Industrial Mechanical

Gravity Roller Conveyor

Powered Roller Conveyors are the best Conveyor systems for transportation of heavy materials such as in construction or warehousing industry. They are also widely used for moving discrete packages like in the logistics. They are generally stronger and more durable than belt conveyors, and are able to handle heavier loads, or loads that might tear, abrade (or melt) a fabric belt.

Powered Roller Conveyors come in three basic forms depending upon the load they are required to move.  Shaft drive conveyors are the cheaper option and suitable for medium to light loads.  Chain Drive Roller systems are more suited to moving bulky and heavy packages, such as palletised goods.  Finally individiually powered rollers offer the most flexibility and strength for the largest loads.

Each Roller in the Lineshaft drive conveyors is joined to a ‘drive shaft’ located in the middle of the conveyor by a fabric drive belt. It has got a feature that it forms an automatic accumulation conveyor which is suitable for light loads. The drive belts act as a simple ‘clutch’, so that when the product reaches the end of the conveyor and the rollers underneath it will begin to ‘slip the clutch’ and stop turning, allowing products to remain stationary without the underside being scourged by a turning roller.

In Chain drive conveyors each roller is attached to a chain that runs down the length of the conveyor, and connects to a drive motor. This ensures that each roller turns at the same speed, and is driven very firmly. It is a popular method for moving heavier loads that would overwhelm a lineshaft conveyor and cause it to ‘slip’

Powered Roller conveyors are mostly used for very heavy pallets or bulky objects. The rollers on this system each have their own motor built inside. These can deliver more power than a chain-driven system, but also allow for electronically switched ‘accumulation zones’. Different sections of the conveyor can effectively run at different speeds, or stop altogether, independently of one another. A variation of this system is to intersperse powered and unpowered rollers to reduce cost.

With the labeled benefits of being powered, Accumulation facility can also be achieved simply by means of an electronic switch. This means that the conveyor can be made to stop at a point without stopping the rest of the machine when a package reaches the final destination. Hence packages can gradually “accumulate” at the end of the conveyor, awaiting human intervention or automatic transfer to another conveyor etc…  The drive shaft powers each roller by means of rubberised bands.

Powered Roller Conveyors is being used wherever a product needs to be moved within a building or a factory.  From the time when a raw material is loaded, and the product moves through an assembly line, processed, packaged and then moved to a warehouse or delivery, Power Conveyor systems is the common part in all the process.. Warehouses often have complex “pick-and-pack” lines. In some cases, bulk goods simply need to be stored, and then retrieved, en masse for forwarding.

Specialist suppliers will help finding the most appropriate powered roller conveyors design for your individual needs. For more creative ideas on Power Roller Conveyors visit our web site at www.roller-conveyor.co.uk.

People often discuss the pros and cons of oil drilling, especially in the wilderness of Alaska. Here are some comments people made on both sides of the argument.

Shyrgneys, a blogger, had this to say about the pros and cons of oil drilling in Alaska. “Drilling is silly.  It means we pull all that oil up out of the ground.  What happens in 20 years when we need more oil?  It makes no sense to drill now.”  If Alaska’s resources are never used, what’s the use of preserving them?

Deerie_dull added this to the fray:  “There are so many reasons to drill for oil it isn’t even funny.  We need the oil for gasoline, and drilling does not kill the planet.”  Here’s a question, and you drink oil?

T_9 chimed in about the pros and cons of oil drilling. “We have to consider the wildlife that could be killed”. Alaska is home to one of the largest remaining caribou herds in the world.” Here’s a solution. Crush the caribou. Turn them into oil. Then maybe we wouldn’t have to drill.

Biggene said this about the pros and cons of oil drilling. “Someday it will be gone.  If we don’t find alternatives now then we’ll have nothing.”  Stop breathing or all the oxygen will be used up.

Diamondjack wanted to talk about the pros and cons of oil drilling:  “Cars with solar panels for all the sides would store enough energy to drive for hours.”  Let’s power the cars with our feet like on the Flintstones!

Chyana wanted to make a comment about pros and cons of oil drilling. “We need to elect someone who will stop ignoring the environment. It’s time we worry about future generations instead of just ourselves.” But will future generations worry about us? Someone has to worry about us. In your world we have no gasoline, so we need a lot of help.

Send an email to join the debate on the pros and cons of oil drilling.

roller conveyors

Roller conveyors used in industrial environments such as warehouses, production lines and packing stations can remarkably increase productivity. There are many ways however to increase energy efficiency of these systems by paying attention to a few important factors.

Firstly choose the capacity of the motors of your powered conveyor systems wisely. For greatest efficiency the motor should run at or near the top of its capacity most of the time. If the weight load is variable then rather use adjustable speed drives and two speed motors. This will enable them to continue to run near to the limit of their capacity whilst saving power.

A very important parameter for efficient running is lubrication.  Chains, bearings and reducers should be regularly checked for lubrication. This ensures better energy efficiency and lengthens the life span of the equipment.

Don’t rely on powered conveyors for all uses but rather introduce gravity feeds where possible. This significantly minimises installation and maintenance costs and brings down energy consumption. The power of gravity is free. Use it wherever possible, mixing both power and gravity units in the same system.

It is a good practice to switch the system off when not in use. If your operation allows for the intermittent turning off of power then take advantage whenever possible. The process of turning off systems when not needed can also be automated.

Design the entire system for greatest energy efficiency. Designing powered roller conveyors with the longest, straight runs as far as possible is the best. Use as few drives as possible. An effective design will be powering the whole system with a single drive and using speed reducers.

Make sure that there are maintenance and downtime sessions in each day’s work schedule. By regularly shutting down the system and performing routine maintenance checks and preventative repairs you can actually improve dramatically on the up time of your conveyor system. On the contrary, an accidental breakdown or an unscheduled maintenance prove to be very expensive. When you prepare in advance for regular, short shutdowns the cost is minimal and the savings are immense.

There are simple but routine fixes that you should know as a first defense, do it yourself solution to problems. When loads accumulate in one area of the conveyor the reasons can be many. A common cause, however, is photo cells that are dirty or obstructed. These are some of the areas that you need to look into during the regular check and maintenance sessions.

When the conveyor shuts down for no apparent reason the cause can often be as simple as the accidental operation of emergency stop buttons. It is important to keep yourself in sync with the latest technology and upgrades available for maximum overall efficiency.

Advances have been made in recent years that have greatly enhanced the performance of conveyor systems. Dynamic Zone Allocation in accumulation systems is but one example. Here the conveyor’s zone length is automatically adjusted to accommodate the length of the object in transit.  The result can be a significant increase in the throughput of product on the conveyor. The system automatically adjusts for any size of package it has to handle, thus removing the need to change a conveyor installation when production needs change.

For more details on the advantages of powered roller conveyor systems visit our web site at www.roller-conveyor.co.uk .

There has always been a market for glassware that contains quirky imperfections and shapes. It can certainly be argued that they add character and mystery to the glass but for the most part, people are after perfection. They desire perfect clarity, perfect shape and nothing less than perfect design work. A new laser-based glass cutter has now made this a reality, giving the ability to create identical perfect glasses with complex designs in a matter of minutes.

New York is where the machine was conceptualized and built, and this is where it will first go on sale to glassware producers, before it is rolled out across the country and causes a huge stir in the industry.The news has already caused a bit of a stir with many investors eager to get a piece of the pie and find out exactly how it works.The company has stated that they use a powerful laser that can work in 360 degrees and is accurate to a 16^th of a millimeter. It will carve a piece of glass using a computer guidance program into any shape you desire, and for its party trick it will etch patterns deep within the glass. The end result is a perfect product that has the quality and clarity of crystal glass though it can be produced at a fraction of the cost due to the high automated process.

It has not been made clear if the company will be releasing shares or whether that are going to remain completely private but most people think they are set to make a lot of money either way. The New York company are reportedly looking into other applications for the glass cutting technology including creating other household items such as glass vases or glass candle holders. There could even be application in industrial design and glass production if the commercial sector goes well

Oil drilling is an important part of the world economy.  It’s been around for a long time.  Despite the wishes of many alternative energy proponents, it will likely be around for a long time in the future.

The first known oil drilling took place in Chinese oil wells in 347 AD. They only reached about 800 feet deep. The drilling was done with bits attached to bamboo poles. The resulting oil was used to evaporate salt water, brine, to produce plain salt. By the 900’s AD, bamboo pipelines connected the oil wells directly to salt springs. Many writings from the time talk about heating and lighting homes with natural gas.

Oil drilling was prominent in Asia and the middle east. The Japanese called petroleum burning water. The streets of Baghdad were paved with tar in the 8th century. Persians used kerosene lamps, distilled from petroleum. It all depended on oil.

Marco Polo wrote about oil drilling in Azerbaijan.  He said he saw hundreds of oil ships carrying petroleum for trade in 1264.  He said there was so much oil it was flowing in fountains.

Oil drilling began as a percussive process.  The tools were hammered into place.  That was later replaced by rotary drilling which could reach much deeper reservoirs.  In fact a Russian bore hole, called the Kola Superdeep Borehole, sought to drill as deeply as possible with a rotary drill.  It reach 38,000 feet into the Earth.

This oil drilling Kola project has become a legend.  The claim is that the hole reached 9 miles before hitting a cavity.  Scientists decided to investigate.  They heard wailing through a microphone they lowered down before it melted in 2000 degree heat .  The story wasn’t true – the heat was only about 360 degrees and they didn’t hear wailing.

This legend of finding hell while oil drilling has become famous.  Stories complete with pictures ran in all the tabloid newspapers.  People posted the audio online.  A Christian network called TBN breathlessly described that hell had been proven .  Everyone who ran the story knew it was false – but it sold newspapers.

Now oil drilling is pretty common place. There are offshore oil drilling sites producing millions of barrels of oil each day. Maybe the devil deserves a cut.

powered roller conveyor

Chain Roller Conveyors are the ‘tough guy’ among roller conveyors. They are stable and durable and used for transporting heavy and bulky packages like the Building materials. They are all about traction control and power like the Ford Trucks! These rollers simply cannot slip, making it the application of choice for moving very heavy packages. It is a particularly popular solution for moving pallet loads.

In a chain roller conveyor, the motor is connected by a chain which connects through a pair of drive rollers. Each Roller is connected to the other by a chain and sprocket layout. This arrangement ensures that no roller can ’slip’ under load, and gives positive drive to all of the rollers on the bed simultaneously.

Unlike most conveyors, the motor on a chain-drive roller conveyor is usually centrally-mounted, as this allows a more even distribution of torque across the roller bed as a whole. As the distribution of the force can be controlled, the system can be used as an Accumulation conveyor by merely dividing the roller bed with two different motors with different torque. This is an expensive method and not widely used.

At medium weights and package size, it is still possible to have bends and loops, but these become increasingly impractical and expensive as weight/size increases. Instead, a right-angle transfer station or turntable can be used to accomplish the same effect.

Chain Roller Conveyor, including its parts like sprockets, pins, rollers and, sleeves or plates, can be made from carbon steel, stainless steel and plastic. Steel parts are normally heat treated for greater toughness. The choice of the material used in manufacture depends on the type of application.

A conveyor application used in the construction industry would be completely different than the one used in a chemical industry or a furnace. For bakery or vulcanizing operations the chain rollers has to withstand high levels of heat. In a freezing plant the conditions are just the opposite.

There are various types of conveyors available in the market right from the Belt conveyors which is used for general warehousing and transport and gravity roller conveyors which are simple, cost effective and unpowered system used for warehousing and waste recycling. Line-Drive roller conveyor is used for lightweight movement of packages, boxes etc. perhaps with accumulation. It is Popular for bends and curves to complement powered belt conveyors.

Other roller conveyors such as chain roller conveyors are one of the most popular and sturdy systems. Its application is in every industry right from transporting heavy loads to food packaging. Replace the chain with a belt and we have a chain belt conveyor which is used for very heavy and large loads. Accumulation Conveyor are very popular in packaging, warehousing, food preparation, and a wide range of industries where products must be brought to a halt at the end of the conveyor, without halting the entire conveyor.

Wire Mesh Conveyors are a lightweight variant of the chain-mesh conveyor, useful when the products need to be drained, or to have warm/cool air circulated around them. For Indoor purpose, Plastic Conveyors are the best choice. They can be used for food packaging and suite all weather conditions. They provide a high level of cleanliness and are easy to maintain.

Check with the Chain Roller Conveyor manufacturers and your consultant before making the investment decision. And remember that all conveyors and related products have to conform to the standards set by the Government and the National Association of Conveyor Manufacturers.

  Discover more detail about customised Chain Roller Conveyors at www.roller-conveyor.co.uk.

gravity roller conveyor

Conveyors have become an integral part of modern industry. Whether it is a small portable cement mixer, or large static machines, conveyors provide a fast, safe and cost effective means of continuously feeding materials into building site mixers, machinery and transporting materials from a staging/delivery area to the actual area. There is no need for a man to manually shovel material from the supply dump into the mixer.

Gravity roller conveyors are the simplest of all the conveyors and the oldest. It is believed that the Egyptians used the gravity conveyors to build pyramids and to transport the heavy stone blocks.  They use an unpowered bed of rollers so the bed is sloped to allow the material to be pushed down the line. They are used to transport solid items with a flat base for avoiding the risk to topple. They can be set at a slight incline or horizontal, to allow staff to ‘freewheel’ the products along the line. Gravity conveyors are also very useful as an adjunct to powered conveyor systems, providing a packing or accumulation area.

Gravity Roller Conveyor can play an important role in industrial manufacturing process. The classic example is for feeding materials into a processing machine and taking them away again. Processing can include such things as cooking, wrapping, annealing, filling/emptying of a container, binding and so forth. A logic controller controls the feeding and flow of materials on a Gravity Controller which in turn is linked to the main machine processing unit. This helps in increasing the overall efficiency and the reducing the expenses.

The purpose of an accumulation conveyor is to provide a ’stop zone’ – usually at the end of the conveyor – where products literally come to a stop. This can be to facilitate packaging or handling, or merely to prevent them falling off the end of the belt and onto the floor! To make a safe and effective collection area, a miniature version of a gravity roller conveyors are used. The accumulation is provided at the end of the belt where the products slide and halts.

Action to reduce waste, by encouraging the recovery and reuse of discarded material is a critical element of sustainable development. The Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts is developing partnerships and facilitating action with the states and industry to address these issues.

Gravity Conveyors form a critical component of any MRF (Materials Recovery Facility), facilitating the movement of waste from a loading dock, to a sortation line (human, mechanical, or a hybrid), and on into crushing and bailing machines.

A major attraction of roller conveyors in general is the low capital cost, combined with negligible maintenance cost. Short of an all-out attack by a fork-lift truck or similar, there is very little that can go wrong with them. The beauty of roller conveyors is that, the parts are easily available and the rollers can be replaced at a very reasonable price in case of aging or mishap.

Gravity Roller Conveyors are available at a varied price range depending upon the bed used. Plastic bed rollers are cheaper than the mild steel, galvanized steel or the stainless steel roller beds. The usage depends upon the sort of load and usage you require, and on what environment you wish to operate the machine in. (for outdoor use it is normally recommended galvanized rollers at the very least, for example).

There are various versions of Gravity Roller Conveyors available in the market depending upon the application and customer requirement. Semi-precision vs. fully-precision roller bearings,  pre-set height or angle of slope or conveyors with variable height feet to allow both adjustment of overall height, as well as minor adjustments to slope angle.

Customized your Gravity Roller Conveyor needs at www.roller-conveyor.co.uk.

Continental offshore oil drilling is currently taking place all over the world.  It’s important for fully exploiting natural resources such as oil and natural gas.  It still has its detractors.

Offshore oil drilling has been banned off the east and west coasts of the United States since the 1980’s.  It was originally banned for a number of reasons.  Environmental concerns, for example. There is a danger of oil spills with these offshore oil drilling rigs. That would negatively impact the underwater ecosystem.  There is also an argument that changes in temperatures and sound waves caused by the drilling interferes with some marine life.

Opponents of offshore oil drilling believe the rigs represent an eyesore when seen from shore.  There are many vacation homes and resort areas near the shore.  The view of rigs on the horizon would ruin people’s enjoyment of the area.  But the rigs would be far enough away that they wouldn’t be visible over the horizon, so this isn’t much of an argument.

Some people want to lift this ban on offshore oil drilling. They point to the horizon fact with that eyesore issue. They also point to the fact that there have not been any major offshore rig oil spills. The danger to the environment remains a potential danger. It has not been realized. Why, they argue, should drilling be blocked by a what if?

People send a lot of feedback on the offshore oil drilling issue:  Who wants to look at an oil rig?  Right now we have a nice view of the ocean from our apartment.  And there are hotels where people want to see ocean, not big metal rigs.  Keep them away from here.  Check the facts jack.  Nobody except Superman could possibly see the rigs.

Another person wrote about offshore oil drilling:  Give me a break.  If you had your way we’d be living in caves freezing because you wouldn’t even let us build a fire.  A reply to that one is:  We all need a break.

Our cars run on oil, many products we use are made with oil. Increased offshore oil drilling is an important part of obtaining that oil as well as natural gas. Join the debate.

conveyor systems

In today’s world where industrialization is on a rise, industries need an assortment of equipments to operate properly. A type of equipment that has virtually become indispensable is known as the industrial conveyor system. These industrial conveyor systems are used for various activities which usually involve the use of human labor or animal labor.

Industrial conveyor systems are synchronized with all major operations in an industry that require material handling. These industrial conveyor systems are used to unload raw materials and deliver them to the stores. These systems deliver the raw materials to the manufacturing section and after production help move the finished products around for inspection, packing and dispatching.

Material handling equipment is undoubtedly the best solution to improve productivity while reducing the potential of workplace injury. Versatility, reliability, state-of-the-art technology and superior execution are making modern material handling equipment an utmost necessity for a variety of industries.

Conveyors often referred to as conveyer belts are made of two end pulleys with a continuous loop of rotating material feeding through them. Conveyors are used to transport materials such as coal, ores and grains.

Common variants of industrial conveyor systems are; belt conveyor systems, mechanical conveyor systems, chain conveyor systems, screw conveyor systems, bucket conveyor systems, and pneumatic conveyor systems.

A packing or ‘accumulation’ area is present in gravity conveyors and hence this type of conveyors are an important add-on to powered conveyor systems. Gravity Conveyor are specially designed and manufactured to meet the requirements of modern industry. The most important function of these conveyors is to make material handling smoother and easier.

The gravity conveyors mainly are used to handle skids, totes, pallets, boxes, drums, parts and raw materials in varied processes involved in production. These conveyors are economical and are almost maintenance-free making them perfect for handling industrial goods.

The structure of these conveyors is made up of a series of parallel rollers attached to a metal frame supported at intervals. The frame can be inclined slightly for gravity flow, but objects and packages may also be rolled along manually. Skate wheels replace rollers in gravity-wheel conveyors, which are ideal for handling lighter loads.

Handling of materials is made easier with conveyor systems. This makes the system increasingly in industries like packaging, agricultural, automotive, canning, computer, electronics, food processing, aerospace, chemical, bottling and print finishing. Gravity conveyors are cost effective and more economical than high speed conveyors.

For comprehensive information on gravity conveyor systems and their uses, visit our website at www.roller-conveyor.co.uk

conveyor systems

In today’s world where industrialization is on a rise, industries need an assortment of equipments to operate properly. A type of equipment that has virtually become indispensable is known as the industrial conveyor system. These industrial conveyor systems are used for various activities which usually involve the use of human labor or animal labor.

These days, industrial conveyor systems are synchronized and are set across the factory. These industrial conveyor systems are used to unload raw materials and deliver them to the stores. Then, they take the raw material to the place where the manufacturing is done and to various stages of production, inspection, packing and dispatching.

Material handling equipment is undoubtedly the best solution to improve productivity while reducing the potential of workplace injury. Versatility, reliability, state-of-the-art technology and superior execution are making modern material handling equipment an utmost necessity for a variety of industries.

Conveyors often referred to as conveyer belts are made of two end pulleys with a continuous loop of rotating material feeding through them. Conveyors are used to transport materials such as coal, ores and grains.

Common variants of industrial conveyor systems are; belt conveyor systems, mechanical conveyor systems, chain conveyor systems, screw conveyor systems, bucket conveyor systems, and pneumatic conveyor systems.

A packing or ‘accumulation’ area is present in gravity conveyors and hence this type of conveyors are an important add-on to powered conveyor systems. Gravity Conveyor are specially designed and manufactured to meet the requirements of modern industry. The most important function of these conveyors is to make material handling smoother and easier.

The gravity conveyors mainly are used to handle skids, totes, pallets, boxes, drums, parts and raw materials in varied processes involved in production. A cost effective and virtually maintenance-free handling of goods in various industrial applications is possible with these conveyors.

These conveyors consist of a series of parallel rollers fastened to a metal frame supported at intervals. The frame allows a slight inclination for gravity flow as well as facilitates manual movement of objects and packages. Gravity-wheel conveyors are similar but consist of skate wheels instead of rollers and are usually used for lighter loads.

Handling of materials is made easier with conveyor systems. This makes the system increasingly in industries like packaging, agricultural, automotive, canning, computer, electronics, food processing, aerospace, chemical, bottling and print finishing. Gravity conveyors are cost effective and more economical than high speed conveyors.

For comprehensive information on conveyor systems and its uses, visit our website at www.roller-conveyor.co.uk