For industrial businesses, transporting stock around inside multilevel warehouses and factories can be very difficult. There aren’t many efficient options available. Multilevel internal transportation can take a lot of manpower, cost a lot of money, and waste a lot of time.
To help streamline multilevel internal transportation, spiral conveyors were invented. Spiral conveyors are a very effective [and efficient] way of transporting boxes and heavy objects between floors.
This article will explain what spiral conveyors are, what their advantages are, and why they are such an effective way of transporting products internally:
What Are Spiral Conveyors?
Spiral conveyors [also known as spiral elevators] are very efficient material handling conveyors, used in a variety of industries. They are used to elevate or lower heavy objects. Spiral conveyors are made up of a moving belt, which revolves around a central column. Products are placed on this belt, then elevated up or down. They can be used to move products from floor to floor, or to up to walkways.
You can purchase both open and closed spiral conveyors. The latter prevents dust and contaminants from getting into fragile materials. In addition, closed spiral conveyors can be used to cool, heat, or dry objects. According to the manufacturers of the Ryson spiral conveyor, spiral conveyors can be made to order and customised. This gives businesses greater control over the type of spiral conveyor that they choose.
How Do They Work?
As we have already mentioned, spiral conveyors are belts that revolve around a single central column. From a control console, the conveyor’s operator can decide whether the conveyor moves products up or down. A person will stand beside the belt’s entryway and load products onto it. At the bottom, either a person will collect the objects, or alternatively, it will feed onto another belt that will take materials to packagers or other machines. Spiral conveyors also have an automatic function, which allows them to work in harmony with other conveyors belts located on multiple levels.
What Do They Transport?
There is a multitude of products and materials that spiral conveyors can be used to transport. As long as the product is sized appropriately and doesn’t exceed weight limits, then it can go on a spiral conveyor. The main products used on spiral conveyors are bundles, cans, bottles, containers, bags, newspapers, pet food, cosmetics, and clothes. They are also used by pharmaceutical companies. Sometimes, larger and heavier objects are transported.
Why Are They Efficient?
Spiral conveyors are a very efficient way of transporting products internally. This is because, without them, large businesses would have to employ hundreds of people to transport large amounts of products around. If the products were particularly heavy, then this would become even more difficult. Warehouses may have to build ramps, which forklifts would have to navigate. All of this would be very expensive and very time-consuming. Because spiral conveyors save time, money, and are more environmentally friendly, they are therefore more efficient.
Why Might You Benefit from a Spiral Conveyor?
There are many reasons other than efficiency why businesses need conveyors, some of these include:
- They have a lack of floor space. A lack of floor space is one of the main reasons that businesses choose to invest in spiral conveyors. Spiral conveyors are perfect for warehouses and factories that are tight and closely packed because they are high and not very wide. This means that you can use a spiral conveyor without having to clear space.
- They need a conveyor that can be used to transport different types of material around. Because spiral conveyors are so versatile, a single conveyor can be used for multiple different materials, products, or objects. In addition, as we mentioned earlier spiral conveyors often come with coolers or dyers, which means that they can be used for different applications, such as treating products.
- They need to elevate products fast. When it comes to speed, spiral conveyors are unrivaled. Even basic conveyors have speeds of up to 250 fpm. However, despite their speed, they are still very gentle, which means products won’t be damaged. In addition, spiral conveyors allow for even product distribution, ensuring that there are a specific number of products on each tier. This allows business owners to ensure that their conveyors aren’t overwhelmed and that their products don’t get damaged.
They Are Very Durable
Another benefit to spiral conveyors is that they are very durable. For industrial businesses, durable machinery is very important. If a business’s machinery isn’t durable then they will constantly have to replace them and put new orders in. This can be very expensive and this can also slow down production time and interfere with overall product turnaround.
In addition, most spiral conveyors are built from steel. Steel is very durable. This means that spiral conveyors can withstand knocks and bumps within reason. They also last a very long time.
Customisation and Additions
As we mentioned earlier, spiral conveyors can be customed and made to order. They can also have additions added onto them, which we have also mentioned [heaters and coolers]. Ordinarily, businesses would have to buy separate heaters and coolers, which can be incredibly expensive. Now, they are able to buy spiral conveyors which include these functions, ultimately saving them time and money. They save time with these functions built into spiral conveyors because it saves them having to load products from a conveyor onto a heater or cooler.
Low Maintenance
Perhaps the biggest benefit overall of spiral conveyors is that they are incredibly low maintenance. For industrial businesses, each day’s primary concern is improving speed and efficiency. With traditional machinery, breakdowns are common. Because spiral conveyors rarely break down and require very little maintenance, production can be sped up and businesses can instead focus on improving their profits. When maintenance is required, it is usually very straightforward and simple, because these machines are not complex. You may need a specialised engineer, but in most cases, the manufacturer will dispatch one and your problem will be resolved within a day.
Spiral conveyors are definitely the industrial world’s most efficient way of transporting products, as this article demonstrates. They are far superior to other conveyors and industrial transport options.