5 Different Types Of Conveyors Explained

To operate efficiently, a warehouse must optimize product transportation. Manual choosing is possible, but it tends to waste a considerable amount of time and allows for human error. On that note, conveyors provide a solution to this challenge, resulting in more productivity and efficiency.

Here is an overview of a warehouse conveyor system and seven distinct types of conveyors that can be employed to improve facility efficiency.

To begin with, what’s a conveyor system?

A conveyor system is a network of conveyors that efficiently transports items from one activity to the next. Conveyors come in a variety of styles, each with its purpose. Warehouse managers employ various conveyors to ensure their operations run as smoothly as possible.

Advantages of employing conveyor systems

When conveyor systems are used effectively, a warehouse gains various advantages, such as:

• Reduced walking time: Warehouse workers spend around 70% of their time walking. Conveyors can significantly minimize this time.
• Conveyors sort things at excessively high rates. A conveyor can do tasks that would take a human several hours to complete in a few minutes.
• Reducing picking time: Manually looking for specific goods consumes essential time. Conveyors work with scanners to route and sort them efficiently, minimizing the time required to pick them individually.

It is vital to note that each conveyor’s benefits need using the appropriate conveyor. Because each serves a certain purpose in a warehouse, you must understand how to use them correctly.

Here are five different types of conveyors and their use in a facility.

5 Conveyor Types to Consider

1. Gravity Conveyor

Gravity conveyors are a set of roller or skatewheel conveyors without a motor. Instead, they carry the goods by leveraging their weight to move down an incline. The conveyor can also be horizontal; however, the product must be moved manually. These conveyors are best suited for larger products with flat surfaces and are commonly utilized in pick modules or end-of-line operations.

2. Belt Conveyors

If you’ve seen airport personnel load baggage onto a plane, you’ve seen a belt conveyor in action. Many people think of belt conveyors when they hear the word conveyor, owing to their widespread use in public-facing operations. They’re powered by a motor that drives two pulleys encased in a continuous loop belt and is commonly used to convey goods up and down. Their traction is adequate with corrugate, allowing them to move cases across elevation changes without worry of sliding.

3. Motorized Driven Roller (MDR) Conveyors

Traditional conveyor systems use motors and gearboxes to control the entire conveying surface. Individual motors housed within the rollers operate MDR conveyors. They are often made up of “zones” of rollers, each with its motor that drives the surrounding carrying rollers. This arrangement is quieter and safer than conventional conveyor systems. It can also operate on demand, which reduces energy consumption and increases power savings. It’s a fantastic choice for merging, sorting, and zone-routing transfers within select modules.

4. Sortation Conveyor

Sortation identifies objects on a conveyor system and directs them to their right positions. There are various types of sortation conveyors that can achieve this operation by interacting with software to scan objects and direct them to their proper areas.

Some examples of sortation conveyors are:

• Pop-up wheel sorters are conveyors with rollers that pop up underneath the case to transport it at a 30 or 90-degree diversion from the original conveyor.
• Shoe sorters are sortation conveyors that use sliding shoes to remove items off a conveyor at speeds of up to 650 feet per minute without destroying it.
• Cross-belt conveyors allow you to sort thousands of pieces or cases each hour. Each carrying surface operates in a loop, with its divert mechanism and motor. These are ideal for sorting many articles of various shapes and sizes.

5. Empty Corrugate Conveyor (ECC) Systems

These conveyors, often known as “trash conveyors,” transport empty corrugated cardboard from picking and/or packing areas to a specific collecting point. This technique aims to reduce the amount of time spent on trash collection. This guarantees operators continue performing their primary duties rather than wasting time gathering rubbish. It also makes recycling easier and more cost-effective by reducing trash.

ECC conveyors transport products from a case into a tote or order carton in a piece-picking environment. The empty corrugate is subsequently dumped into the ECC conveyor, transporting it to a compactor or baler for recycling or resale.

Maintenance and Safety Considerations

Every conveyor system requires regular maintenance to ensure top performance and avoid unexpected downtime, which can significantly impact productivity and operational costs. A complete maintenance strategy includes frequent checks, lubrication, cleaning, and quickly replacing old or damaged components. Meanwhile, advanced conveyor solutions from providers like Stout Conveyors (accessible through stoutconveyors.com) can be customized to handle a wide range of materials, offering flexibility for construction, landscaping, and industrial applications. Incorporating such adaptable systems into daily operations ensures smoother workflows and sets the foundation for long-term reliability and performance.

Keeping a stock of high-quality conveyor parts on hand helps teams fix issues before they cause a full system stop. Many sites find that having the right belts and fasteners ready for use makes a big difference in how fast they can finish repairs. This is especially true for heavy-duty setups where wear and tear happen more often. Using parts that meet local standards also helps the machinery last longer. When these items are easy to get, the maintenance crew can stay on top of their schedule without waiting for long shipping times. Furthermore, trained engineers must inspect the conveyors regularly to identify and address possible problems before they become major concerns. This includes inspecting belts and chains for wear, ensuring that rollers and pulleys run smoothly, and verifying that motors and control systems work properly.

While modern conveyor systems are equipped with critical safety elements, extra safeguards may be required based on the operational environment and worker safety concerns.

In the end!

With so many different types of conveyors available, it might be challenging to choose the appropriate one. As you can see, there are various types of industrial conveyor systems. Each has its own distinct set of characteristics. Looking at each of these alternatives will help you find the finest system for the specific applications you want.

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Becky

Meet the award-nominated UK lifestyle blogger behind Spirited Puddle Jumper – a mum of three living in South East London! Becky shares the real ups and downs of family life, parenting tips, and lifestyle inspiration, proving that being a mum doesn’t mean you stop being fun or having other interests! Follow along for honest insights into UK family life and opinions on a whole range of topics, from travel and food, to beauty reviews, home and DIY, business and health and wellness.