Modern Materials Handling - April 2011

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KeepmaterialsmovingCartons, totes, pallets, componentsand finished goods can travel for mileson conveyor through manufacturingfacilities, warehouses and distributioncenters. Here’s a look at the mostcommon conveyors used to transportproducts to their final destinations.By Lorie King Rogers, Associate Editor30 A P R I L 2 0 1 1 / MODERN MATERIALS HANDLING mmh.com
MODERN Equipment 101: ConveyorsA primer for warehouse/DC managersCONVEYOR HAS BEEN A STAPLE in the materials handlingindustry for decades. As the demand for reduced cost, increasedthroughput and integrated automation grows, so does the need forconveyor systems of all types.Conveyor is available in many stylesand is used in countless applications.In this Equipment 101 article, <strong>Modern</strong>spotlights the basics of some of themost common conveyor types:• Non-powered skatewheel androller conveyor• Powered, or live, belt and rollerconveyor used in handling packagesand other small products• Powered chain and roller conveyorused in handling pallet loads of goodsNON-POWERED CONVEYORNon-powered conveyor, the simplestform of conveyor, uses the naturalforces of inertia and/or gravity to keepproducts moving.Portable sections of non-poweredconveyor are often used for loadingpackages onto the back of an over-theroadtruck. Non-powered conveyor canalso serve as takeaway conveyor for cartonscoming out of an automated sorter,and it’s often used in workstations andpick modules where employees completetheir tasks and then push theirwork along to the next zone or station.The two most common types ofnon-powered conveyor are skatewheeland roller.Skatewheel conveyorOnly a little energy is needed to turn thesmall wheels of a skatewheel conveyor,and that makes skatewheel good at maintainingthe speed of a product. Becauseeach wheel turns independently, skatewheelconveyor is also a good choice forthe curved sections of a conveyor line.Roller conveyorNon-powered roller conveyor is commonlyused for workstations and pickmodules because it provides a betterworking surface and is often less expensivethan skatewheel conveyor. It’s alsogood at slowing the inertia of productscoming out of a high-speed sorter.Whether it’s skatewheel or roller,non-powered conveyor that relies ongravity to move product is still used alot in the market, says Russ Devilbiss,sales manager for Carter Controls (www.cartercontrols.com) and chair of theMaterial <strong>Handling</strong> Industry of America’s(MHIA) Conveyor & Sortation Systemsindustry group. The limitation with nonpoweredconveyor, however, is control.“With gravity, you can’t control the force,and you always want to be in control ofyour product,” says Devilbiss.POWERED PACKAGE-HANDLINGCONVEYORWhen it comes to moving packages andother relatively small items, two stylesof conveyor dominate the market: beltconveyor and powered roller conveyor.Traditionally, belt conveyor has beenused for transporting products, whileroller conveyor has been used for accumulatingproducts.Another factor taken into considerationwhen choosing between belt orroller conveyor depends on the size ofthe product being moved.A variety of conveyor styles can be integrated into a facility’s conveyor system,ensuring the best solution throughout the materials handling process.mmh.com MODERN MATERIALS HANDLING / A P R I L 2 0 1 1 31
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