Simon Actone View all articles | Contact author

A conveyor system is used to move materials from one place
to the other. Conveyors help in transporting bulky and heavy
materials. These machines are particularly useful for
remodeling work where huge amounts of debris need to be
removed from inside an existing structure.

A modular design of the conveyor line makes carriage of
materials round corners easier. Also the length and position
of the line can be adjusted according to the working area.
Movement of materials to and from a construction site is
made easier, hassle-free and economical with conveyors.

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.

Conveyor rollers can be made from mild steel, stainless
steel, PVC or aluminum. The Food processing industry uses
stainless steel or PVC rollers which are custom designed to
spray water, thereby washing the materials being carried.
The different types of rollers are:- 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 the
choice of the system is based on the purpose of its usage.

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.

In pallet roller conveyors sprockets are attached to the
ends of thick walled rollers, which connect them to a motor
and allow for rotational movement 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.
Electronically switched "accumulation zones" are a specialty
in this type of conveyor system. Additionally different
sections of the conveyor can effectively run at different
speeds and can run independently of one another.

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www.roller-conveyor.co.uk for more information on
(http://www.squidoo.com/rollerconveyor-page) powered roller
conveyors.