Cardboard packages.
A package conveyor is a piece of industrial equipment often used in warehouses or shipping facilities to move packages of various sizes from one location within the factory or warehouse to another. Unlike other conveyor systems, the Package Conveyor is specifically designed to move packages that do not have loose ends that can get caught on conveyor belts or rollers. There are three basic types of conveyors for this application: energized systems, non-energized systems, and a combination of the two systems. Belts and rollers are the two most common methods of moving items.
A non-powered gravity package conveyor will have a series of metal cylinders or rollers attached to shafts between the frame of the conveyor. Packages placed on this conveyor system can be pushed along the track and the entire conveyor system can be tilted downwards so that packages are pushed by gravity. Slowers are sometimes placed along the packaging belt to slow down packages at key points in the system. This prevents packages from gaining too much speed and potentially going off the track, colliding with other packages, or colliding with workers near the conveyor. Retarders are essentially metal plates mounted between sets of rollers. The friction of the metal plates will effectively slow down the packs.
Electric parcel conveyor systems typically feature a belt or series of belts to move packages. The belts rotate around a series of cylinders, some of which are powered by the motor and some of which provide tension to the belt to prevent slippage or damage. Strapping systems are effective because they can prevent loose packages from getting caught on the rollers and are generally easy to tension.
Some systems combine gravity-driven roller conveyors with electric belt conveyors. These systems can be quite complex, and components known as transfers may be necessary to ensure that packets transfer smoothly from one system to another. Packages can get stuck between the gravity rollers and the moving conveyor, which can damage the package; Transfers provide smooth surfaces on which packages can travel to prevent such damage. The placement of each type of package transport system relative to each other will vary depending on the design of the particular installation in which the entire transport system is used. Sometimes it is necessary to design custom transportation systems for a company to get around existing obstacles.