Conveyor lines are essential in many industrial operations, spanning packaging to picking and assembly. Unit handling conveyors generally operate at 65 FPM – roughly equivalent to walking speed – though some operations require acceleration rates that surpass this. When setting up your conveyor troughed or pipe, calculations must be performed to ensure proper belt tensioning and power use during acceleration.
Calculations can often be time-consuming and complex to implement in the field, due to multiple influences that impact them. Now Helix delta-T6 incorporates a new calculation application designed specifically to accelerate and simplify this process of pipeline design and optimization.
This new application can calculate both the normal force and sag resistance of pipe conveyors. Sag resistance calculations currently make use of multiplying material gravity, belt gravity and belt-roller formation force by an estimated resistance coefficient – an outdated approach as pipe-shaped conveyors often employ unique working principles that cannot be measured accurately using this approach.
As pipe-shaped conveyors’ sag resistance is highly dependent on belt radius and shape, to account for this a new calculation formula was designed to estimate belt radius that can be used in more accurate sag resistance calculations based on dynamic modeling of normal force of belt-rollers.
This new calculation tool also allows users to easily select a belt width, diameter and number of idlers along the conveyor length that best meets their needs. Once this selection has been made, the tool can accurately calculate total conveyor length and capacity as well as an ideal speed of the pipe conveyor system. Furthermore, this calculator can determine how long it will take an acceleration process to reach operational speed as well as distance covered during such acceleration processes.
Finally, this new calculator can accurately calculate and display the total length of a pipe conveyor system in both feet per minute (FPM) and meters per second – useful information both for designers and customers alike who want quick comparison of various pipe conveyor systems to determine which has superior efficiency and throughput rates.
If you would like more information on Helix delta-T6 and its latest iteration, the Helix T6, visit our website or get in touch with us directly about how we can assist with your pipe conveyor projects. Our team of knowledgeable engineers is on standby to answer your queries and provide detailed quotes for any project, large or small. We look forward to speaking with you soon! -Posted by David A. McDougall, President of Helix delta-T6 Inc, an industry leader for conveyor design and engineering solutions. Helix delta-T6 has long been recognized for providing superior technology, innovative solutions and excellent customer support to the North American market. Their reputation makes them the go-to supplier for many leading manufacturing and distribution firms.
