Roller Conveyors

Description

Roller conveyors are mechanical devices that use small metal tubes placed adjacent to each other for transporting large goods and materials. Roller conveyors are the best choice if you want to handle side loads, push off, accumulate products, and adjust pressure on rollers. They can be manually operated or power operated. Main components of roller conveyors are the driven rollers that are connected between two parallel tracks. Commonly used roller conveyors are the gravity roller conveyor and powered roller conveyor. Gravity roller conveyor are fitted with anti-friction bearings and can be manually operated incase of horizontal conveyors and self propelled incase of inclined conveyors. Powered roller conveyor use motorized drive units for material movement through v-belts, ropes and chains. Materials used for rollers are stainless steel, aluminum, plastics, PVC, etc.

Types

Roller conveyors are classified as follows:

Chain driven live roller conveyors
Belt driven live roller conveyors
Heavy duty roller conveyors
Flexible roller conveyors
Portable roller conveyors

Specifications

The performance of roller conveyors depends on the following specifications:

Dimensions of the roller
Distance between one roller to the other
Load carrying capacity
Rotational speed
Mass flow of the material

Advantages

Roller conveyors have the following advantages:

Gravity roller conveyors are good for impact loading as they are rugged in construction
Power roller conveyors need less power
Comprises safety features to avoid accidents
Best for short distance transportation
Reduces manual material handling

Applications

Roller conveyors find their applications in industrial applications, warehousing and freight handling, and movement of raw materials. Roller conveyors are also used in various industries to move packaged goods, assemblies, process byproducts. They are also used to move materials over short distances such as in heavy industry, food and beverage processing industry, and manufacturing industry. Roller conveyors are also utilized in airports, mines, cement plants, and distribution facilities.