Belt Conveyors
The Modular Automation System
Technology has long ago taken over the need for humans to move and relocate objects and items from one processing area to the next in business and manufacturing. When human labor is appropriated for these types of tasks, there is a certain risk factor involved which has to due with possible injury and bodily harm to the individual moving the items. The effects of such actions can affect the poor handling of goods, products that experience more wear and tear, and goods and items become compromised. Belt conveyors have been an intregal part of the moving process since the second half of the 17th century, making it a staple of material transportation at that early stage.
Early Developments
Belt conveyors were the early means of moving large, heavy sacks of grain over short distances. In 1795 these moving devices became popular for the moving of large, and bulky materials. The mechanical makeup of these early belt conveyors were also very simple, with the belt traveling over a flat wooden bed, while being connected via two opposite pulleys. Canvas, rubber, or leather was the material that the belts were made from. A man named Hymle Goddard received a patent for the roller conveyor in 1908, and his powered, free conveyor became the standard for the transport of large and heavy items in factories of the time.
The Past And The Present Of Belt Conveyors
By the 1920’s, the most popular conveyors were the belt conveyors and were undergoing many changes. They were used a lot in coalmines to move vast quantities of coal over very long distances, such as 5 to 8 kilometers. There is a record of a conveyor that moved items over a distance of over a distance of 60 miles in a phosphate mine in Africa.
The Use Of Synthetic Materials
Rubber, canvas, and cotton were materials that were scarce during World War II, so synthetic materials were introduced in order to pick up the slack. These synthetic materials such as polyester, nylon, polyurethane PVC, silicone, rubber, neoprene, urethane, EPDN and steel have all become popular in forming the materials for the belts of modern conveyor systems.
The Use Of Conveyors Today
The overall efficiency of a business is enhanced to a great degree by the finding of a reliable conveyor system. It is important to find a conveyor system that is the most suitable one for your particular business. Typically, conveyor systems are used in warehouses, retail stores where items need to be brought to the sales floor in quantity, grocery stores and shopping malls. When the belts are fully automated, they can move fragile items more efficiently than people can, simply due to the items remaining untouched and out of the way of people. Conveyor systems are easy to install, and relatively easy to maintain, at a good cost. High speed conveyor systems move items more quickly to the point where they need to be, which increases the flow of sales and speeds up profit creation.
Depending upon your business needs, you can even get conveyor systems or transporter technology set up by a manufacturer to conform to your specific needs. This can allow you to spend more time on the core factors of your business, while at the same time being assured that your inventory, parts and supplies reach their require destinations with a minimum of cost and a maximization of profits.