Ideas on How to Improve Productivity by Using the Right Conveyor System
If any company is involved in product transportation, storage or production, then it is very unlikely that they don’t already have an entire conveyor system set up. A conveyor system is the most efficient possible way in which items can be easily moved within the confines of a factory or facility before they need to be stored or transported somewhere else. There are two basic conveyor systems, namely the roller conveyors and the belt conveyors.
The roller conveyor is made up of a countless number of interconnected steel cylinders or “rollers” that easily move the items placed on them along. Rollers generally have a low coefficient of friction between their surface and the conveyed product, which allows employees to easily push products onto them or pull products off for picking, packing or simply loading from a side table. There are also expanding roller conveyors that can be easily joined together to make one continuous system. The roller conveyors specific characteristics make it ideal for moving around longer items and those that would otherwise benefit from the lack of friction on the conveyor.
The most common conveyors found in most factories are the flat belt conveyors which are normally made out of rubber or fabrics like polyester, nylon, leather or a few others. They have a standard solid cover that moves in a continuous loop, powered by a series of powerful pulleys and underneath they usually have either a bed of non-powered rollers or a sheet of metal. These are the simplest models and have no other features except getting items from point A to point B. Their best characteristic is their durable nature which make them capable of being used in tandem with a whole assortment of different products that are on the larger side, as well as for items with an uneven weight distribution.
There are also inherent weaknesses that come with both of these conveyor systems as well. The roller conveyor for one is not recommended for the transportation of smaller objects or products with uneven bottoms since they can potentially be damaged by the rollers. Also, keep in mind that heavy and light loads will not travel at the same speed. The belt conveyor on the other hand is known to slip if too much weight is placed on it, causing the belt to lose its drive and stopping the production line dead.
Both of these systems obviously have their own strengths and weaknesses and exactly which one is best for which company depends entirely on the products that need to be conveyed.
