What are roller conveyors and how are they used?

What is a roller conveyor?

A roller conveyor is a series of rollers supported in a frame by which objects can be moved by hand, by gravity or by electricity. There are many ways roller conveyors can be used and modified for different uses including transporting cartons, pallets, plastic boxes and trays. A roller conveyor system can be configured to work with a range of other ancillary equipment.

Roller conveyors are commonly used in environments such as warehouses or manufacturing facilities due to their nature of transporting goods. Using a roller conveyor can add flexibility to conveying, diverting and stopping as needed in systems. You can get roller conveyors in mild steel, galvanized, plastic or stainless steel. There are always new variations to conveyor systems to keep the industry up and running, all with the goal of reducing down time and increasing optimum performance. Roller conveyor system with high adaptability should be widely used in many industries, mainly logistics and manufacturing.
 

- What are the benefits of using gravity roller conveyors?

Gravity roller conveyors are useful as they use force to move items. Setting your gravity roller conveyor at an angle means you can move a product without any power source. This is a cost benefit as it does not require any power to move goods from A to B, reducing costs and being more environmentally friendly than electric roller conveyors.

Since it does not require any capacity, this reduces the need for maintenance costs, thereby reducing operating costs and time in conveyor maintenance. However, a gravity roller conveyor may not be the best fit in some cases as an electrically powered roller conveyor. This is because harder conveyor speed control can lead to damaged goods, for example too much conveyor inclination and heavy loads being introduced into the system.
 

- What are the benefits of using electric roller conveyors?

When you need to transport goods over longer distances, an electric roller conveyor may be the most suitable product. Because they are powered by electricity, conveyors can move goods horizontally over long distances efficiently. Speeds can be controlled and this reduces risks during transportation. An electric roller conveyor has the benefit of being able to handle heavier loads, one reason why they are commonly used in many manufacturing industries. These systems are more expensive but are worth the investment if you need to move goods over longer distances.
 

Roller conveyor design

Roller conveyors are used for light, medium and heavy goods and can be automated or non-automated. Non-automatic systems have a constant slope, using gravity to transport goods. In addition, roller conveyors can be equipped with sensors, motors and a variety of other control elements.
 

Application of roller conveyor in practice

More and more companies are relying on conveyor technology to streamline production processes. The systems are set up quickly and ensure smooth operation of the flow of goods in the factory. They can be combined with workstation systems.

Roller conveyors are integrated into packaging lines and move billets, boxes, crates and more automatically from one place to another. These systems shorten the route of production workers and save production and labor costs. Conveyors are commonly used in transportation, warehouse logistics and manufacturing.