A plant that manufactures wheels for passenger vehicles has installed an elaborate conveying system to move work in process through its plant. IBT Engineering Services and IBT Material Handling Group designed, built and installed the system that relies heavily on Hytrol® components.

IBT Sales Representative Chris Martin negotiated the initial proposal and secured the order. As the process unfolded, he acted as liaison, providing daily support and communications between the customer and IBT staff.

At IBT Engineering Services, Alan Beech carried the ball as project manager. In that capacity, he was responsible for directing and coordinating human and material resources from project inception to closure, and saw to the successful completion of all project deliverables.

The new conveyor line system moves unfinished wheel rims from initial production machinery across the plant to a final wheel finishing area. The rims range in size from fifteen to nearly twenty inches in diameter, up to one foot high and weighing up to 45 pounds. The conveyor speed is 65 fpm. The electrical drive motors operate at 460 VAC, 60 Hertz, 3 Phase. Pneumatic Requirements are for an 80 PSI clean, dry, compressed air supply.

Unfinished rims enter the system from production machinery onto an existing conveyor section. Rims are elevated upward to about 18 feet overhead to a conveyor equipped with a pneumatic plow. The plow is controlled by a remote selector switch that allows rims to either proceed directly to the finishing area or be diverted onto a conveyor line which routes rims through a robotic work cell used to shot peen the rims for added strength.

The overall conveyor system encompasses sections of belt driven live roller conveyor, belt over roller conveyor, chain-driven roller conveyor, V-belt driven curved and spur conveyors and two sections of Hytrol’s patented zero-pressure accumulation conveyor to make it all work. The key to the system is the zero pressure accumulation live roller conveyors equipped with the new patented Hytrol Generation 3 EZ- Logic accumulation system. These conveyors contain 24 inch long accumulation zones designed to keep the rims separated while accumulated.

The EZ-Logic photoeyes can be equipped with an I/O module cable for providing a photoeye status output signal connection if needed to monitor the state of the photoeye. Additional monitoring and troubleshooting capabilities are possible by using the Genesis programming software designed to add additional functionality to the EZ-Logic system.

IBT Engineering services designed an electrical control starter panel to handle the additional number of conveyor motors added by the system. The controls panel also had to possess the capability to communicate with other existing control panels located throughout the plant.

The total length of the new conveyor systems in the installation is about 850 feet.

About the Hytrol Conveyors Used:

199-CRR Chain Driven Roller Conveyor: A chain driven roller conveyor with each roller powered by roller chain, which provides positive drive at all times. The conveyor chains are driven by center drive units mounted beneath the conveyor, with metal chain guards to totally enclose the drive chain.

199-CRRC Chain Driven Roller Curve Conveyor: A chain driven roller curve conveyor. The conveyor’s tapered rollers help maintain product orientation.

190-LR Horizontal Live Roller Conveyor: AÂ live roller conveyor designed for general transport. The tread rollers are driven by a nitrile impregnated, thin polyurethane belt. The conveyor belt is driven by a center drive unit mounted beneath the conveyor

RB Horizontal Belt over Roller Bed Conveyor: A belt conveyor with a roller bed beneath the moving belt surface. The conveyor is equipped with a flat belt with clipper lacing.

190-ACZ Minimum Pressure Live Roller Conveyor: A powered roller conveyor capable of accumulating product with minimal back pressure. “Finger Tip” adjustment of the snub rollers allows the back pressure to be set to a minimum of 2% of the accumulated product weight. The tread rollers are driven by a nitrile impregnated, thin polyurethane belt.

RBI Decline Belt over Roller Bed Conveyor: A belt conveyor with a roller bed beneath the moving belt surface. The RBI will be equipped with a black rough top belt with PVC covering, complete with clipper lacing. The RBI conveyor will have a center drive unit powered by a drive brake motor.

ABEZ “Zero Pressure” Accumulating Live Roller Conveyor (EZ Logic): A horizontal live roller conveyor, designed for applications that require accumulation of product without a build-up of line pressure. The ABEZ features Hytrol’s exclusive “EZ Logic” accumulation system. Each accumulation zone contains a Generation 3 retroreflective photoeye sensor which senses product presence and controls the accumulation and release of product. To stop a product in a zone, the drive belt which powers all of the rollers is pneumatically lowered away from the tread rollers in the given zone while a pneumatic brake pad is activated to stop rotation of the rollers. The “EZ Logic” system allows product to be accumulated and released in slugs, significantly increasing throughput

190-LRC Live Roller Curve Conveyor: A powered roller curve conveyor with tapered roller to maintain product orientation. A V-belt located below the rollers provides driving action to the rollers.

190-LRS Live Roller Spur Conveyor: A powered roller spur conveyor designed to connect the main line to a alternate divert line. A V-belt located below the rollers provides driving action to the rollers.

20-CR Chain Driven Roller Conveyor: Each roller is powered by roller chain, providing positive drive at all times.

20-CRC Chain Driven Roller Curve Conveyor: A chain driven roller curve conveyor. Each roller is powered by roller chain, providing positive drive at all times.

20-CRS Chain Driven Roller Spur Conveyor: AÂ chain driven roller 30 degree spur conveyor. Each roller is powered by a roller chain, providing positive drive at all times.

20-CRSS Chain Driven Roller Straight Spur Conveyor: A chain driven roller 45 degree straight spur conveyor. Each roller is powered by roller chain, providing positive drive at all times.

Pneumatically Operated Plow: A 30-degree plow used to divert product from the main line conveyor to a spur conveyor line. The plow mounts to the underside of the bed on powered belt and live roller type conveyors. The plow is equipped with a double acting air cylinder and single solenoid 4-way air valve. The air valve will be controlled by a manual selector switch.

To learn more about IBT’s capabilities in conveying and other material handling systems, contact the Material Handling Group.