In general, a conveyor roller serves to help move the belt or provides specific amounts of resistance within a belt and pulley structure.
A conveyor pulley is a small round part of a conveyor belt that is similar to a gear or pulley. Pulleys and sheaves are very similar items. In general, the roller is designated as a pulley that does not carry a primary load and does not primarily drive a motor or component of a conveyor system. Some explain the roller as a kind of “dummy” pulley, an additional wheel that only performs secondary functions in a conveyor configuration.
Conveyor rollers are conveyor wheels that are not driven but simply spin freely.
In general, a conveyor roller serves to help move the belt or provides specific amounts of resistance within a belt and pulley structure. Rollers can also help with the gear ratio and other engineering aspects of a conveyor system. In some cases, conveyor pulley models may have belt tensioner features, where moving the pulley can change the tension in the belt. They usually come with detailed instructions as some of them can be difficult to use due to required tools or unusual specifications.
As a useful part of many industrial systems, conveyor rollers come in many different forms. Some common ones are in-line rolls, insert or offset rolls, and return rolls. The incorporated, inserted and displaced varieties are constructed in very specific ways to fit the band according to the ideal factors. The return rollers generally drive the belt undercarriage, which moves in the reverse direction. They can help control aspects of the belt return that contribute to the overall function of the conveyor belt, such as width or tension between the top belt and the return.
Many specific conveyor pulley designs are made up of more than one idler, where various parts of the pulley connect to the conveyor belt at different points to keep the belt on the right track and running smoothly. These designs may also include metal racks for added stability. Some designs have handles that can be used to adjust the pulley to help the conveyor move properly. All this leads to the structural versatility to fit these elements into an existing industrial transport system.
In many different types of manufacturing and production environments, conveyor rollers serve specific engineering purposes in a moving belt design. They can be designed to handle various loads as they move frequently through the conveyor space. They can also be built to interface with safety and emergency systems that will help protect workers and equipment used in conveyor assembly.