Fairglide Shaft Driven Roller Conveyors: How Do They Work?

Flat-bottomed boxes slip effortlessly through a production line when FairGLIDE Shaft Driven Roller Conveyors are implemented in a high-volume product distribution environment. Imagine the rollers in motion. They’re closely aligned, but there’s no sign of a power system in evidence. However, the “driven roller” designation implies some kind of power, perhaps a central prime mover. Let’s take a closer look at the FairGLIDE to see how this innovative conveyor operates.

Designed as A Central Drive Solution

Simple utilization, speed, and ease of motion are the goal. Here, the FairGLIDE Shaft Driven Roller Conveyor system transcends other conveyor form factors as it smoothly transports its load. Performing as part of a high-functioning production line bridge, the toughened underlying mechanism takes shape as a central prime mover, a motor that’s rated to carry a gross weight. Attached to the drive mechanism, a shaft acts as the common drive mechanism. It couples to the closely aligned rollers via a flexible belt. This is a tough elastomeric belt, a polyurethane material that defies wear and strain. Attached, drive shaft to drive spool, the belt transmits kinetic energy to the roller table.

Featuring Accumulator Functionality

Timing is an essential factor here, for a product can’t always be moved instantly to its next processing segment, not without some kind of a pause. Accumulation systems allow for this feature by introducing a buffer period into the product transportation cycle. In other words, the flat-bottomed items roll down a FairGLIDE Shaft Driven Roller Conveyor, then they collect (Accumulate) at the terminating end of the line. Instead of being forced roughly against each other by a meshing spindle drive, they softly contact each other and collect. In fact, with the application of minimal back pressure, the boxed items can even be urged forwards without impacting the drive mechanism. Thanks to an incorporated feature we call “drive slip,” the rollers adjust to accommodate these instances. All-in-all, shaft-driven roller conveyors are responsive, motion-yielding item conveying machines. They adjust and adapt well to the daily indignities that are visited on their flow cycles.

New assembly workers and product or package distribution operators are often impressed by these conveyance linkages, especially when the chosen solution employs the FairGLIDE Shaft Driven Roller Conveyor mechanism. They see the boxes, packages, food containers, and other flat-bottomed items gliding rapidly through the warehouse. Struck by that sight, by the low pressure and easy accumulation features, they never once look at the underlying drive equipment. Unseen, down below the conveyance table, an adaptive drive belt and shaft are powering the conveyor rollers.