Flexible Chain Conveyors have a sleek, compact and modular frame. The unique design provides many benefits including the ability to handle complex layouts, easy attachment of accessories, guiding, and other components, and capability to handle long runs – up to 98’ on a single conveyor. But what happens if you need to go longer?
Adding a second conveyor means the product needs to be transferred between the 2 lines. With flexible chain the size of the tail becomes large enough that simply butting the two conveyors up to each other will provide to large of a gap to transfer most products. Luckily, FlexMove® Flexible chain conveyors have a variety of transfer options to smoothly transfer parts as small as 3 inches.
Here are some of the most common transfer methods for a Flexible Chain Conveyor:
A popular is option is the Powered Transfer, which utilizes a micro-pitch chain nose bar design that attaches directly to the tail of the conveyor. The module is driven using the existing conveyor motor which reduces the need for additional electrical and helps maintain speed through the transfer.
A lower cost transfer option is a Roller Transfer. Roller Transfers simply attach to the tail of the conveyor and provide a bridge that gaps the distance between the two conveyor tails. This option does reduce the speed of the product through the transfer and depending on the size of the product, may rely on line backpressure to push the product across the transfer.
One unique option for transferring product onto another conveyor without additional equipment and without interrupting the flow of product is an in-line transfer. By simply integrating Angle knuckle modules in opposite directions at the tail of each conveyor, you can create a close transfer option while maintain a straight line. This transfer method does require guiding to keep the product in line.
Similar to In-Line Transfers, Side Transfers utilize guiding to drive product from one conveyor to another parallel conveyor. This option does not require any additional knuckle modules. The production line will shift slightly, and the product does need to be a minimum size to bridge the gap.
Flexible chain conveyors are ideal for a variety of industries including automation, material handling, packaging, medical, pharmaceutical, HBA, food and beverage, automotive, and many more. As an authorized Dorner partner, we stock multiple sizes of FlexMove flexible chain conveyor components and custom build them for your exact layout.
Contact us today to discuss your application or product transfer needs.
August 5th, 2022
Related Topics: Flexible Chain Conveyors