Conveyors are material handling systems that are designed to move all sorts of materials, parts, and supplies. The purpose of each of these systems is to save business on time, energy, and cost. When it comes these conveyor systems, there are many different kinds. Each has their own “pros” and “cons.” This series of articles is going to cover all of the major kinds of conveyor systems and which systems are best suited for certain operations. Factors that determine this are costs, energy consumption, materials being conveyed, and more. Here is the second part to the series where we help you determine which conveyor is right for your operation.

Overhead Conveyor

The purpose of these conveyors is to make the best use out of the space that you have. Overhead conveyors do the work above all of the workers and equipment. There is an endless loop of chain on an endless track or a straight run of a trolley. When it comes to handling the material, it is attached to carriers which are either on trollies or directly attached to the chain. Another benefit of this conveyor system is that they are modular so that they can work around complex floor patterns and building designs. Overhead conveyors are also extremely energy efficient when compared to most floor conveyors. One of the major downsides is that there are usually increased installation prices when it comes to this style of conveying. There are no specific types of overhead conveyors however there are common differences in set ups.

Open vs Closed Tracks

Closed tracks are less likely to decay since contaminants can not get into the track. This, in turn, prevents damage to the conveyor system and the materials being conveyed. Closed tracks are also a lot better when there are bends in the conveyor path since you do not want the carriers to come off of the path. Open tracks are easier to install and use the trolley instead of the chains. These are simple convyors that carry heavier stuff on a straight path.

Powered vs Free

Free conveyors are where the energy efficiency comes from. Workers have to push/pull the items being conveyed but there is no running cost when it comes to power. Free conveyors are used when there are heavy, large porducts that workers need complete access to so that work can be done by hand. When it comes to the powered conveyors, they usually use a fractional horsepower motor and are still very energy efficient. Powered conveyors just have the added benefit of requiring no manual labor.

Synchronous vs Asynchronous

In synchronous set ups, operators control the line from a drive control. All items are equally spaced and stop and start together. Asynchronous items move on their own and are generally not powered.

When it comes to deciding which of these systems are right for you, there are several criteria.

The Laid, geometry, and load capacity
Conveying distance and speed (if you have to go fast and far you don’t want to do it by hand)
Control required, the environment the system is being used in (closed tracks are better when things can get into the system), and any other special requirements

Pneumatic Conveyor

These conveyors are used to push mass granular/ powdered products through airtight pipelines by using airflow, gas, or pressure. Since these pipes are airtight, there is no damage or loss of materials. There are several benefits when it comes to pneumatic conveyors. These conveyors; move items at long distance vertically or horizontally, require less floor space, are sealed off from contaminants, have very little moving parts, and are easy to maintain the Internal conditions. There are also several downsides when it comes to pneumatic conveyors. They are as follows; can’t do high product volume since most pipes are between 3 and 12 inches, blowers and fans are noisy, and wet product can clog pipes. Depending on your needs, there are three kinds of pneumatic conveyors.

Lean phase which uses gas velocity that is more than 17-18 m/s with a vacuum conveying pressure less than 0.1 barg. These are really great for non-abrasive materials with low bulk density
Medium phase also has a gas velocity that is more than 17-18 m/s, however, the pressure can be as much as 0.35 barg.
Dense phase uses pulses of air instead of suspending for the conveying of fragile materials.

Bucket Conveyor

Buckets are held in an upright position, scoop materials, and then drop them due to a mechanical and positive discharge. Bucket conveyors are really important in situations where the materials that are being conveyed have the need to be gently handled. A bucket elevator is a type of bucket conveyor, however, the material is discharged using centrifuge force. These conveyors also have really low energy requirements. This is due to the fact that either side of the vertical elevation has equal weight when the bucket assembly is loaded. Therefore the only energy required is that to overcome the inertia of the system and the weight of the materials being conveyed. Because of this previously mentioned fact, it is crucial that material is fed into the system in an equal and uniform manner. Failure to do so can lead to overfill and spillage. Vibratory feeders and screw conveyors can be used to prevent these issues and ensure uniform feeding of the material. When is comes to the capacity of these conveyors, there are three factors; bucket size, number of buckets per foot, and operating speed.

When there is a risk of explosion due to dust, it is crucial that a fully enclosed conveyor is used that meets European ATEX or other similar American compliancies. To do this, conveyor owners need to meet these critical components:

Fully enclosed designs.
Explosion proof motors with complete grounding of electrical systems.
Provision of conductive bucket assemblies. These are ones with static proof plastic buckets/ joint strips and rubber belt drives.
Unpainted pulleys and shafts to allow a conductive path to the ground.
Conductive grease in the bearings.
Ground straps and grounding wires provided through the entire frame assembly.

Vibrating Conveyor

This conveyor consists of a fixed pathway, usually a trough, that uses vibrations to move materials up or down the fixed pathway. These vibrations are caused by one of three main drive mechanisms; cranks/springs, rotating weights, or electromagnets. The goal of these drive mechanisms is to minimize amplitude while maximizing frequency. These conveyors are used when high sanitation and low maintenance are the two most important factors. This is because vibrating conveyors are hard to break and can work under harsh conditions while conveying fragile material. When it comes time to purchase one of these conveyors, the selection criteria are; load capacity and speed of the pieces going through the conveyor, trough length and vibrational frequency, and controls and special considerations. With all of that being said, there are four main kinds of vibrating conveyors.

Standard vibrating conveyors move 1-40 tons of light to medium density materials at a rate of 60 ft per minute. These conveyors have little to no wear and are usually modular and portable.
Heavy duty vibrating conveyors move more material at a faster rate (up to 500 tons per hour at 90 feet per minute). The only downside to these conveyors is that they require increased power requirements.
Vibratory Feeders are a conveyor that continuously weighs and feeds materials into another subsystem within an operation.
Oscillating conveyors are technically a vibrating conveyor however they work at lower frequencies and larger amplitudes than the other kinds.

Chain Conveyor

These conveyors do away with a pulley system completely and switch over to a towing system. Endless chains run over sprockets at either end of the system and are used to transmit power and convey materials. These systems are easy to install, have very little maintenance, and are used to move heavy loads. There are four main kinds of chain conveyors:

Drag/Scraper/En Masse- These move solid materials directly through a trough
Flight - Same as a drag conveyor except flights are attached to the chain in regular intervals to move the materials
Apron
Plain Chain

Escalators are common examples of chain conveyors.

Magnetic/Material/Belt Magnetic Conveyors

These conveyors are very similar to the belt conveyors in the first blog post. The big difference is that these have ceramic magnets in the belt to hold materials that contain iron to the belt. This allows these conveyors to transport materials upside down, on inclines, and on declines. Materials leave the belt when the magnet leaves the slider belt path.

Screw/Auger Conveyor

These conveyors use a helical screw blade to move granular material or liquid through a tube/trough. These tend to be used vertically or at an incline.

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