24VDC MDR Conveyor with lift gates
Multi-Conveyor recently built a completely stainless steel, semi-automatic, MDR (motor driven roller) conveyor to transport cases of frozen product. The unique system incorporates thirteen drive zones, including six air shock assisted powered lift gates, all in one common portable frame.
Hand packers work at each of the seven 3' long gravity roller sections. They are able to manually lift the gates that are assisted with air shocks that support a gentle return to their base horizontal position. This allows the operator(s) easy access through the line, both to and from their work station.
Flexibility was built into this system by having one 24VDC MDR roller in each of the 13 roller groups that slave drives the other 3 to 7 rollers in that group. Due to limited cable lengths allowed between the driver cards and the driver rollers, Multi-Conveyor mounted the driver cards locally in each of the small panels. The complete system was prewired for the customer - then shipped as one "plug and play" unit for operation.
The system is controlled with only one (1) ON/OFF button in the main control panel. However, we can also design systems that need to work as individual zones that can be stopped and started for accumulation or that require differing speeds from one zone to the next.
This is a sanitary food operation that required continuous and passivated conveyor welds and includes 1.9" diameter IP65 rated waterproof powered rollers for washdown compliance.
The stainless steel floor support system is a completely welded single structure mounted on casters that allows the 5 foot by 20 foot unit to be moved for cleaning or to an adjacent line.
The conveyor was designed to run at 45 FPM based on a product load of (25) pounds per lineal foot of conveyor.
This is just one of many extraordinary semi-automatic hand pack solutions built here at Multi-Conveyor. For more information about Multi-Conveyor, or to get a quote on your next project, call toll-free 1-800-236-7960, e-mail info@multi-conveyor.com or visit www.multi-conveyor.com.
Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!
