The Conveyors Make up The Biggest Portion of an Automated Assembly System

Almost any plant that assembles items or products uses a chain conveyor. The conveyors make up the biggest portion of an automated assembly system. The conveyor moves products and items from one end of a plant to another or up and down levels. The conveyor may move products over the heads of workers who weld or add items to the part that is suspended by the conveyor as it moves. The linking arrangement of the chain conveyor makes it very versatile. A conveyor can be installed in a small space in a way that will provide the needed movement of parts while using a series of turns throughout the assembly. This is accomplished with through the placement of aluminum side rails which support the chain arrangement. Each link on the conveyor is used to move materials, parts, or products that are either suspended or firmly within the links of the chain. While the effort of moving parts from one area to another would be difficult, a conveyor can accomplish the task easily. The conveyor can also move items from one level to another without the need of workers to manually lift and carry heavy parts. Each part of an automobile is very heavy. These parts move along the chain conveyor to different work locations throughout a plant. Workers perform different functions on each part as it hangs suspended by the conveyor. In other plans the conveyor provides a way to move pallets of products without the need of a forklift. The ISO and British Standards are used when manufacturing a chain conveyor. These standards regulate the types of materials that the chains are made from, weight capacity, and other features that make the conveyor safe for the type of product it will be moving. Each conveyor is designed and made to meet the specific needs of the manufacturer that is going to use it. When conveyors are installed they can be placed either in a permanent location or can be moved using modularized solutions. They are very easy to re-use or rebuild when a change is needed and are highly reliable. The conveyors that are used in food manufacturing plants have been approved by the FDA for use. When used for moving electronic parts and products they are approved by the ESD. Conveyors are also used in clean rooms where computer assembly takes place. A Hollow Bearing Pin Chain is one of the types of link that is used on a chain conveyor. This link is open and hooks can be hung from the link easily. The link is most commonly seen in plants that send items that are suspended along the conveyor for assembly without removal of the part. The Solid Bearing Pin Conveyor Chain is the same type of open link, but is designed specifically for bigger and heavier products. The Deep Link Chain is more of a box link that is deeper and has side plates. The links of the chain conveyor are very easy to repair and replace. The conveyor does not require complete dis-assembly to remove one or more links because they are attached to the chain individually. When a conveyor is in place the pitch on the specially treated bearings that house the links dictates the strength of the conveyor. When more weight is going to be used on the conveyor the pitch is adjusted to accommodate the change. Source: hicow.com