|
Mobility Engineering have vast experience in all
areas of conveyors and materials handling, being
established for nearly 40 years. Being experienced in
designing and manufacturing all types of ground and
elevating conveyors has enabled Mobility to be familiar
and experienced in the majority of industry sectors,
ranging from light duty pharmaceutical to the heavier
automotive sectors.
Generally
conveyor systems can be broken down into two distinct
divisions - powered and non-powered. Non-powered
conveyors are gravity conveyors, therefore, relying on
gravity to get from A to B (either horizontally, by
human resources pushing, or via a decline, so the
product moves under it's own weight). Being non-powered
means you simply cannot control the movement/flow.
Powered conveyors, on the other hand, are much more
reliable and versatile with regards control and process
flow. Being powered, you are in control of how and how
fast the product goes from A to B, plus it can have the
added benefit of accumulation.
There are a multitude of conveyor configurations, but,
highlighted below are the basic conveyor types. |
|
Gravity Roller
Conveyors
Gravity roller conveyors use free rolling rollers to
convey product. The rollers range from typically 25mm in
diameter up to 76mm diameter. To create the correct
conveyor you must take into consideration the load
(product) to then determine the correct roller to use,
and the correct pitch (the distance from the centre of
one roller to the centre of the next roller). Good
practice states a minimum of three rollers to be under
the product at any one time.
Chain Driven Roller Conveyors
Chain conveyors are used for continual positive drive
over a fairly long distance, and are considered as
suitable in heavy industrial applications, for unit,
pallet and container handling. The chain is not only the
driving force, but is also the part that comes in
contact with the load.
PVC Belt Conveyors
The traditional, and still widely accepted form of
motorised conveying. Fabric belt conveyors use either
pvc/pu (smooth or grip top) or rubber belts, which are
either clipped together of vulcanised endless. They are
used predominantly where products being conveyed vary in
size and shape, plus where there is a need to
incline/decline.
Modular Belt
Conveyor Manufacturer
A more modern approach to the traditional fabric belts.
Devised in the 1980's, and taking off in the 1990's, it
took until the 2000's before the modular belt range
increased and prices became more competitive. Although
more expensive than fabric belts, they have much greater
versatility. As they are plastic links (more akin to a
chain than a belt), they are always positively driven
and tracked as they are driven over sprockets, rather
than a drum. It is also much easier to take apart for
maintenance and cleaning.
Powered Roller
Conveyors (Lineshaft)
Lineshaft powered roller conveyors are the light duty
powered roller conveyors, and are generally used to
transport (and accumulate) light'ish boxes (eg,
cardboard, plastic totes boxes and bins), up to
approximately 25/30Kgs. The lineshaft is a 25mm diameter
shaft (round bar) that constantly rotates and runs (via
a separate motor & gearbox) the full length of the
conveyor (a length of up to approximately 18m can be
achieved off one drive unit). There are a series of
spools (cotton reel shaped - or bobbins) on the shaft
that are loose. A PU band goes around the spool and
around a groove in the roller (forming a figure of 8).
Via friction (gained through the elasticity and torque
of the band), the spool pulls against the shaft and in
turn drives the roller. Lineshaft powered roller
conveyors use a 50mm diameter grooved roller, usually
set at 75mm pitch.
Powered Roller
Conveyors (Chain Driven)
This is the more
heavy duty side of conveying. Typical chain driven
powered roller conveyors utilise 63mm or 76mm diameter
(both with a 3.2mm wall thickness) rollers with a
sprocketed end. One roller is powered via an external
motor and gearbox, which then slaves the other rollers
via the chains on the sprockets. These types of
conveyors are commonly referred to as pallet conveyors,
as they are ideal to carry standard & bespoke pallets of
approximately 1 to 1.5 tons in weight. The roller pitch
varies for each application, but as a rule of thumb, you
would generally consider somewhere around 160mm
Slat Conveyors
(Acetal & Stainless Steel)
Slat conveyors are used predominantly for fast moving
consumable goods (fmcg), such as bottles (plastic and
glass), cans, tubs, jars, etc. The slats are limited to
300mm wide. Often known as slat chain, as the slats are
driven by sprockets. The actual slats can be either
acetal (high wear resistant plastic) or stainless steel.
As well as conveying, they are also used for
accumulation prior to filling or packing.
Magnetic
Conveyors
Magnetic conveyors are generally used to take ferrous
scrap metal (or finished product) from underneath a
press/punch machine, elevate it up and drop off into a
bin for removal. The surface of the conveyor is
stainless sheet. Underneath are chains that run both
sides and have a magnetic flight bar attached. The
magnetic flight bars essentially traps/pulls the product
to the sheet and drags it up the surface and drops it
off.
Parcelator
The parcelator as it's name would suggest is
predominantly used for the unloading and loading of high
volume parcels from shipping containers and vehicles.
The parcelator is a telescopic belt conveyor that's
allows loading and unloading in a safe, quick and
efficient manner. |
