Carrier chain conveyor
The carrier chain conveyor is a continuous conveyor system. The load unit to be conveyed is guided on parallel chain strands through the conveyor landscape of a warehouse.
The chain conveyor is available in two different versions:
With the two-strand conveyor, the load unit is guided on a chain running to the left and a chain running to the right; with the three-strand conveyor, an additional third chain runs between the outer chains. The three-strand conveyor is usually used when heavy goods need to be transported. The use of the carrier chain conveyor therefore depends on the correct choice of load-bearing and load-moving transport chain: The transported goods and intended use determine the actual chain design.
The chains are guided on rollers via a substructure and driven by an electric motor and a continuous drive shaft.
As the dimensions of the conveyed goods must match the distance between the chains, the carrier chain conveyor is usually used for transporting standardized parts. The conveyor is mainly used for transporting pallets, mesh boxes, slabs (metal processing), sheet metal, rings, blanks, crates and paper rolls (printing).
How are chain conveyors used?
In conjunction with a roller conveyor, the carrier chain conveyor can be used to lift the load unit and set it down again at right angles to the direction of travel. This corner transfer is used, for example, if the conveyed goods cannot be transported via a roller conveyor due to their base or support. This would cause the runners of a pallet to tilt in a curve. However, a carrier chain conveyor can generally be used for any type of unit load transportation. They usually act as a transfer point to other conveyor systems.
Carrier chain conveyors achieve a conveying speed of 0.2 to 0.4 meters per second. They are cheaper to purchase than roller conveyors and require less maintenance.
Other conveyor systems include the moving floor and the circular conveyor.
Image source cover picture: TGWmechanics / License: CC BY 3.0
Image source: Wolf / License: CC BY 3.0