Roller Conveyor Systems in Industry

A conveyor system is best for transporting materials and is used widely in industries. Conveyors help in moving bulky and heavy materials. These machines come in handy particularly for remodeling work where heavy debris need to be removed from inside an existing structure.

The conveyor line has a modular design which in turn facilitates carriage of materials round corners. Customization is also possible with the length and position of the line according to the requirements. Conveyors are a reliable, efficient and economical solution for movement of materials to and from a construction site.

Among the different types of conveyors, the powered roller conveyors are very popular particularly in the warehousing and logistics industry. They are more robust and durable than belt conveyors and can carry the heaviest of loads. The rollers move on bearings. Some manufactures supply pre-lubricated bearings which minimize maintenance cost to a great extent.

The rollers used in conveyors are made from mild steel, stainless steel, PVC or aluminum. Stainless steel or PVC rollers are used in the food processing industry as they are specially designed to spray water on the materials being transported, washing them in the process. Rollers used in conveyors are of various types:- Gravity rollers High speed or low noise rollers Grooved Rollers Corrosion resistant rollers Chain Driven rollers

There are three main kinds of roller conveyor systems used in the manufacturing and distributing applications and based on its application, the most suitable kind is chosen.

Gravity roller conveyors are non-powered and the rollers are supported on shafts by bearings. Formed or structural punched frames contain these shafts by either retaining pins or internal springs. Since the roller conveyor is driven by gravity, the product can be free-wheeled manually (horizontally) or the product can be allowed to fall over a certain distance with a slight decline.

Lineshaft roller conveyors have a single shaft that runs below the rollers for the length of the conveyor frame. On the shaft there are a series of spools; one spool for each roller. Rubber o-rings run from spools on the powered shaft to each roller. The shaft is then powered by an electric motor and the rubber o-ring acts as a chain between the spool and the roller causing rotation. The rotating of the rollers pushes the product along the conveyor.

Pallet roller conveyors consist of thick walled rollers with sprockets attached to the ends that connect the rollers to the motor and facilitate the rotation of the rollers. Driven by chain to chain or tangential, or one common chain, drive mechanism, pallet roller conveyors have a fully enclosed side frame and an external shaft mounted motor. These have electronically switched “accumulation zones” and different sections of the conveyor can effectively run at different speeds, or stop altogether, independently of one another.