GUIDE TO DIFFERENT TYPES OF POWERED CONVEYORS

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POSTED BY: SJF MATERIAL HANDLING

POWER CONVEYOR GUIDE

Power conveyor is an integral product in any conveyor system. Powered conveyor consists of both roller and belt type conveyors - each having a unique drive system and purpose. Most power conveyors consist of both drive sections as well as slave sections - the difference being that drive units can supply power to one or more slave units to create an entire run of conveyor. Combined with conveyor accessories and gravity conveyor, a power conveyor system can be run through an entire facility to transport finished or unfinished goods to workstatio0ns, docks or any other location needed.

Below are some sample images and cutaways of the different types of power conveyor as well as some of their common uses. If you have any questions about the best conveyor solution for your operation, please contact an SJF Material Handling at 320-485-4974 and speak to one of their conveyor professionals.

Accumulation Conveyor

ACCUMULATION CONVEYOR

Accumulation conveyor is typically used in conjunction with other conveyor types in a complete conveyor system. Accumulation conveyor consists of pop-up sensor rollers located in 'zones' which use a pressurized air system to hold your product in a queue until it receives a signal to release it to the next stage of operations. This can include moving products one at a time onto a weigh station, case sealer, sort system, palletizer, or any other work station.

There are several types of common accumulation conveyor, however two are more common than the others. Zero pressure accumulation conveyor will eliminate package collisions on the conveyor line by leaving gaps between each individual box, while minimum pressure accumulation conveyor will place the individual boxes next to each other with little back pressure.

Accumulation conveyor is one of the most vital links in any large conveyor system. Without it, your sortation system, packaging machine, scale or other automated machines will quickly become overloaded and will not function properly.

Belt Driven Conveyor

BELT DRIVEN LIVE ROLLER CONVEYOR

Belt driven live roller conveyor consists of load rollers, a drive belt, return rollers and an external motor. The load rollers make up the surface on which product is transported. The rollers move using a belt that is located underneath the load rollers which provides friction directly on the rollers and creates forward movement. The return rollers are used to keep the belt in place under the conveyor as well as to maintain tension on the belt at all times.

Belt driven live roller conveyor can be used in accumulation, induction, and merge systems where product sizes and weights tend to vary. It provides limited capabilities for inclined movement or packages of differing shapes.

Belt Over Roller Conveyor

BELT OVER ROLLER CONVEYOR
(AKA: BELT ON ROLLER)

With belt over roller conveyor, the belt can be either sliderbed supported or supported by return rollers located underneath the load rollers. Belt on roller conveyor is a fairly common type of powered conveyor and is what many people think of when they envision powered conveyor. Belt on roller conveyor is very useful for transporting light and medium weight loads between locations.

In addition to being a good general purpose powered conveyor, belt over roller is also a desired solution for inclines or declines. Powered belt over roller conveyor provides much control over the orientation and placement of loads, which can be good for bulky, irregularly shaped products. Because product orientation is easily controlled with belt over roller, it also makes a good conveyor to use in induction and sortation conveyor systems.

Lineshaft Conveyor

LINESHAFT CONVEYOR

Lineshaft conveyors can be used used for both transporting and accumulating products. Lineshaft makes use of a drive shaft which runs the length of the underside of the conveyor, and drives the load rollers individually using belts. Since the rollers are individually powered, lineshaft conveyor can easily be used for accumulation operations where there is a minimum amount of backpressure on the product being transported.

The driveshaft is powered by a motor. Some configurations of lineshaft conveyor allow the conveyor to run both forwards or backwards depending on the situation desired. Because there are fewer moving parts, today's lineshaft conveyor is typically quieter than traditional live roller conveyors. The belts also assist in reducing noise by holding the rollers firmly in place inside the frames which results in less rattling.

Chain Driven Conveyor

CHAIN DRIVEN CONVEYOR

Chain driven live roller conveyor (sometimes referred to as pallet conveyor) is typically used to transport heavy loads at controlled speeds. Chains drive sprockets on the load rollers which in turn drives a chain and the sprocket on the next roller, etc. These systems transmit the same amount of power to each roller thus insuring a smooth, even ride. These conveyors are very powerful and so are often found in foundries, manufacturing plants or other environments where a rugged conveyor solution is needed.

Chain Driven conveyor offers several advantages that other types typically do not or cannot. For instance, because there is no belt(s) chain driven conveyor can transport both hot and cold loads that could damage other conveyor types. Chain driven conveyor can also resist contamination by grease and other particulate matter better than other conveyor types. Chain driven live roller conveyor is also better able to tolerate uneven pallet bottoms or drums.

Trash Conveyor

TRASH CONVEYOR

Trash conveyor and regular sliderbed conveyor are two very similar products with one important difference. Trash conveyor has guard rails attached to the sides of its frame to prevent materials from falling off the conveyor belt into the work area. Return rollers keep tension on the conveyor belt keeping it taut.

Trash conveyor is used mainly to transport empty boxes, paper trash and other light-weight refuse to a disposal area, compactor or incinerator while keeping it out of the way of production areas. It can help to create a better organized work area that will allow your employees to perform their work efficiently and without hindrance. Since trash conveyor utilizes a sliderbed design, there are few moving parts to create noise. The sliderbed design of trash conveyor also makes it great for transporting materials on inclines and declines.

Sliderbed Conveyor

SLIDERBED CONVEYOR

Sliderbed conveyor and trash conveyor are very similar products, but regular sliderbed conveyor does not usually have guard rails. Many capacities of sliderbed are available, but lighter weights are more common. Sliderbed conveyor uses return rollers to run a conveyor belt along a smooth bed,allowing for the smooth transportation of many different load types. If the load is something that can roll easily it's best to place it on a skid, pallet or even in a box.

Sliderbed can easily carry loose components and other materials that roller conveyors have a harder time transporting. Since sliderbed conveyor has few moving parts, it does not create much noise. The sliderbed conveyor design also makes it useful for transporting loads on inclines and declines. Typical sliderbed applications include inspection, transportation and assembly line operations.

As you can see - there are several types of power conveyor. These can all be mixed and matched within a complete conveyor system. Call an SJF solutions specialist if you have any additional questions about either powered or gravity conveyors & conveyor systems at 320-485-4974

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