Conveyors Industry Information
IQS Newsroom Articles on Conveyor Systems
Conveyors are a type of material handling equipment which assist in
moving products, packages, foods or equipment from one place inside a
facility to another, or through various stages of automated
manufacturing or finishing. Because conveyors move such a broad range
of items, different conveyor configurations are available to meet the
material handling needs of manufacturers and distributors everywhere.
Belt conveyors are the most common, followed by
chain conveyors,
roller conveyors (or "skatewheel conveyors"),
overhead conveyors (or "monorail conveyors"),
vertical conveyors and
conveyor systems
which may use combinations of many different conveyor types. Most
conveyors are motorized, but some conveyor types, such as roller and
chute, are
gravity conveyors.
Pneumatic conveyors
also assist in transporting materials, but these tubular air-powered
conveyors specialize in bulk powder solid transportation, a different
type of conveying. Manufacturers and package handlers in almost every
industry make use of various types of conveyors or conveyor systems to
transport parts, products and packages through various processing
systems.
The most typical conveyor is the belt conveyor, which consists of a
wide polymer or rubber belt wrapped around rollers which turn in the
same direction, giving the belt and all objects on the belt linear
movement. This same construction is used with chain conveyors, except
that chains are wrapped around the wheels instead of a belt; chain
conveyors may move products along one chain or multiple parallel
chains. These are the most common conveyor types, being used for
general product movement in food processing, packaging and parts
manufacturing industries to transport items or to move unfinished
products through various stages of processing. Chain conveyors are
commonly used to move parts such as
powdered metal parts through ovens for sintering or drying, or to move unfinished metal parts through parts washing processes.
Roller conveyors are commonly used in these industries as well, using
individual rollers placed parallel to one another to provide movement.
Vertical conveyors are configured with platforms, buckets, grippers or
magnets around moving belts or chains which to lift items from one
level to another; although not as common, vertical conveyors can be
crucial in facilities where it is necessary to safely transport food
items or parts vertically. Parts manufacturers frequently use overhead
conveyors to transport parts and products across a facility and/or
through processing systems such as spray paint booths, dryers or ovens.
Conveyor systems combine many or all of these conveyor types to
transport products across a facility or to move unfinished products
through automated assembly lines or finishing processes. While most
conveyors are powered by electric or pneumatic motors and drive
systems, some conveyors are propelled by gravity; roller conveyors are
often moved by the inertia of products or packages rolling over them, a
design typically used in downward "spiral conveyors".
Conveyor and conveyor system manufacturers are creating innovative
solutions to new manufacturing challenges every day. Modern conveyor
systems are equipped not only to move parts across horizontal and
vertical distances, but also to curve, divert, lift and sort products
and packages as part of complete automated systems. These types of
advanced conveying processes are done by brushes, magnets, automated
levers, rails and even simple gravity. Packaging industries have
designed conveyor systems pre-programmed to sort specific boxes into
separate chutes, and automated food processing conveyors can handle and
sort the most delicate fruits and vegetables using sensors and robotic
handlers. When integrated with robotic processing, conveyors and
conveyor systems become powerful processing tools.