchronous-drive designs, a powered drive
sprocket advances the belt (along with any products riding on
that belt) while a matching unpowered pulley called the idler
keeps the belt taut.
Though we only touch on the basics of them in this Design
Guide, still other conveyor options for particularly demanding
positioning applications include costlier (though in some cases
indispensable) precision-link conveyors as well as linear-motor-
based linear-transfer and linear-transport systems. Refer to the
final sections of this Design Guide for more information on the
former; visit designworldonline.com/?s=linear+transport for
more on the latter.
2. What is the maximum weight of the product being
moved? Grocery-store checkout conveyors have far different
requirements than conveyors used in automotive engine
assembly. Conveyors that handle changing loads require
additional engineering.
3. How does surrounding equipment interact with the
product riding on the conveyor? As mentioned in the
section on load type above, some modes of material handling
employ conveyors as simple arteries to transport bulk or
discrete product in a steady stream … with little interaction
along the way.

CONVEYORS IN BULK MATERIAL HANDLING

Conveyors for bulk material handling are increasingly custom. Consider how natural-gas
extraction needs machinery to transport frack sand. Here, belt conveyors with cleats are common
… and now new cleat profiles, compounds, and endless-construction options extend life. More
specifically, newer synthetic rubbers, aramids, ethylene-propylene-diene-monomer M-class
(EPDM) rubbers, and woven-basalt layers help such conveyors last longer.
The way engineers specify large conveyors is also changing. First of all, basic manufacturing
processes are slowly incorporating job-specific subcomponents, so users can order equipment
tailored to the applications at hand. Second of all, consolidation in North American conveyor
distribution … plus more value-added services mean there’s more installation and maintenance support than ever for end users. Finally, online
design tools now let engineers design subcomponents and even record conveyor condition in the field for easy maintenance scheduling.

Shown above is the world’s largest gearless conveyor drive consisting of three sections running off five Integrated Drive Systems from Siemens.
Located at the Cuajone Mine in Peru, the conveyor replaced a railway system.

5 I www.motioncontroltips.com
mknorthamerica.com
 MOTION DESIGN GUIDE I CONVEYORS

(continued)
Basics of conveyors — and conveyor-selection criteria

Slightly more advanced applications use conveyors to

shuttle items between locations and machine inputs with
reasonable accuracy.
Still more advanced are conveyors that take items into or out
of machines or stations. Particularly advanced conveyors run
right through active workstations and machinery. Some such
installations employ conveyor sections for positioning and
(sometimes with custom pucks) the steadying of items to let
machines perform operations on the conveyed workpieces as
they remain sitting on the conveyor.
4. Does the conveyor need to operate at a certain speed?
This is a design parameter for which consultation with a
conveyor-manufacturer sales engineer is usually in order.
Variations on the traditional and ubiquitous fabric belt (the
thin conveyance combining engineered fabric with polymer
or other synthetic elements) actually excel here — and can be
quieter than chain, plastic modular belt, and roller conveyors
with some measure of free motion intentionally engineered into
their construction.
5. Does the application require the conveyor system to
have inclines, declines, or curves? If so, look for conveyors
with flexible conveyance surfaces and features such as cleats
that secure or enclose product on the conveyor. Fabric-belt
conveyors necessitate costly standalone curved sections to
make path changes … so if viable, other belt types may be in
order for this.
6. Will moisture be present in the application? Does the
application need to be sanitary? Here, specify rugged
or washdown-ready conveyors with open frames and belt
elements. Case in point: Increasingly common in the food-
and-beverage industry are plastic modular belt conveyors.
The array of openings in their conveyance medium means
they’re easier to clean than conveyors based on traditional
belt types.
7. Is the application setting otherwise unusual or exotic?
In some instances, fabric belt conveyors are specifically
engineered to satisfy and withstand X-ray machine
and cleanroom conditions. Or conveyors may need to
minimize and dissipate the presence of static to satisfy the
requirements of semiconductor and electronics manufacture.
Here, the conveyor frame must discharge to ground any static
generated by the cyclical contacting and separation of belt
and pulleys. In addition, the belt itself — usually engineered-
fabric belt constructed with either a conductive polymer or
fabric — must have surface resistivity low enough to facilitate In the food and beverage industry, rugged or washdown-
conduction to ground. ISO and OSHA have established ready conveyors with open frames excel.
standard equipment requirements for such environments.

6 I www.motioncontroltips.com
mknorthamerica.com
Customizing
belt conveyors
for discrete product
transport
Vacuum conveyors include a perforated belt that draws air
through grooves in the conveyor bedplate to hold light or
flimsy parts on inclines or during especially fast transport.

M
ost conveyors in light to medium-duty discrete-
transport applications (as in conveyors for retail,
off-highway, consumer-grade exercise equipment,
and office machines) use the thin synthetic belt we described
earlier in this Design Guide — that relatively flat fabric-based
medium that wraps around two or more pulleys. An electric
motor powers these pulleys that in turn have geometry
specialized for the reliable advancement of the conveyor belt.
Styles and materials abound to meet specific applications.
Monofilament construction (whether in endless or spliced
variations) imparts high tensile strength, strength, and flexibility.
Perhaps confusingly, belts using friction with their pulleys for
advancement can be classified as low friction. Note that this
designation actually indicates that the top of the belt (on which
articles ride) allows product to slide a bit for accumulation at
stations. In contrast, high-friction belts have more grip on their
product-facing surface to better hold products to the belt for
predictable advancement.
In fact, engineers often customize these conveyors in other
ways to meet exact application specifications.
Magnetic conveyors are built with ceramic magnets for
applications that need parts to adhere to the belt during
processing, or for jobs that require elevation changes.
Engineers can specify higher magnet strength for use in
inverted applications.
On some legacy designs, centering polymer tracking guides
(usually V guides) molded into or welded onto the belt mate
with a matching channel in the conveyor bedplate or frame.
This feature can prevent the belt from laterally tracking to one
side or the other. Note that some manufacturers recommend
other solutions to prevent tracking issues. Click here for more
information.
The engineered fabric belt on some conveyors can be
perforated to function as a vacuum conveyor. Here the
perforated belt allows a pneumatic system below the
conveyor to draw air through the perforations via grooves in
the conveyor bedplate and hold light or flimsy parts on the
conveyor belt — even on inclines or during fast transport.
Metal-free conveyors have Delrin bedplates instead of the
traditional steel bedplate under sections to complement
metal-scanning equipment checking food or other conveyed
product for metal shavings. (Delrin is an inflexible polymer that
works as a tough heat-resistant metal substitute.) Upon the
detection of metal contaminant, a retractable tail conveyor or
other reject mechanism allows the discard of affected product.

In some instances,
single-drive multi-belt
conveyors serve multiple
product lanes for top
efficiency. Two or more
conveyors run off a
single gearmotor on a
common drive shaft.
Multi-belt conveyors
can also move very
wide products — and
are indispensable for
handling workpiece
pallets.

In select arrangements,
the conveyor belts even
mount to a unifying
frame.

7 I www.motioncontroltips.com
mknorthamerica.com
 MOTION DESIGN GUIDE I CONVEYORS

(continued)
Customizing belt conveyors for discrete-product transport

Pivot conveyors mount to a pivot base to swing out of the

Timing-belt conveyors with servo drives accurately start and stop for
precise part location. Some also let operators control acceleration … so
work as assembly-line conveyors. Encoders on conveyor drives track the
shaft rotation or count pulley revolutions for indexing belt control.
way when workers need to walk through the line. In other
arrangements serving a similar purpose, interlock
switches and a timer can let conveyor sections clear
before a gate opens. Then in some cases, controls
automatically resume product flow after the conveyor
returns to the inline position.
Single-drive multi-belt conveyors serve two or more
lanes of product for the sake of efficiency. Here,
two or more conveyors run off a single gearmotor
on a common drive shaft or coupled shafts. In
some arrangements, the belts even mount to a single
conveyor frame.
As mentioned above, timing-belt conveyors use toothed
belts that engage synchronous drive pulleys while serving
as the conveyor surface as well. These provide excellent belt-
movement control for accurate part or fixture positioning.
Servo drives are typically used with timing belt conveyors to
complement servomotors and servo controls having some level
of industrial connectivity. Particularly useful for precise part
location, servo drives also let engineers control acceleration
and deceleration, so are most suitable for conveyors in
advanced operations. Manufacturers mount encoders to a
conveyor’s drive shaft to sense shaft rotation or count pulley
revolutions for accurate control of the belt in feeding or
indexing applications.

DEEP DIVE: WHAT IS A KNIFE-EDGE CONVEYOR UNIT?

A knife edge conveyor unit is a uniquely designed subsystem

for the transferring of small parts off or on a conveyor or
between conveyor sections. The term knife edge refers to the
subsystem’s defining element — a tightly tapered and rounded
end. Knife-edge conveyor subsystems often incorporate small
Some controls can automatically resume product flow after a conveyor rollers or a steel plate called a nosebar having one end rounded
returns to the inline position. Image from WTWH Media videography
to a small radius —down to a few millimeters in some cases.
Then the product-carrying conveyor belt wraps around this
tight geometry to allow easy transfer between conveyor-system
sections while ensuring that parts don’t fall in the gap at
the conveyor end.
Knife-edge conveyor subsystems excel
Knife-edge conveyor units have at transporting items such as credit
a small radius R to minimize cards and even smaller and more
the gap between adjacent KNIFE-EDGE
RADIUS R delicate items such as electronics and
conveyors that workpieces or
pharmaceuticals ... as well as limp or
other items must traverse. KNIFE-EDGE
CONVEYOR END floppy items such as cookie dough.

8 I www.motioncontroltips.com
TRADITIONAL
CONVEYOR END mknorthamerica.com

Maintaining
conveyor
systems
O
nce conveying equipment is up and running, it’s
imperative that it continue operating well. It doesn’t
do anyone any good to have equipment worth
hundreds of thousands of dollars sitting idle because the
conveyor that feeds it product is down for maintenance.
Best practice is to establish a preventative or even predictive-
maintenance program to head off problems at the pass.
But when they do occur, problems with conveyors are often
audible. Clapping and knocking can mean there’s a bearing
issue or that there’s been stretch in the conveyance material
that needs addressing. Grinding and scraping may indicate
an issue with some bearing on a pulley or other high-speed
axis. Scraping can also mean something is trapped on the
underside of the belt. (Such noises may also arise from
some component exhibiting lost motion and rubbing on the
conveyor frame.) Squealing or chirping generally often means
there’s an issue with belt tension, belt-guide mount, or drive or
idler pulley position or lubrication status.
In other instances, conveyors will display visual signs of
wear, aging, or malfunction — such as belt sticking, slipping,
Establishing an ongoing preventive maintenance program for
conveyors is one way to trim downtime by catching potential
problems before they shut down an entire line.
9 I www.motioncontroltips.com
Motion components
needing relubrication
include chain drives,
bearings not sealed for
life, and motor gearboxes
(usually after some multiple
of 1,000 operation hours).
Any lubrication of the
conveyor belt itself is
usually combined with
cleaning schedules.
jamming, jerking, floppiness, or persistent misalignment;
loose or skewed pulleys and sprockets; rust on chain or other
metal power-transmission elements; uneven wear marks or
scrapes and scuffs; and fine wear particulate near or under
mechanical-subcomponent contact points. These and obvious
visual evidence of overloads, spills, or tampering necessitate
prompt servicing.
Where conveyor behavior is unpredictable and the mechanical
components pass inspection, a faulty switch, actuator, or
controller maybe to blame.
To establish a more proactive preventative maintenance
program, first consider how much the conveyors operate.
Conveyors that run more frequently need more service. Also
inventory all facility conveyors and log key information —
including the make and model of all conveyor parts and their
dimensions, motor types, and bearing serial numbers where
applicable. Then log all maintenance and schedule future
inspections and collect the manufacturers’ phone numbers.
There’s no right or wrong way to create an inventory database;
it can be as simple or extensive as the facilities manager
requires. The purpose is to get control of the conveyor fleet
and monitor it for improved performance and uptime.
Make a bench stock of common replacement parts for the
conveyors. Keep wear items such as rollers, belts, and bearings on
hand. After operating conveyors for a while, operators come to
know what other parts may require additional maintenance … best
practice is to keep extra stock of those items too.
For fabric-based belt conveyors, a general rule is to keep at
least two replacement belts on hand. If personnel see frayed or
ripped belt, replace it immediately. Although belt swaps interrupt
production, ignoring signs of wear puts the conveyor at risk of
failure during production, which in turn can damage surrounding
(often expensive) machinery. Some conveyor manufacturers even
offer kits that include common replacement parts for an easy and
time-saving way to stock repair parts.
mknorthamerica.com
 The INERSECTION of production and
warehouse automation
CNBC’s Uptin Saiidi recently toured Tesla’s
Gigafactory in Nevada. Click on the thumbnails to
watch this CNBC International video in its entirety
— and see the factory’s conveyors in action.
10 I www.motioncontroltips.com
O ne trend in today’s logistics is tighter integration of assembly-production-
finishing functions and warehousing.
Traditional facilities separate production areas from parts warehouses — and external
logistics (which usually use trucks bring items into and out of a facility) integrate
only with the warehousing operations. In some instances, automatic guided vehicles
(AGVs) might travel the plant floor and feed assembly or finishing lines at regular
intervals. Then personnel at stations execute fairly specific operations — picking
pieces and finishing assemblies, for example.
But automated plants today are looking to satisfy end-user demand for
increasingly customized product. Just consider how amazon.com offers a huge
array of choices for nearly any product type imaginable. That demands far more
items in any given warehouse than in the past — and facilities that can handle the
exponential rise in part numbers.
Here and in similar operations with comparable complexity, overreliance on
manual labor adds too much cost into the final delivered-product cost. Using
AGVs to supply all the items or parts to work or assembly stations would quickly
choke even expansive operations with unsafe and insufficient traffic. Totally
automating finishing processes using robots is often unsuitable or impractical.
Some advanced conveyors save assembly personnel from having to
hunting for subcomponents by predictably presenting items.
Conveyors — as used in Tesla’s Gigafactory, for example — are a great solution
to these limitations. Conveyors free personnel from rote jobs so they can focus
on more complicated factory tasks — supplanting bins, AGV part racks, and
a mishmash of unergonomic pallets and boxes around a work cell with more
efficient presentation of parts to be assembled or otherwise processed.
Pioneered by the Toyota’s World Class Manufacturing (WCM) concept, conveyors
complement use of what’s called the Golden Area — the immediate area around
a worker in which no time is wasted. A typical setup for workpiece assembly might
leverage the conveyor to bring subcomponents into the Golden Area on pallets
loaded in an organized 5S mapping — with fasteners always at the upper left
on the pallet and a coverplate for the workpiece at the pallet’s lower right, for
example. That was assembly personnel never need to search for items or forget to
include a subcomponent.
In addition, conveyors support operations with exceptionally numerous item
variations, tracking codes, and delivery requirements. In some instances,
conveyors for production and warehouse automation also interface with
automated IoT-capable workzones … and adjust how they feed or accumulate
items at stations based on the status of workzones upstream or down. Some
conveyors even accept controls that maximize efficiency by tracking order or item
volume and adjusting conveyor operation on the fly to accommodate.
mknorthamerica.com
conveyor
with plastic
modular belting
P
lastic modular belting for conveyors — also called
link-style belting — consists of either toothed bars of
plastic or thousands of engineered-plastic pieces joined
together by pins in a staggered pattern for flexibility.
First used in large-scale industrial-automation applications in
the 1980s, plastic modular belting is a newer design option
targeted to conveyors needing the positioning and reliable
tracking (side-to-side centering) of timing-belt conveyors.
Their main design benefits (thanks to lateral flexibility and an
open and commutable conveyance surface) are:
• The ability to convey over inclines, declines, turns, and
long straight stretches with a single link-style belt and
drive
• The ability to thoroughly clean the conveyor without
necessitating lifts for cleaning the conveyor underside
• Accommodation of paddles, cleats, and other features
to facilitate uphill conveying, spacing, and steadying of
product
• Due to the modular nature of the belt design quick
swapping in and out of paddles, cleats, and other
features
• An easily cleanable assembly with the ability to drain
water as well a belt design that’s easy to entirely remove
from the conveyor frame (to meet the most stringent FDA
food-processing facility guidelines)
Caveat: Plastic modular belts are not a substitute for
timing belts where high precision is needed.
Proper operation of link-style belt conveyors necessitates
optimized drive-pulley design and spacing. The synchronous
nature of plastic modular belt drives actually makes these
conveyors relatively forgiving of belt-tension variations.
That said, plastic modular belt conveyors do tend to have
more pulleys than comparable conveyor alternatives — and
the wider the belt, the more pulleys are needed.

Plastic modular
belts are suitable
for conveying food
products due to their
ease of cleaning.
When properly
designed, such
conveyors can also
go around curves
without necessitating
special track sections.
Image courtesy mk
North America

11 I www.motioncontroltips.com
mknorthamerica.com
 MODULAR LINK
CONVEYOR
To illustrate: Consider a conveyor
that is 24 in. wide and advanced Plastic modular belting for conveyors — also called
by a head drive. In all instances, link-style belting — often feature a bricklay pattern of
this setup will have a drive shaft
elements for flexibility and cleanability.
and a tail shaft. But a
fabric belt conveyor
on such a setup will
have two “pulleys” Another caveat is that plastic modular belt conveyors can
which are actually be relatively costly due in part to the way in which the
drums — one at belts are manually assembled link by link — no matter the
each end. manufacturer.
In contrast, the Conveyors based on plastic modular belting stay centered
same setup employing a (track) more reliably and allow a wider range of length-to-
plastic modular belt could width ratios than other designs. However, their rollers and
(depending on the belt vendor) belting must have exactly matching pitches with exactly
have upwards of six toothed pulleys per shaft — matching geometry.
and possibly some idler discs on the shaft as well.
The number of belt supports and types of supports (which
could be pulleys) is a factor of conveyor length and width.

12 I www.motioncontroltips.com
mknorthamerica.com
Chain-on-edge conveyors
and where they’re used
D
uring the transport of materials and parts through
assembly or processing stations, most conveyors hold the
items in a set orientation. This is actually helpful to any
processes — for part inspection or feeding an assembly robot,
for example. But some applications benefit from conveyor
designs that rotate parts during their travel. This is where chain-
on-edge conveyors excel.
Chain-on-edge (CoE) conveyors (sometimes called spindle
conveyors when the design sports rods to “spear” loads riding
the conveyor) are essentially conveyors with just a single strand
of engineered roller chain at their core. This chain is turned 90°
so that it runs on a side — and the flexibility is in the horizontal
axis. Typical chain-on-edge designs house the roller chain in
a steel-plate-reinforced channel. Horizontal flexibility allows
this style of conveyor to make horizontal turns. Vertical curves
(changes in conveyor elevation) are also possible with the chain-
on-edge design, though these curves must be gradual. These
turning capabilities make chain-on-edge conveyors much more
versatile than traditional chain conveyors.
Product rotation in a typical chain-on-edge conveyor is through
the use of spindles on the chain. The spindles are often setup
to spin freely and stop at preset positions (90° and 180° for
example) or to stop at custom positions. Stationary spindles are
also an option and common in the transport of smaller parts
requiring conveyance allowing access to all part sides but not
necessarily rotation during transport.
Although their unique feature is the ability to rotate parts
during transport, chain-on-edge conveyors can also transport
heavy parts that don’t rotate but need to be fully exposed on
their sides and top to other machinery. They can also operate
overhead — with hooks or other mechanical devices to bear
heavy loads that hang off the conveyor.
In heavy-load applications, items are carried on trucks or carts
Chain-on-edge conveyors with spindles pointing upward allow
attached to the chain. For especially large or asymmetrical
product to spin freely or stop at preset positions. Chain-on-edge
loads, the chain is also accompanied by external tracks or conveyors can also transport heavy parts that don’t rotate but need
outriggers that help support and guide the bulky conveyed to be fully exposed on their sides and top to other machinery.
items. Rider plates attach to the chain and pusher dogs — They can also operate overhead — with hooks or other mechanical
mechanical latch-type devices that engage and disengage with devices to bear heavy loads that hang off the conveyor.
the trucks — attach to the rider plates. In some chain-on-edge
designs, pusher dogs can also facilitate product accumulation or
transfer from one chain to another. has been painted, coated, or cured has likely been transported
Applications that call for a product to rotate during transport by a chain-on-edge conveyor. When used in painting and
including painting, coating, curing, cleaning, baking and drying. coating applications, chain-on-edge conveyors are typically
These applications are found extensively in the automotive enclosed in a protective housing with a covering that prevents
industry, but virtually any product with an outer surface that contamination of the chain and internal components.

13 I www.motioncontroltips.com
mknorthamerica.com
power and free conveyors
and their applications
U
nlike traditional linear conveyors, power and free
conveyors work in manufacturing environments where
products must be transported in a nonlinear fashion —
that is, where materials aren’t necessarily delivered at the pace
or in the order in which they were loaded onto the conveyor.
This conveyor functionality complements manufacturing
environments in which different production processes run at
different cadences — as well as operations with work items
having different travel itineraries through the facility.
Because of their flexibility in handling and delivering products,
power and free conveyors are also referred to as asynchronous
or non-linear conveyors. Tip: Don’t confuse this designation
with the synchronous and asynchronous designations sometimes
given to the drive type of flat-belt and positive-drive (timing and
link-style) belt conveyors, respectively.
The defining feature of a power and free conveyor is that it
consists of two tracks — an upper track and a lower track.
The upper track is powered by a chain, and the lower track is
unpowered. Trolleys, which carry the load, run on the lower
track which is in turn supported by rolling wheels. Mechanical
devices often referred to as pusher dogs on the powered track
engage with the trolleys to move them and disengage with the
trolleys to stop them.
The pusher dogs are engaged and disengaged by cam action
caused by a trolley in front or by a stop blade positioned along
the powered chain. Air-activated stops, triggered by switches,
can also be used to control the movement of trolleys.
Much like cars on a road, conveyor traffic can also be merged or
diverted among multiple conveyor lines, and both sharp turns
and elevation changes can be executed. And unlike traditional
linear conveyors, power and free versions can allow products to
accumulate, or “stack up” by holding trolleys stationary while
other trolleys catch up and join them. The trolleys can then be
In a power and free conveyor, the upper track is powered by a chain and the lower track is unpowered.
Trolleys (an array of which are shown here) ride on the lower track and are driven by devices on the
powered track called pusher dogs that engage and disengage with the trolleys.
14 I www.motioncontroltips.com
released in the required sequence. All of this is accomplished
through mechanical linkages via the pusher dogs and trolleys,
without requiring complex automation.
To maximize space, especially during accumulation, trolleys can
be connected via rigid load bars that set the spacing between
trolleys at as little as 6 in. (depending on the size and shape of
the load). Storage density can also be maximized with trolleys
that hold the load diagonally relative to the conveyor path.
Circuits of conveyors up to 300 ft can be controlled with just one
motor, and complex traffic patterns and timing sequences can be
controlled via sensors triggered by a PLC or PC-based controller.
In addition, barcodes or RFID tags on the trolleys can be used to
identify individual loads and carry instructions for sequencing.
While most power and free conveyors are mounted overhead,
above the working area, and carry products below the tracks,
floor-mounted designs are available that carry the product
above the tracks. This is especially useful when overhead space
is a concern, or when potential contamination from the conveyor
or product is an issue, as is often the case in cleanroom
environments. And when overhead space is limited but floor-
mounting is not an option, some manufacturers offer overhead
versions with powered and non-powered tracks positioned side-
by-side, rather than in a top-and-bottom configuration.
Power and free conveyors are custom-designed for each
application and can carry loads from just a few pounds to
several hundred pounds. They’re used extensively in the
automotive industry, where robot cells are sometimes used to
load and unload products from the trolleys or to perform work
on the parts being conveyed as they’re held stationary. In fact,
power and free designs are also available in heat and corrosion-
resistant versions, so they can transport loads through ovens or
washing and painting stations.
mknorthamerica.com
Pitch in the context of conveyors
R
oller chains are one of the most common types of transport media
for conveying systems. While they’re available in many designs and
variations to meet different application requirements, they all have
one thing in common. To specify a roller chain, a design engineer
needs three basic dimensions: The chain pitch … the roller diameter …
and the width between inner link plates. 2x PITCH
ELONGATION
WEAR + 2x PITCH
In general terms, pitch can be specified with reference to any feature from pin and bushing wear

— such as a hole or an edge — that is repeatable on each adjacent

part. In terms of conveyor chain, pitch is usually defined as the distance
between links, as measured from the center of the roller pin on one
link to the center of the roller pin on the next link. In contrast, some
INNER
precision link conveyors refer to the pitch as the link size. WIDTH

The pitch of a conveyor chain or link is a determining factor for several

performance characteristics of the conveyor. For example, there’s an
inverse relationship between sprocket speed and chain pitch. Smaller pitch
chains generally allow the sprocket to run at a higher rotational speed.
Where n = Sprocket speed (rpm) and V = Chain speed (m/min.)
P = Chain pitch (mm) and N = Number of sprocket teeth
Also note that the smaller the pitch, the more teeth will be needed on
the chain sprocket. And a higher number of sprocket teeth means that
more chain links will be engaged during motion. This allows the chain
to travel with less speed fluctuation and a smaller articulating angle,
ROLLER DIAMETER
Roller chains are specified by three main parameters:
pitch, roller diameter, and width between inner links.
Chains that have identical dimensions in these three
dimensions will work on the same sprockets. Elongation of
pitch length is caused by wear to the pins and bushings.
Choosing a chain with a smaller pitch can reduce the
amount of wear and amount of pitch elongation with it.
SPEED LIMITS FOR ROLLER CHAIN
120
MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE SPROCKET SPEED (rpm)

producing less vibration and better smoothness of motion.

100
More sprocket-link engagement also provides less wear between the
chain bushing and pin, meaning longer life of the chain. For these
reasons, manufacturers generally recommend using the smallest chain 80

pitch that satisfies the application conditions.

Wear to the pins and bushings can also cause the pitch to elongate. 60

Manufacturers typically recommend replacing the chain when the extension

of the pitch length reaches 2 to 3% of the normal pitch value. 40

20
N12
N10
N8
0 200 300 400 500 N6
CHAIN PITCH (mm)

PITCH

The smaller the chain pitch, the

higher the permissible rotational
To specify chain in precision-link speed of the sprocket.
conveyors, a design engineer
needs three basic dimensions:
chain pitch (called link size in this
context), roller diameter, and total
width between inner link plates.

15 I www.motioncontroltips.com
mknorthamerica.com
precision-link conveyors
Summary of one type of transfer system
P
recision-link conveyors index components with high
accuracy and speed to give manufacturers a way to
simply operations relating to assembly, marking, welding,
and manufacturing. Specialized designs abound, and the last
decade has brought more use of application-specific offerings —
especially for the subcategory that industry calls transfer systems.
One such conveyor is the precision-link conveyor — for
assembly, marking, welding, as well as mechanical and optical
inspection of parts.
Standard precision-link conveyors deliver standard link-
positioning accuracy of ±0.08 mm (±0.003 in.) or better.
While there are belt-driven versions, many of these precision-
link conveyors consist of one continuous run of high-precision
drive chain. Then each chain link (often aluminum) contains four
cam followers that guide the link along hardened and fine-
milled guide rails. In some cases, the cam followers are sealed
and lubed for life.
Dowels and bearings complete the chain assembly: The cam
followers are pressed into needle bearings at the link joints to
eliminate wear and prevent moving parts from contacting the
links themselves.
Each chain link also includes tapped holes and dowel holes to
accommodate individual pieces of product to be transported
and otherwise machined or worked. Link fixtures can either
interface with station tooling installed inboard or externally.
Typical precision-link conveyor frames are made of extruded
16 I www.motioncontroltips.com
aluminum frame and steel plates; the link track is machined,
hardened, and ground steel. Some advantages of aluminum-
extrusion frames are that they are very straight over long
distances, are easily machined, and allow for easy mounting
of accessories.
Precision-link conveyors allow automated processes right
on the conveyor. After each indexed stroke (to advance the
links) equipment mounted around the conveyor executes
parallel and serial tasks. Most installations include multiple
workstations along one or both long conveyor axes.
So unfinished products are often mounted to the conveyor
one time and then removed from the end of the conveyor —
usually as completed product. In other words, precision-link
conveyors are usually designed and engineered to be core
product-positioning chassis of machines executing critical
functions.
Precision link conveyors are designed to run high-volume
manufacturing to millions of cycles without intensive
maintenance. Typical maintenance involves tension checks and
adjustments of the chain … and cleaning of the conveyor if it
runs in a dirty environment.
Precision-link conveyors are unsuitable for feeding parts to
a line, where a process is not being done on them. This is
because their accuracy is not required.
Similarly, due to their cost they’re also inappropriate where
application accuracy isn’t critical.
Some precision-link conveyor manufacturers offer
models with fixed strokes and models having
completely programmable servo drives for flexibility.
Aluminum-extrusion frames simplify the mounting
of accessories on precision-link conveyor systems; in
some instances, cover plates shield the conveyor from
particulate ingress and boost safety by enclosing pinch
points.
Inset: A section of track up close shows typical
subcomponents including:
• Links (in grey)
• Connection pins (in green)
• Support rollers (in purple)
• Support tracks (in yellow)
mknorthamerica.com
What are pallet conveyors?
(Not to be confused with pallet-moving conveyors)
P
allet conveyors transfer discrete products on carriers
called pallets moved by belt, timing belt, roller chain,
flat-top chain, or (for heavy loads) powered rollers.
Pallet sizes are fairly standardized to metric dimensions
(240 x 240 mm for example) although some manufacturers
offer pallets in inch or non-standard metric dimensions. In
many cases, conveyor pallets are tooled with custom fixtures
to locate and secure the product on the pallet. So not only
can the pallet be accurately positioned on the conveyor, but
the product can be precisely located on the pallet. This makes
pallet-based conveyors the ideal solution for high-precision
assembly, machining, inspection, and positioning tasks.
Note that the pallets discussed here are different from the
pallets used for storing and handling bulk goods, which are
often made of wood or plastic. Similarly, some roller and chain-
driven conveyors are marketed as “pallet conveyors” for the
transportation of these wooden or plastic pallets through a
factory or warehouse.
Pallet conveyors are suitable for transporting products in three
dimensions. Engineers can easily change line height elevations
with vertical transfer units — which essentially function as
elevators for pallets and their parts. Curved sections from 15°
to 180° or so let conveyors change the direction of transport
while maintaining pallet orientation ... but curved sections are
only useful for smaller pallets and when using flat-top chain.
For larger pallets (or pallets on other conveyor platforms)
lift-and-transfer designs may be more suitable for directional
changes.
Conveyor modules called lift and rotate units can either be
used to maintain the pallet’s leading edge or change the
pallet’s leading edge. The units can also give operators or
This SPU recirculating pallet conveyor from mk North America
is suitable for in-line accumulating applications. This version
shown here is a single-wide variation that excels in buffering areas
compensating for varying cycle times upstream and downstream.
17 I www.motioncontroltips.com
Image courtesy
mk North America
robots on one side of the line easily access to product on other
sides of the pallet. In some designs with square pallets, these
units can also lift and precisely position items at workstations
or inspection areas needing access to multiples sides of a
workpiece. For access to the bottom of the workpiece, pallets
can be made with an open center.
The use of pallets to move individual products allows non-
synchronous movement, so each product can be transported
and routed independently. Because the pallets are precisely
machined, they can be accurately positioned and located with
sensors — as well as positioned with locating pins. The latter
system includes a pneumatic device to stop the pallet; then a
pneumatically actuated pin that fits into a bushing on the pallet
locks the pallet in place.
In some instances, pallets are diverted and merged for offline
operations, and accumulation allows products to be buffered
... in turn smoothing the flow of downstream operations.
Pallet conveyors also support one-piece-flow assembly. Here,
conveyors (a parts-feeding line and an assembly line) run in
tandem. The assembly conveyor is usually independent and to
the front of a one-person workstation; a logistics parts-feeding
line is behind. IIoT connectivity and controls use RFIDs on
assembly-conveyor pallets to track every assembly in real time
... and document individual product movements.
Most pallet conveyors (especially those used in automation) are
modular and based on standard conveyor sections as well as
legs and lift-transfer-rotate modules that can be reconfigured
as needs change. Many of these modular components are
specialized for work in cleanroom, dry room, washdown, and
ESD-compatible applications.
mknorthamerica.com