Description
- Slider Bed Conveyors are inexpensive, quiet and easy to install. Rollers on each end flank a sheet metal frame, over which the belt slides. Slider bed conveyors are suitable for light to medium loads.
- Roller Bed Conveyors are a good choice for heavier loads. Channel frames with rollers placed below the belt reduce friction, allowing for more weight. They are ideal for applicartions where cartons are pushed on or off the belt. A roller bed conveyor can maintain its belt alignment (or tracking) better than a slider bed as items are pushed across.
- Powered, or Live, Roller Conveyors are the basic transportation conveyor to move products between locations. Power roller conveyors are used extensively in large conveyor systems. Product is conveyed over a series of rollers, some or all of which are powered. Power is normally transmitted via belt or chain. Live roller conveyors are frequently used in carton diverging or converging applications.
Choosing between roller and belt
Belt conveyors move the belt, not the load, whereas roller conveyors drive the load itself over a series of powered rollers. Belt conveyor tends to be the better solution for many package & carton applications, and where cost is a factor. Belt conveyors are also gentler on loads. Roller conveyors are often a better solution for moving stable and/or heavy product. Whereas belt conveyors sometimes have tracking issues in box-pushing configurations, live rollers offer an ideal solution. Box widths should be 2″ less than roller width (curves may require more). Roller conveyors also offer the ability to accumulate cartons. There should be at least 3 complete rollers under boxes at all times.
