A chain conveyor is a type of

conveyor system A conveyor system is a common piece of mechanical handling equipment that moves materials from one location to another. Conveyors are especially useful in applications involving the transport of heavy or bulky materials. Conveyor systems allow ...

for moving material through production lines.

Operation

Chain conveyors use an

endless chain A chain is a serial assembly of connected pieces, called links, typically made of metal, with an overall character similar to that of a rope in that it is flexible and curved in compression but linear, rigid, and load-bearing in tension. A ...

both to transmit power and to propel material through a trough, either pushed directly by the chain or by attachments to the chain. The chain runs over

sprocket A sprocket, sprocket-wheel or chainwheel is a profiled wheel A wheel is a rotating component (typically circular in shape) that is intended to turn on an axle Bearing (mechanical), bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the whe ...

s at either end of the trough. Chain conveyors are used to move material up to , and typically under . Chain

conveyors A conveyor belt is the carrying medium of a belt conveyor system (often shortened to a belt conveyor). A belt conveyor system consists of two or more pulleys (sometimes referred to as drums), with a closed loop of carrying medium—the conveyor b ...

utilize a powered continuous chain arrangement, carrying a series of single pendants. The

chain A chain is a serial assembly of connected pieces, called links, typically made of metal, with an overall character similar to that of a rope in that it is flexible and curved in compression but linear, rigid, and load-bearing in tension. A ...

arrangement is driven by a

motor An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power gene ...

, and the material suspended on the pendants is conveyed. Chain conveyors are used for moving

products Product may refer to: Business * Product (business), an item that can be offered to a market to satisfy the desire or need of a customer. * Product (project management), a deliverable or set of deliverables that contribute to a business solution ...

down an

assembly line An assembly line, often called ''progressive assembly'', is a manufacturing process where the unfinished product moves in a direct line from workstation to workstation, with parts added in sequence until the final product is completed. By mechan ...

and/or around a

manufacturing Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of the secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer ...

warehousing A warehouse is a building for storing goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial parks on the rural–urban fringe, out ...

facility. Chain conveyors are primarily used to

transport Transport (in British English) or transportation (in American English) is the intentional Motion, movement of humans, animals, and cargo, goods from one location to another. Mode of transport, Modes of transport include aviation, air, land tr ...

heavy unit loads, e.g., pallets, grid boxes, and industrial containers. These conveyors can be single or double chain strand in configuration. The load is positioned on the chains, and the friction pulls the load forward. Chain conveyors are generally easy to install and have minimal maintenance for users. Many industry sectors use chain conveyor technology in their

production lines A production line is a set of sequential operations established in a factory where components are assembled to make a finished article or where materials are put through a refining process to produce an end-product that is suitable for onward c ...

. The automotive industry commonly uses chain conveyor systems to convey car parts through

paint Paint is a material or mixture that, when applied to a solid material and allowed to dry, adds a film-like layer. As art, this is used to create an image or images known as a painting. Paint can be made in many colors and types. Most paints are ...

plants. Chain conveyors also have widespread use in the white and brown goods,

metal A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...

finishing and distribution industries. Chain conveyors are also used in the painting and coating industry, which allows for easier paint application. The products are attached to an overhead chain conveyor, keeping products off of the floor allows for higher productivity levels.

Types

Types of chain conveyor include apron, drag, plain chain, scraper, flight, and en-masse conveyors.

Drag conveyor

Drag conveyors, variously called ''drag chain conveyors'', ''scraper chain conveyors'' and ''en-masse conveyors'', are used in

bulk material handling Bulk material handling is an engineering field that is centered on the design of equipment used for the handling of dry materials. Bulk materials are those dry materials which are powdery, granular or lumpy in nature, and are stored in heaps.. Ex ...

to move solid material along a trough. They are used for moving materials such as

cement clinker 200px, Typical clinker nodules 200px, Hot clinker Cement clinker is a solid material produced in the manufacture of portland cement as an intermediary product. Clinker occurs as lumps or nodules, usually to in diameter. It is produced by sinter ...

, ash, and

sawdust Sawdust (or wood dust) is a by-product or waste product of woodworking operations such as sawing, sanding, milling and routing. It is composed of very small chips of wood. These operations can be performed by woodworking machinery, portable p ...

in the mining and chemical industries, municipal solid waste incinerators, and the production of

pellet fuel Pellet fuels (or pellets) are a type of solid fuel made from compressed organic material. Pellets can be made from any one of five general categories of biomass: industrial waste and co-products, food waste, agricultural residues, energy crops, a ...

. The difference between drag conveyors, scraper conveyors, and flight conveyors largely depends on whether the chain links have obvious

flight Flight or flying is the motion (physics), motion of an Physical object, object through an atmosphere, or through the vacuum of Outer space, space, without contacting any planetary surface. This can be achieved by generating aerodynamic lift ass ...

s or paddles attached. In a drag conveyor, the chain moves the material directly, while a flight conveyor uses a series of wood, metal, or plastic flights attached to the chain at regular intervals, which push the material along the trough.

Multiflexing chain conveyor

Multiflexing conveyor systems use plastic chains in many configurations. The flexible conveyor chain design permits horizontal as well as vertical change of direction.

Notes

References