MOTION SYSTEMS HANDBOOK
Heads or tails: A look at conveyor drive options Image courtesy mk North America
Conveyors are extremely versatile systems used for delivering bulk or discrete materials through processing operations or along assembly lines. One of the attributes that makes them so versatile is their ability to be configured in almost any layout imaginable, with curves, inclines or declines, and 90° or 180° turns to form complex travel paths. Another design feature that makes conveyors suited to a variety of layouts is that the drive (motor) can be placed at either end or, for some conveyors, at any location between the ends of the conveyor.
A drive located at the head or tail of the conveyor is generically referred to as an end drive. However, to designate which end the drive is located on, manufacturers typically refer to drives located at the head, or discharge end, as head drives and those located at the tail, or infeed end, as tail drives. But it’s important to note that some manufacturers use the term head drive in a more generic sense, simply to denote that the drive is located at either end of the conveyor, as opposed to somewhere along the length of the conveyor. A head drive — located at the discharge — is the preferred configuration for most conveying applications, as it creates a pull force on the conveyor belt or media.
This is an ERT250 pallet-handling conveyor from Dorner Mfg. Corp. for cleanroom environments. Its use of rollers instead of belts avoids the release of dust. Energy-efficient gearboxes drive the rollers for positioning and zoning flexibility.
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DESIGN WORLD — MOTION
8 • 2020
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