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Some Ways to Choose the Right Conveyor Design
Last Updated on: September 21st, 2024
When we say material handling, we have to consider transport, storage, and control of goods and products, so any activity that involves an individual physically lifting, moving, or supporting a load. It is an important part of the manufacturing, storing, disposal, distribution, and consumption of materials. This manual handling causes over a third of all workplace injuries so is a big concern. Luckily, there are a host of tools that can be used to assist with this task, such as stackers, the powered pallet truck, mobile scissor lift tables, hoists, and what we are looking at today ? conveyers. Conveyors play a vital role in the whole process of material handling.
Conveyors have been in use for a really long time now. The conveyor system helps in the movement of materials faster and more efficiently from one place to another. To help with this there are in fact now conveyor totes – material handling bins specifically designed for use with conveyors, that are guaranteed to make handling both safer and more accessible. There are different types of conveyors, so you have to consider a lot of factors before you choose the right conveyor design that suits your requirement.
Different Types of Conveyors:
Before you choose the right conveyor design for your factory or warehouse, you need to understand that there are different types of conveyors. You have to understand which one will be ideal for the type of products you have and the surrounding environment. Some basic varieties are:
Gravity conveyor:
This is also called the non-powered conveyor as there is no power or motor attached to it. This is the most inexpensive form of conveyor available today. The conveyor design includes metal rollers that are spaced at a certain interval and features slights incline. With the help of the weight of the package itself and gravity, the material moves to a certain length. This type of conveyor is ideal for package handling, truck offloading, etc.
Powered conveyor:
As the name suggests this type of conveyor has a power source that helps the materials to move from one location to another quickly and safely. It can be further divided into many other sub-types. Roller conveyor is a type of powered conveyor system. It has rollers that are sturdy enough to move all types of packages. For the vertical and horizontal movement of materials, you can consider chain driven conveyor. The belt is another type of powered conveyor suitable for small packages.
Pallet conveyor:
There are pallet conveyors which are a kind of powered conveyors ideal for pallet handling. Some of the oldest conveyors still used in paint and fishing lines, food packaging industries, etc. are the overhead conveyors. The magnetic slide conveyor is ideal for chip removal, metal stamping, etc.
Selection of conveyor systems:
Some of the things to consider for choosing conveyors for the system are:
- One of the greatest factors that have to be considered first before you select the conveyors for the right conveyor design is the product specifications. The points like dimensions of the products like length, width, height, and weight must be determined. The rate of production and the type of products can put an impact on the type of conveyor you will use.
- Another important factor behind choosing conveyor is the accumulation requirement.
- Environmental factors are something you can never neglect when you are choosing the conveyors. The surrounding in which the conveyor will be used will put an impact on it. So make sure you have taken into considerations all the factors of the environment.
- Features of the conveyors are very vital points that you have to look for determining the right conveyor design. Select those conveyors that have pre-engineered parts, modules, and sections for easy combination and reconfigurations. Another thing to look for in conveyors is reliability. Make sure the conveyors are safe and increase productivity with less operator injuries. It must be flexible enough to change and adapt to changing market conditions. Easy to maintain and energy efficiency are some of the other features you must look for in the conveyors before you choose them.
Choosing the right conveyor system for the distribution center or warehouse or any factory is a difficult job. A lot of things must be considered before you finalize the conveyor design that will meet all your requirements. A small mistake can result in a huge loss and can damage the reputation of your business.
Hence care must be taken to ensure necessary features have been considered properly. You should choose a certified conveyor designing company that has brilliant designers and project managers to provide all kinds of solutions.
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