Conveyor glossary

Accumulation Conveyor - any conveyor designed to permit packages or objects remain stationary while the belt is moving beneath. May be roller, slat or belt.

Ball Table - a group of steel ball assemblies in a flat table over which flat surfaced objects may be moved in any direction.

Bed - The part of a conveyor on which the belt rests or slides while being conveyed.

Belt Conveyor - Fabric, rubber, plastic, leather, or metal belt and slider bed for handling bulk materials, packages, or objects placed on the belt.

Belt Fastener - device for holding the ends of a fabric belt together.

Belt Misalignment - the sideways movement of a conveyor belt to either side while in motion.

Chain Conveyor - conveyor in which chains act as the conveying element.

Chain Drive - a power transmission device with chain and sprockets.

Cleat - an attachment fastened to the conveying belt to push, support, check, or trip. Helps move material, parts, or packages along the normal path of conveyor travel. May be of various shapes to suit the application.

Cleated Belt - a belt having fastened raised sections spaced uniformly to help flow of material

Conveyor - a horizontal, inclined, or vertical device for moving or transporting materials, packages or objects in a path predetermined by the design of the device.

Conveyor Belt - a belt used to carry and transmit the power required to move the load being conveyed.

Curved Belt Conveyor - belt conveyor usually operating horizontally through turns.

Drive - an assembly which provides the motive power for a conveyor.

Drive Belt - a belt which is used to transmit power or motion.

Drive Chain - a chain used to transmit power to the conveyor.

Emergency Stop or E Stop - a device to stop the conveyor arising from an unexpected occurance.

Fixture - a device or attachment fastened to conveyor for securing objects being processed as they are conveyed.

Gearmotor - a motor and geared speed reducer.

Gravity Conveyor - a conveyor that uses gravity to move products ie, has no motor.

Idler - a pulley or wheel around which a belt, cable, or chain passes in changing direction of travel.

Indexing - the function of predetermined intermittent movements.

Limit Switch - a mechanical device which, when activated, sends a signal to alter the control circuit.

Lineshaft Conveyor - a roller conveyor with carrying rollers powered individually by drive belts from a rotating shaft.

Magnetic Belt Conveyor - a belt conveyor operating over a slider bed containing permanent magnets for handling ferrous metal parts.

Magnetic Brake - a brake mounted on a motor to stop it when the electric current is cut off or fails.

Motorised Pulley - a drive roller with the motor inside.

Nose-Over - a belt transition from incline to level or from level to decline.

Pallet - a flat or shaped load carrier on to which packages or objects are placed.

Portable Conveyor - a transportable conveyor, usually having castors.

Product Stop - a mechanical barrier to interrupt the flow of product on a conveyor.

Roller Conveyor - a series of rollers supported in a frame over which objects are moved manually, by gravity, or by power.

Skate-wheel Conveyor - a wheel based conveyor making use of series of skate-wheels mounted on shafts or axles.

Slat - a steel or plastic member supported between chain links in a slat conveyor. The series of slats form a conveying bed.

Slat Conveyor - a conveyor employing slats as above.

Table-Top Chain (or Table-Top Conveyor) - the term wide slat conveyor.

Tapered Roller - a conical conveyor roller for use in a curve assists the product path.

Variable Speed Drive - allows the user to adjust the speed of the belt via adjustment of electrical frequency

Wire Mesh Conveyor Belt - a flexible belt composed of a series of formed wires

Zero Pressure Accumulation Conveyor - a type of conveyor that eliminates the build-up of pressure between adjacent packages or cartons in a queue.