Effective Conveying Solutions for Manufacturing Ap
09th September 2021
The right conveyor solutions are needed for all kinds of manufacturing applications worldwide. Conveyors help speed up production lines and ensure streamlined processes, all while ensuring the security of your products and easing the burden on your workers.
There are a wide variety of different conveyor solutions available and as such, it can be difficult to settle on one configuration or system for your purposes. When selecting conveyors, make sure to bear in mind these factors:
Types of products being conveyed
Requirement for light, medium, or heavy-duty operations
Conveying speed required
Mode of operation preferred (powered or not powered)
At a minimum, these factors should help you roughly gauge the kind of system you should get.
In general, there are two main types of conveyor systems that are popular with manufacturing facilities:
1. Transport Conveyors
This is the most “basic” type of conveyor system. It is integrated into a full production line and can serve various functions from inventory to packaging, though its main purpose is to transport products. They can either come with conveyor belts which are supported by steel slider pans, or they can also come with rollers.
When you are selecting a conveyor system, you will also need to decide if you require conveyor belts or conveyor rollers. Typically, rollers can help keep energy usage to a minimum. On the other hand, conveyor belts are more suitable for products that require additional support, for instance, if they have slippery surfaces or are oddly shaped. Rollers can work with more rigid products, such as in the case of heavy-duty rollers in drag-chain style conveyors, which are most suitable for handling pallet loads for storage or loading pallets for shipping.
2. Accumulation Conveyors
Accumulation conveyors are able to start and stop based on preconfigured logic that has been inputted through a centralized control system. This start and stop function is necessary for manufacturing applications where the staging or buffering of products is required, for instance: stopping products at a zone for assembly, labelling, or palletizing operations. These are highly automated systems, with the main goal being seamlessness and efficiency.
Additional Accessories for Added Functionality
On top of your base conveyor system, you can add accessories to improve its functionality. Here are some examples of useful accessories:
Transfer devices: for moving products on and off of conveyors
Turntables or lift-and-rotate devices: change the direction of products during the conveying flow
In-motion scales: to weigh products while they are being conveyed
Guide railings: to secure products