Walking-Beam Conveyors Allow Multiple Processes: by Murali Shivamuthulingam
Walking-Beam Conveyors Allow Multiple Processes: by Murali Shivamuthulingam
Walking-Beam Conveyors Allow Multiple Processes: by Murali Shivamuthulingam
For speed and accuracy, the motion of the beam is most often generated by a rotating camshaft powered by an electric motor or a roller movement in a profile powered by hydraulic cylinder, explains Robert Austin, senior designer at Almac Industrial Systems, (Aurora, ON). The beam's motion replicates an arm that rises and falls like a seesaw. These machines are based on high performance servo technology and provide a stable & fast transfer system for rigid containers where alternative in-line transfer systems such as rope or chain conveyors are unsuitable. Filling options include high accuracy program forward weight controlled filling, with facilities for vibration at fill points to compact difficult products. The weighing is accomplished by load cells mounted on a fixed structure within the path of the movable carriage of the walking beam conveyor or the load cells are built into the carriage itself.
A walking-beam conveyor for the stepped conveyance of drums or similar conveyed stock typically has at least one walking beam that is raised and lowered by lifters between lateral support rails and is movable by at least one longitudinally effective actuator in the longitudinal transport direction. Almac products use Allen Bradley micro logics 1000 compact processor with fixed I/O for controls but can also be customized to incorporate other type of control systems. Preferably, such a walking-beam conveyor has a plurality of walking beams arranged successively in the workpiece-travel direction that are moved step-wise downstream and upstream jointly. At the same time, the walking beams are jointly raised while moving downstream and lowered while moving back such that the drums or the like resting on the lateral support rails can be conveyed in steps in the workpiece-travel direction. A walking-beam conveyor of this type can be easily integrated as conveying equipment in Mineral processing plants.
Fig 2&3:Specially designed conveyor using both rollers and chain transfer at the exit section of the waking beam shown above.
http://www.almac.com/ Murali Shivamuthulingam is a senior design engineer for Almac Industrial Systems. Volume 37 (Jan-Feb 2009).