Wedge conveyors

Wedge modules offer unique and secure downhill transport by "wedging" products or product carriers between two side-mounted conveyors. A simple lead screw adjusts width.

Super highway

Aluminum-bending technology lets companies deploy as much or as little conveyor as they need, sometimes creating elaborate routing and packaging systems.

Moving up

Vertical transfer units use high-performance rodless cylinders to move products between levels of a conveyor system. These units add layout flexibility by allowing products to circulate vertically instead of horizontally — important for tight floor space.

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Linear thinking: Commonly, people perceive conveyors as unsophisticated, nonvalue-adding movers. On the contrary, today's conveyors utilize state-of-the-art aluminum-bending technology to curve pathways, circumvent obstacles in a plant, provide steep up or downhill transport, and squeeze tight radius storage and buffering systems in small spaces.

Lack of upfront planning: Packages and products take many shapes and forms and moving them through space can prove complicated. Therefore, it's best to design the system upfront, accommodating known obstacles and atypical situations. For example, the biggest concern with packages riding directly on a chain is overhang. To solve this, conveyor planners can add guide rails to contain the package, while considering obstacles such as posts and pneumatic air supply units that may interfere. For products riding directly on a pallet, an additional planning concern is evenly distributed weight. When downward forces are applied to only one side of the conveyor, significant wear to belts and pulleys occurs on this heavier side. In addition, flexibility for future changes should be built into all systems.

Safety and ergonomics: Conveyors have many moving parts, and it's easy to accidentally catch clothing in belts or chains. This is especially dangerous as drives are powerful enough to pull several thousand pounds. Additionally, most conveyors use other positioning systems, such as pick-and place gantry-style robots. Many of these systems also employ fast linear motors, which are dangerous if guarded improperly.

Ergonomic issues are equally important when designing conveyors. A case in point involves conveyor planners who must consider the height at which products are presented to lineside operators. To maximize productivity, they should eliminate or minimize the bending, reaching, and lifting required by operators.