Building a better power-and-free system

By Staff -- Modern Materials Handling, 6/1/2000

What are some of the major factors that go into designing a power-and-free conveyor system? Bob Pierson of Jervis B. Webb Company shared insights into successful designs during an educational forum at NA 2000.

Pierson addressed major design considerations, starting with the type of carrier to be used and what is to be conveyed. Carriers must be able to support the load, offer stability, provide easy loading and unloading, and have the proper tolerances for forces they will endure.

Careful consideration should also be given to designing the layout. Designers additionally need to be aware of peak throughputs, and plan for them. He also points out the need to know a system's bottlenecks, and have plans to address them if there is ever a need to increase capacity.

Empty carrier management is also often an afterthought. Pierson says the plan should determine how these carriers should flow back to where they are needed.