6.6.2 Types of Roller Conveyor
(a) Unpowered Roller Conveyor
Introduction : An unpowered roller conveyor consists of series of rollers, the frame on which the rollers are placed and the stands also called the trestles, on which the framework rests. Because of simplicity of design, competitive cost and trouble free operation, these conveyors are used extensively in handling unit loads in workshops or process plants to convey articles from one working station to another. Unpowered roller conveyors are often used as a storing platform and as such are often termed
as roller table. These are also used in stores as storing racks and in loading bays for loading / unloading materials from carriages. A gentle slope may be provided in the conveyor to aid movement of the loads on idle rollers. These gravity roller conveyors are used to convey load in one direction only. The conveyors can have a curved section to change direction. Material movement between two levels may be done by an inclined or a spirally formed gravity roller conveyor. The spiral form increases the length
of the conveyor and thereby controls the velocity of the articles moving down the conveyor. A typical unpowered roller conveyor is shown in Fig. 6.6.1.