CONVEYORS &

CONVEYING SYSTEM
Conveyors are used:

• When material is to be moved frequently between

specific points

• To move materials over a fixed path

• When there is a sufficient flow volume to justify the

fixed conveyor investment
Conveyors can be classified in different ways:

• Type of product being handled: unit load or bulk

load

• Location of the conveyor: in-floor, on-floor, or

overhead

• Whether loads can accumulate on the conveyor or no

accumulation is possible
CHUTE CONVEYOR

• Unit/Bulk + On-Floor + Accumulate

• Inexpensive
• Used to link two handling devices
• Used to provide accumulation in shipping areas
• Used to convey items between floors
• Difficult to control position of the items
WHEEL CONVEYOR

• Unit + On-Floor + Accumulate

• Uses a series of skate wheels mounted on a shaft (or axle)
• Spacing of the wheels is dependent on the load being
transported
• Slope for gravity movement depends on load weight
• More economical than the roller conveyor
• For light-duty applications
• Flexible, expandable mobile versions available
ROLLER CONVEYOR

• Unit + On-Floor + Accumulate

• May be powered (or live) or nonpowered (or gravity)
• Materials must have a rigid riding surface
• Minimum of three rollers must support smallest loads at all times
• Tapered rollers on curves used to maintain load orientation
• Parallel roller configuration can be used as a (roller) pallet
conveyor (more flexible than a chain pallet conveyor because
rollers can be used to accommodate are greater variation of pallet
widths)
GRAVITY ROLLER CONVEYOR

• Alternative to wheel conveyor

• For heavy-duty applications
• Slope (i.e., decline) for gravity movement depends
on load weight
• For accumulating loads
LIVE (POWERED) ROLLER CONVEYOR

• Belt or chain driven

• Force-sensitive transmission can be used to
disengage rollers for accumulation
• For accumulating loads and merging/sorting
operations
• Provides limited incline movement capabilities
CHAIN CONVEYOR

• Unit + In-/On-Floor + No Accumulation

• Uses one or more endless chains on which loads are carried
directly
• Parallel chain configuration used as (chain) pallet conveyor or
as a pop-up device for sortation (see Sortation conveyor: Pop-
up devices)
• Vertical chain conveyor used for continuous high-frequency
vertical transfers, where material on horizontal platforms
attached to chain link (cf. vertical conveyor used for low-
frequency intermittent transfers)
SLAT CONVEYOR

• Unit + In-/On-Floor + No Accumulation

• Uses discretely spaced slats connected to a chain
• Unit being transported retains its position (like a belt conveyor)
• Orientation and placement of the load is controlled
• Used for heavy loads or loads that might damage a belt
• Bottling and canning plants use flat chain or slat conveyors
because of wet conditions, temperature, and cleanliness
requirements
• Tilt slat conveyor used for sortation
•
FLAT BELT CONVEYOR

• Unit + On-Floor + No Accumulation

• For transporting light- and medium-weight loads between operations,
departments, levels, and buildings When an incline or decline is required
• Provides considerable control over the orientation and placement of load
No smooth accumulation, merging, and sorting on the belt
• The belt is roller or slider bed supported; the slider bed is used for small
and irregularly shaped items
• In 1957, B.F. Goodrich, Co. patented the Möbius strip for conveying hot
or abrasive substances in order to have “both” sides wear equally13
• Telescopic boom attachments are available for trailer loading and
unloading, and can include ventilation to pump conditioned air into the
trailer14
MAGNETIC BELT CONVEYOR

• Bulk + On-Floor
• A steel belt and either a magnetic slider bed or a
magnetic pulley is used
• To transport ferrous materials vertically, upside
down, and around corners
TROUGHED BELT CONVEYOR

• Bulk + On-Floor
• Used to transport bulk materials
• When loaded, the belt conforms to the shape of the
troughed rollers and idlers
BUCKET CONVEYOR

• Bulk + On-Floor
• Used to move bulk materials in a vertical or inclined path
• Buckets are attached to a cable, chain, or belt
• Buckets are automatically unloaded at the end of the conveyor
run
VIBRATING CONVEYOR

• Bulk + On-Floor
• Consists of a trough, bed, or tube Vibrates at a relatively high
frequency and small amplitude in order to convey individual units
of products or bulk material
• Can be used to convey almost all granular, free-flowing materials
• An Oscillating Conveyor is similar in construction, but vibrates at a
lower frequency and larger amplitude (not as gentle) in order to
convey larger objects such as hot castings
SCREW CONVEYOR

• Bulk + On-Floor
• Consists of a tube or U-shaped stationary trough through which a
shaft-mounted helix revolves to push loose material forward in a
horizontal or inclined direction
• One of the most widely used conveyors in the processing industry,
with many applications in agricultural and chemical processing
• Straight-tube screw conveyor sometimes referred to as an “auger
feed” Water screw developed circa 250 BC by Archimedes
•
 PNEUMATIC CONVEYOR

• Bulk/Unit + Overhead
• Can be used for both bulk and unit movement of materials
• Air pressure is used to convey materials through a system of
vertical and horizontal tubes
• Material is completely enclosed and it is easy to implement turns
and vertical moves
DILUTE-PHASE PNEUMATIC CONVEYOR

• Moves a mixture of air and solid

• Push (positive pressure) systems push material from one entry
point to several discharge points
• Pull (negative pressure or vacuum) systems move material from
several entry points to one discharge point
• Push-pull systems are combinations with multiple entry and
discharge points
CARRIER-SYSTEM PNEUMATIC CONVEYOR

• Carriers are used to transport items or paperwork

• Examples: transporting money to/from drive-in stalls at banks and
documents between floors of a skyscraper
 VERTICAL CONVEYOR

• Unit + On-Floor + No Accumulation

• Used for low-frequency intermittent vertical transfers a load to
different floors and/or mezzanines (cf. vertical chain conveyor
can be used for continuous high-frequency vertical transfers)
• Differs from a freight elevator in that it is not designed or
certified to carry people
• Can be manually or automatically loaded and/or controlled and
can interface with horizontal conveyors
• Alternative to a chute conveyor for vertical “drops” when load is
fragile and/or space is limited
VERTICAL LIFT CONVEYOR

• Series of flexible conveyor-carriers rotate in a loop,

where empty carriers flex perpendicularly to provide
access to loaded carriers moving past them in
opposite direction
RECIPROCATING VERTICAL CONVEYOR

• Carrier used to raise or lower load

• Can be powered (hydraulic or mechanical) or non-
powered
• Non-powered version only be used to lower a load,
where counterweight used to return empty carrier to
top
•
CART-ON-TRACK CONVEYOR

• Unit + In-Floor + Accumulate

• Used to transport carts along a track
• Carts are transported by a rotating tube
• Drive wheel connected to each cart rests on tube and is used to
vary the speed of the cart (by varying angle of contact between
drive wheel and the tube)
• Carts are independently controlled Accumulation can be achieved
by maintaining the drive wheel parallel to the tube
 TOW CONVEYOR

• Unit + In-Floor + Accumulate

• Uses towline to provide power to wheeled carriers such as trucks,
dollies, or carts that move along the floor
• Used for fixed-path travel of carriers (each has variable path capabilities
when disengaged from towline)
• Although usually in the floor, the towline can be located overhead or
flush with the floor
• Selector-pin or pusher-dog arrangements used to allow automatic
switching (power or spur lines)
• Generally used when long distance and high frequency moves are
required
TROLLEY CONVEYOR

• Unit + Overhead + No Accumulation

• Uses a series of trolleys supported from or within an overhead
track
• Trolleys are equally spaced in a closed loop path and are
suspended from a chain
• Carriers are used to carry multiple units of product
• Does not provide for accumulation
• Commonly used in processing, assembly, packaging, and storage
operations
POWER-AND-FREE CONVEYOR

• Unit + Overhead/On-Floor + Accumulate

• Similar to trolley conveyor due to use of discretely spaced carriers
transported by an overhead chain; however, power-and-free
conveyor uses two tracks: one powered and the other nonpowered
(or free)
• Carriers can be disengaged from the power chain and accumulated
or switched onto spurs
• Termed an Inverted Power-and-Free Conveyor when tracks are
located on the floor
•
MONORAIL

• Unit + Overhead + Accumulate

• Overhead single track (i.e., mono-rail) or track network on which
one or more carriers ride
• Carriers: powered (electrically or pneumatically) or nonpowered
• Carrier can range from a simple hook to a hoist to an intelligent-
vehicle-like device Single-carrier, single-track monorail similar to
bridge or gantry crane Multi-carrier, track network monorail
similar to both a trolley conveyor, except that the carriers operate
MONORAIL

• independently and the track need not be in a closed loop, and a

fixed-path automatic guided vehicle (AGV) system, except that it
operates overhead
• Termed an Automated Electrified Monorail (AEM) system when it
has similar control characteristics as an AGV system
 SORTATION CONVEYOR

• Unit + On-Floor/Overhead
• Sortation conveyors are used for merging, identifying, inducting,
and separating products to be conveyed to specific destinations.
• Sortation system throughput is expressed in cartons per minute
(CPM).
• A sortation system is composed of three subsystems:
 SORTATION CONVEYOR

• Merge subsystem—items transported from picking (storage) or

receiving areas on conveyors and consolidated for proper
presentation at the induct area.
• Induct subsystem—destination of each item identified by visual
inspection or automatic identification system (e.g., bar code
scanner), then a proper gap between items is generated using
short variable speed conveyors as they are released to the sort
subsystem.
• Sort subsystem—items are diverted to outbound conveyors to
shipping, palletizing, staging, and/or secondary sort subsystems.
SORTATION CONVEYOR: DIVERTERS

• Stationary or movable arms that deflect, push, or pull a product

to desired destination Since they do not come in contact with the
conveyor, they can be used with almost any flat surface conveyor
• Usually hydraulically or pneumatically operated, but also can be
motor driven Simple and low cost
SORTATION CONVEYOR: POP-UP DEVICES

• One or more rows of powered rollers or wheels or chains that pop

up above surface of conveyor to lift product and guide it off
conveyor at an angle; wheels are lowered when products not
required to be diverted
• Only capable of sorting flat-bottomed items Pop-up rollers (not
shown) are generally faster than pop-up wheels
SORTATION CONVEYOR: SLIDING SHOE SORTER

• Sliding shoe sorter (a.k.a. moving slat sorter) uses series

of diverter slats that slide across the horizontal surface
to engage product and guide it off conveyor
• Slats move from side to side as product flows in order to
divert the product to either side
• Gentle and gradual handling of products
SORTATION CONVEYOR: TILTING DEVICE

• Trays or slats provide combined sorting mechanism and product

transporter Can accommodate elevation changes
• Tilt tray sorters usually designed in continuous loops with compact
layout and recirculation of products not sorted first time
• Tilt slat sorters carry products on flat-surface slat conveyor and
can handle wider variety of products compared to tilt tray
SORTATION CONVEYOR: CROSS-BELT
TRANSFER DEVICE

• Either continuous loop, where individual carriages are linked

together to form an endless loop, or train style (asynchronous),
where a small number of carriers tied together with potential for
several trains running track simultaneously
• Each carriage equipped with small belt conveyor, called the cell,
that is mounted perpendicular to direction of travel of loop and
discharges product at appropriate destination
• Automatically separates single line of products into multiple in-
line discharge lines