One size doesn’t fit all, especially when it comes to conveyor systems. Each component is designed to meet specific application, particularly the conveyor rollers. They are a very important part of a modular operating system that integrates manual and mechanized systems into a synchronous material handling solution. Different materials are used in producing conveyor rollers such as rubber, plastic, or metallic depending on its use in business operations. A customized roller helps ensure speedy and safe transport of materials along the conveyor line. A successful system requires precise calculation and taking into account several factors, more importantly the type and specifications of material being handled.
Material type - it determines the size and capacity of a system and how the conveyor rollers operate. A conveyor system designed for transporting cardboard packages will not serve the requirement of a mining company to handle sand, minerals and other bulk materials. In the same case, harder materials such as stone or metal require a higher roller pitch and drive output than softer ones.
Material size - measuring the width and length of materials being handled is significant since it can affect the following specifications of conveyor rollers.
- Pitch: this is calculated to make sure that a minimum number of rollers are met and positioned beneath the product.
- Run: the stability and straightness of the run is affected by the ratio of length to width. If the ratio is small, there might be a need for more stabilization for straight running.
Material height and weight - the product’s footprint stays constant even if its height increases. This can lead to accidental falling of the product during transportation. In order to prevent this to happen, here are some points to consider.
- Maintain a constant rate of acceleration
- Minimize roller pitch
- Avoid sharp breaks
While the height of material can pose potential risk of falling over, its weight is equally important to design a safe and effective conveyor. The issues associated with the weight includes:
- Weight distribution: even weight distribution of transported material is ideal, but in reality uneven distribution usually happens. So to minimize the unevenness, proportion of load bearing rollers are maintained.
- Load capacity: reaching maximum weight capacity of conveyor rollers all the time is not advisable. For larger capacity requirements, larger diameter tubes and threaded shafts are a better choice for additional reinforcement.
Properly designed and manufactured conveyor rollers provide optimal efficiency, speed and output. But since there are so many variables to be accounted for, it’s best to choose an expert and highly reliable manufacturer like Norpak. We offer advanced and customized engineering solutions for your conveyor system, including conveyor rollers. Our extensive catalogue covers each product line from which you can find the conveyor roller that suits your unique application.