Timingbelt Conveyors

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www.robotunits.com.au

Copyright 2012

Conveyors: A

Convenient Way OfTransportation


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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 noneed 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 materialsbeing 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 theshipping 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 ofreading 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 theneed for enormous amounts of lifting power and also lessens the opposing force

that comes from rocks friction with the ground.

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 ofloading 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 themovement 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 ConveyorConveyors 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 screw-

type 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 beltconveyors 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 mostpeople 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 NeedsAlmost 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 beltscan 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.

Documents

Timingbelt Conveyors