materialhandlingupdate CONVEYORS
CONVEYOR DESIGN AND CONTROLS
Of all the costs associated with operating a conveyor system,
the biggest component is energy, says Bonham. That’s why
he advises buyers to make design decisions with energy efficiency in mind. That might mean, for example, choosing a
24-volt DC-powered unit over a less-efficient AC unit—a
move that would produce energy savings of up to 50 percent. Choosing energy-saving components may add a little
to the initial purchase price, Bonham says, but the buyer will
recover that initial “upcharge” many times over.
Another way to save on energy bills is to have the conveyor built with decentralized drive units spread throughout
the belt as opposed to choosing a centralized drive, he says.
Using decentralized drives allows a conveyor section to shut
down temporarily when there’s no payload. That alone can
save another 10 to 20 percent in energy costs. And that’s just
the half of it. Because the units aren’t running continuously, there’s less wear and tear on components, which translates to lower maintenance costs. And since most of these
conveyors are built with modular sections, they’re less costly to install than other units.
The speed of the conveyor you select will also have a big
effect on operating costs. Simply put, the higher the speed,
the more expensive the unit will be to operate. That’s why it
pays to make sure you’re buying only as much speed as
you’ll actually need.
