Conveyors: A Convenient Way Of Transportation

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Table Of Contents
Types of Gravity-Operated Conveyor Systems 3 Conveyors: Providing an Effective Means of Transport in All Industries 5 Use a Timingbelt Conveyor for Better, More Precise Transport 7 Creative Uses for a Belt Conveyor ..9 Conveyor Belt Suppliers Offer a Variety of Choices for Your Companys Needs ..11

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Types of Gravity-Operated Conveyor Systems

Whenever someone mentions the word conveyor people usually think of those continuously moving belt loops that can be found inside factories, devices whose main function is simply to transport things. This image is, in fact, correct. However, what most people dont know is that there are so many other types of conveyors, and each one has its own unique characteristics as well as a set of advantages that make it appropriate for a certain type of industry. One of the most commonly used conveyor systems is the gravity-operated type. Gravity-operated conveyors are simply just thatdriven by gravity. There is no need to use power for objects to be transported using this system, except for the power of gravity itself. These conveyors are usually set at an incline to facilitate the movement of materials down towards the end of the conveyor. There are several kinds of conveyors under this category, including chute conveyors, rollers, and wheeled conveyors. Chute conveyors are simply comprised of metal sheets set at an incline, sort of like the slide that can be seen in a childrens playground. This kind of system has no moving parts, making it very easy to maintain. And because of its simple structure, it is also the least expensive among all the types of conveyors available. However, this kind of conveyor does not provide any means to control the movement of the materials being transported, and packages may turn and shift positions during transport, eventually causing blockages or jams along the conveyors path.
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Roller-type conveyors, on the other hand, are made of a series of rollers lined up together. This system may be powered by electricity, but it can be driven by gravity as well when the rollers are set at an incline. It is important for materials being transported using this mechanism to not be too smooth or slippery since some traction is needed to drive the conveyors movement; otherwise, they wont be moving along the path of the rollers. Another type of gravity-operated means for transporting items is the wheel conveyor. This is made up of skate wheels that are mounted on a series of shafts. Wheel conveyors may offer more mobility than rollers since it takes only a small amount of force to move each wheel, compared with the weight that has to be applied to make a roller in roller conveyors move. As such, they can provide a more economical choice for transporting objects, since they can be used for both heavy materials and light packages. These are the three basic types of gravity-operated conveyor systems. Obviously, the biggest advantage that using these is that they dont need electricity to run. For processes that simply need to transfer items from one point to another, these conveyors may be enough.

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Conveyors: Providing an Effective Means of Transport in All Industries

Even if youre not in the shipping industry, moving objects from one place to another is still an essential task for the daily operations of a business. Newspaper printing companies need some form of delivery method to get piles of reading materials out of the printing house and into trucks for distribution. Mining companies need a safe way to carry heavy loads of rocks and metal ores out of the mines and into processing plants. Production lines in factories, on the other hand, need to be equipped with a means of transport that allows assembly tasks to be carried out seamlessly. All these can be done by a group of people manually, but of course, it will not be efficient nor will it be safe. It is for this reason that the conveyor was invented. A conveyor is simply a device that is used to transferto convey, that ismaterials from one place to another. However, dont think that conveyors are a modern invention, because even the ancient Egyptians have employed a crude conveyor system while they were building the pyramids. How else could they have moved those massive piles of rock? In this case, the Egyptians used a simple roller conveyor made up of logs and planks placed on top. This system proved to be a lot more efficient than hoisting the boulders manually or pulling them using ropes, since it eliminates the need for enormous amounts of lifting power and also lessens the opposing force that comes from rocks friction with the ground.
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This primitive method of transport has improved vastly over the ages, and with the ingenuity of modern man, has been adapted to cater to the specific needs of
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certain industries. For example, the mining industry now makes use of bucket conveyors, a type of conveyor with buckets attached to a cable, chain, or belt, to transport mining materials. This kind of conveyor system is strong enough to transport heavy loads of rock and metal and can also move vertically or at an incline, making it appropriate for the mining setting. The buckets automatically unload their contents at the end of the run. Another exceptional invention is the screw conveyor that is commonly used in agriculture, water processing, and even in the oil industry. This type of conveyor is a unique one since it makes use of a rotating helical screw blade housed within a tube. Screw conveyors are usually used to transport granular materials like grain and boiler ash as well as liquids that cannot be effectively transferred using bucket conveyors. It can transport materials in any direction, whether, horizontal, inclined, or even vertical.
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There are many other types of conveyor systems, each one with specific features that make it suitable for a certain task. Some are designed to sort materials as they move, like the sortation conveyor, while others maintain cleanliness for food-grade applications, as in the case of vibrating conveyors. Whatever the nature of industry you are in, there will always be need for some kind of transport, and as such, there will always be a conveyor system available to do just that.

Use a Timingbelt Conveyor for Better, More Precise Transport

In some industries, transporting objects from one point to another is merely a matter of loading the materials to an appropriate conveyor system and letting the machinery do its work without paying any attention to how the objects are placed or whether they are spaced apart evenly. However, in some cases, more precise orientation and spacing is an essential part of the transport system, and thus, a more specialised kind of conveyor is needed. This is particularly true in factories where serial assembly by man or machine is required; the conveyor in these cases should be able to keep the product in a specific position on the belt so that
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whatever construction that needs to be done can be done accurately and without hassle. For situations like this, a regular belt conveyor will not do, and a different type, the timingbelt conveyor, is more appropriate. A timingbelt conveyor is similar to most belt conveyors in that it utilizes a loop of material that is rotated around two pulleys, creating a means of transport that moves objects along a path continuously. What distinguishes this type of conveyor from other belt conveyors is simply that it uses a timing belt, which differs from regular belts because of the presence of teeth in the interior portion of the belt. These teeth can clamp better to the pulleys, and as such, offers a myriad of features that regular belt conveyors dont have. First among the special features of a timingbelt conveyor is more precise control on the belts movement. Since the belt grips the pulleys much better, every single turn or stop of the pulley directly affects the motion of the belt itself. So when its time to move, the belt moves, and when its time to stop, the belt stops accordingly. This is particularly important in assembly lines, especially in those manned by robotic machinery whose functions are calibrated according to position.

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In addition to more precise movement, timingbelt conveyors also have a higher load-carrying capacity than regular ones. Heavy loads can affect the movement of regular belt conveyor, since the weight applies a much larger shear force on the belt. A large enough shear force reduces the traction between the pulleys and the belt, and so the belt will not move anymore. Using a timingbelt conveyor lessens the effects of shear force; traction is maintained by the grip of the belts teeth on the pulleys, and thus transport is not affected. Lastly, the belts of timingbelt conveyors can maintain their alignment for much longer. The teeth help hold the belts in place, and so there is no need for adjustment. This is not the case with regular belt conveyors, whose belts may slip out of position over time. Whats more, holes and attachments can be added to a timing belt, which you cannot do on a regular belt without compromising its functionality.

Creative Uses for a Belt Conveyor

Conveyors are industrial equipment whose main function is to transport objects from one place to another. There are many different types of conveyors, which includes the mining staple that is the bucket conveyor and the unusual screwtype system that is used in agriculture and water processing. However, when people hear the word conveyor, what they would most likely think of first is the belt conveyor, a type of conveyor system that is commonly used in manufacturing and assembly lines seen in factories. Because of its
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popularity as a transport tool in factories, most people would simply associate belt conveyors with this kind of business. However, if you go out of your house and take a closer look, youll notice that belt conveyors are actually used for purposes beyond factory work. When you go to the mall, you can ride on an escalator to get to the floor above. Did you notice that an escalator is actually just another belt conveyor? As in all belt conveyors, an escalator transports thingsin this case, peoplefrom one place to another using two pulleys that continuously move a loop of material, which in this case is a loop of movable stairs steps. Now when you go the grocery and pay for your purchases at the checkout counter, did notice that theres a small belt conveyor that moves your items closer to the cashier? These are some of the more common ways that belt conveyors are being used in everyday life. However, belt conveyors have been employed in much more creative purposes than simply transporting things. For instance, some clever restaurant owners have made use of belt conveyors as a fancy way of presenting food. Of course, the concept of delivering food through a conveyor is nothing newthink of Japanese fast food restaurants that serve sushi on rotating belt conveyorsbut if you place the food in little boats and decorate the conveyor to make it look like a river, then youve already got a whole new purpose for a conveyor: creative presentation. The creative presentation that a belt conveyor offers has also been utilised in the advertising industry. Belt conveyors are continuously moving, and an ad that is placed strategically on one can tell a story with each movement of the belt. Think
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of Milky Ways advertisement touting the stretchy caramel inside their chocolate bar: as the belt moves, an image on the belt shows the caramel stretching farther and farther. Belt conveyors are simply regarded as a machine that transports things, and most people would think nothing else of these contraptions. However, with a little ingenuity and creative brainstorming, belt conveyors need never be just another transporting tool.

Conveyor Belt Suppliers Offer a Variety of Choices for Your Companys Needs
Almost every business has at least one part of its operations where an efficient and cost-effective means of transporting some materials is necessary. For example, in the printing business, you will need to move newly printed materials away from the printing press to make room for the next batches and also so that they can be bound, sorted, and distributed by delivery trucks to bookstores and newsstands. In the mining industry, you need to have a system for moving large piles of rock and metal ore from the mines so they can be treated and refined at a processing plant. Even the food industry is not exempt from the need for an effective transport system: mass production of food items needs to be done systematically, and the finished products have to be moved so they can be packaged and sold to stores. While all these industries call for belt conveyors, the level of work for each one is different. As such, the machinery requirements for each industry are also different, and you have to choose conveyor parts that are suitable for the
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task at hand. You have to check the different types of conveyor parts, starting from the engine down to the conveyor belt. Suppliers can give you valuable advice as to what type of belt material to choose for a specific purpose. For instance, strict adherence to sanitation laws is necessary in the food industry, and as a result, you will need to use conveyor belts that can handle food while keeping the surface clean at the same time. Businesses that deal mainly with fresh food, for example, should make use of plastic modular belts whose surface can withstand the damaging effects of knife chopping and hot-water rinsing that comes with preparing and packaging vegetables and fruits. This kind of belt also does not absorb liquid, making it less likely to harbour bacteria. Food-grade conveyor belts are also used in the medicine and cosmetic industry since these businesses are required to maintain cleanliness in their production as well. For conveyors that are used for specialised applications that involve extreme conditions, conveyor belt suppliers would recommend the use of heavy duty belts. Such belts can endure destructive factors like harsh chemicals, mechanical forces, cutting, and abrasion. Processes that may need reinforced conveyor belts include metal stamping and automated die-cutting where mechanical damage is rampant, as well as cardboard processing and paper handling that are both proven to be very abrasive applications. There are many different types of industries where using a belt conveyor system is an absolute necessity. There are also many different types of belting material suitable to specific tasks. However, you need not overwhelm yourself with the many considerations that you have to take whenever you need to purchase belts. Conveyor belt suppliers can give you all the assistance you need in choosing the belt material that is perfect for your purpose.
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