Conveyor drive-in-a-roller saves space and energy
By building a 24V DC drive and gearbox into a conveyor roller, Excel Automation claims to have produced a compact accumulation conveyor that is quieter than a conventional line shaft conveyor and uses less power because the motorised roller only runs when needed.
The roller forms part of a zero-line pressure roller conveyor (shown above), which allows cartons and tote bins to accumulate in a zone without collisions, thus preventing damage to their outer wrappings. A photoelectric sensor located between the rollers at the start and end of each zone detects the leading edge of a carton and stops it moving until the next zone is clear.
The roller drive will typically control up to nine slave rollers to create a single zone through a simple loop configuration that can operate at up to 90m/min. The size of each zone can be changed to suit the carton length by increasing or reducing the number of rollers.
