There are many kinds of conveyor under this category; however we will only be covering on some conveyors, such as Sortation Conveyor and Chain Conveyor.
Sortation Conveyor
Sortation conveyors are used to put, separate, and identify products from one point to other point.
Under Sortation Conveyors, there are
- Diverter
- Pop-up device
- Sliding shoe sorter
- Tilting Device
- Cross-belt Transfer Device
Diverter
-stationary or movable arms that deflect, push, or pull a product to desired destination
- they can be used with almost any flat surface conveyor
- most cost effective sortation devices available
- very simple to use
- can be manually used, or automatically used through scanning of technology.
- often for low speed sortation
Pop-up Device
-used to move material on or off of a conveyor line
-used for medium speed sortation and when the products have a flat conveying surface.
-products must be same size so that it can be diverted consistently
-pop-up transfer eliminates curves, therefore more efficient use of space leading to more space for production because it resides within the conveyor frame.
-transfers loads quickly and minimize the interruption of material flow.
Sliding Shoe Sorter
- suited to sort out parcels, envelopesand etc with an irregular form.
- commonly used for high speed sortation.
- Bi-directional shoes allow items to be offloaded to both sides of the sorter, improving space efficiency while providing greater design flexibility
Tilting Device
- a high accuracy, high speed sortation system
-provides the user with the flexibility of sorting most small items or small products that vary in size, shape, and packaging.
- Tilt Tray Sorter that sort small items and packages, lightweight poly bags as well as larger boxes equally.
The picture above is a Tilt slat sorters. It helps to carry products on flat-surface slat conveyor and can handle more kinds of products compared to tilt tray sorter.
Cross Belt Transfer Device
- like a continuous loop sorters
- it is a bi-directional sortation conveyor
-which transports products safely and gently to their designated locations regardless of their shape or size.
-can handle a wide variety of product
-high accuracy when it delivers the product to a particular destination
-Also very reliable ( if one motor stop working, it has very minimal effect on the production as the rest will continue operating)
Chain Conveyors
-uses one or more endless chains on which loads are carried directly.
- often used to transport tote boxes and pallets.
Safety precautions when using conveyors
Conveyors are safe when used correctly, but they can be dangerous, and even deadly, if workers fail to follow safety procedures when working on or around them.
Below is some knowledge that we need to have when we are in contact with conveyors
· Materials should be placed on the conveyor so that they will ride safely
· When removing material off conveyors, workers should remain alert and safeguard their hands
· How someone is dressed - loose clothing, long hair, and jewelry – when working on or around conveyors can present the risk of conveyor entanglement.
· All equipment must be locked or blocked and operating controls tagged, when repairing or cleaning a conveyor
· If Conveyor runs overhead, ensure that materials may fall from above.
· If the conveyor runs at head height or carries material hung from hooks, workers in the area should remain alert
· Do not operate without guards in place
· If Conveyor runs overhead, ensure that materials may fall from above.
· If the conveyor runs at head height or carries material hung from hooks, workers in the area should remain alert
· Do not operate without guards in place
· Anyone that doesn’t work directly with conveyors should never climb over or crawl under a conveyor and NEVER ride on or otherwise use a conveyor for transportation.
· Workers in the area should remain alert to possible danger and measures should be taken to prevent workers from being accidentally struck by moving material.
