All societies with connections to the modern world find conveyor uses in industry, shipping, farming, and retailing. Although the technology is young compared to things like the wheel and the cam shaft, The idea behind it is as old as teamwork.
It has long been acknowledged that a group of people can move things more efficiently by passing them from one to another rather than working independently. Those fighting a fire did not scurry back and forth carrying buckets, but rather handed the full buckets along the line. A crew unloading a ship had some members in the hold, passing things up to the others on deck, who in turn passed them to those on the dock.
The mining industry was the first to use a conveyor, and it has the distinction of employing the longest systems in use today. Moving ores, coal, or gravel often involves getting the material out of a hole, and conveying systems can work up a slope or even straight up.
Basically the system is a loop of material that is pulled along between two pulleys, rotates over the end, and goes back underneath to begin the process over again. One or both pulleys will be powered by an electric motor (although many areas without electricity use another fuel.)
There are many variations of the earliest designs used in mining and in Henry Ford's famous assembly line in Michigan, begun in 1913. The labor-reducing devices have enabled industry to increase production and keep costs down as much or more than any other invention. Even third-world countries use the technology. Poor people who are too crippled to sort trash on open dumps sometimes can get work sorting it as it moves past them on a primitive system set up by those who but recyclables and things of value found in the trash.
Farmers use chain conveyors to get hay bales up to a loft, making it possible for only two people to empty a wagon efficiently. Grain and other loose material is often loaded and unloaded with a moving belt. A chain is often used to support a stretch of rubber or other material, or a series of raised ribs that can move items that might slide on a smooth surface. Chains are also very strong and require little maintenance.
Modern technology has made the systems better. A 'turn-over' brings both sides of a belt into contact with the support structure, for extended wear. Items can now be carried around a corner or lined up in position for a retail display. 'Sandwich belts' have two layers that secure items in between so they may be carried up steep inclines or even straight up. Chain belts can move very fast without breaking or requiring frequent maintenance.
Automation depends on machinery doing what used to require many hands, and conveyor uses are among the most valuable ways to make this idea practical. If you look around, you will see many everyday examples of this technology working for you.
It has long been acknowledged that a group of people can move things more efficiently by passing them from one to another rather than working independently. Those fighting a fire did not scurry back and forth carrying buckets, but rather handed the full buckets along the line. A crew unloading a ship had some members in the hold, passing things up to the others on deck, who in turn passed them to those on the dock.
The mining industry was the first to use a conveyor, and it has the distinction of employing the longest systems in use today. Moving ores, coal, or gravel often involves getting the material out of a hole, and conveying systems can work up a slope or even straight up.
Basically the system is a loop of material that is pulled along between two pulleys, rotates over the end, and goes back underneath to begin the process over again. One or both pulleys will be powered by an electric motor (although many areas without electricity use another fuel.)
There are many variations of the earliest designs used in mining and in Henry Ford's famous assembly line in Michigan, begun in 1913. The labor-reducing devices have enabled industry to increase production and keep costs down as much or more than any other invention. Even third-world countries use the technology. Poor people who are too crippled to sort trash on open dumps sometimes can get work sorting it as it moves past them on a primitive system set up by those who but recyclables and things of value found in the trash.
Farmers use chain conveyors to get hay bales up to a loft, making it possible for only two people to empty a wagon efficiently. Grain and other loose material is often loaded and unloaded with a moving belt. A chain is often used to support a stretch of rubber or other material, or a series of raised ribs that can move items that might slide on a smooth surface. Chains are also very strong and require little maintenance.
Modern technology has made the systems better. A 'turn-over' brings both sides of a belt into contact with the support structure, for extended wear. Items can now be carried around a corner or lined up in position for a retail display. 'Sandwich belts' have two layers that secure items in between so they may be carried up steep inclines or even straight up. Chain belts can move very fast without breaking or requiring frequent maintenance.
Automation depends on machinery doing what used to require many hands, and conveyor uses are among the most valuable ways to make this idea practical. If you look around, you will see many everyday examples of this technology working for you.
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Visit Wilkie Brothers Coveyors for more information on conveyors or to order Midwest Rivetless Chain, Dearborn Midwest Conveyor Parts or any other related replacement parts.
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