Modular Conveyors adapt to manufacturing requirements.

Press Release Summary:



DynaCon® System is constructed of high-impact plastic modules that are assembled in interlocking sectional units, including belts, sides, legs, motors, and accessories. Self-tracking belts are available in 10 styles in 4-60 in. widths. Selection of components enables manufacturers to adapt to changing situations. Accessories include feed shields, drop-zone reinforcement modules, electrical components, electronic eyes, metal detection equipment, and electrical controls.



Original Press Release:



'Snap-in-Place' Attachments and Accessory Devices Extend the Flexibility, Lifespan and High ROI of Modular Conveyor System



Integrating accessories for "truly modular" DynaCon conveyor systems provide dramatic improvement in uptime, agility, overhead and efficiency.

For manufacturers who have worked only with fixed conveyors, the ability to quickly and easily expand, shrink or repair their conveyor systems, and simply snap on sophisticated modules with automated functions, might sound a bit futuristic. After all, the conventional fixed conveyor is exactly that - "fixed" - offering little or no flexibility. Fortunately, modularity and flexibility are concepts that exist in today's "truly modular" conveyor systems, which allow you to simply snap modules in place, change speeds on-the-fly, and roll the conveyor to various locations in your plant. Capable of innumerable configurations, truly modular conveyor system can quickly adapt to all types of light- and medium-duty manufacturing requirements.

"The need to reconfigure, and inevitably replace, conveyor systems is an all-too-frequent occurrence with many manufacturing and assembly operations," says Bob Steele, president of Steele Plastic Equipment, Marysville, Michigan. Steele's firm specializes in servicing manufacturers in the plastics industry, and is a pioneer in the design and sales of modular conveyor systems.

"A major factor in configuring and reconfiguring a conveyor is the need to include additional functional components or accessories," says Steele. "This could include a section that makes a radius turn, or a device that counts parts, or running the belt through a water bath, or incorporating sensors for detecting unwanted foreign objects. In some cases, there is a need to make a conveyor more compact, or even run it overhead to get it out of the way. And the easiest, quickest and normally least expensive way to do that is through the flexibility of a modular conveyor system. Otherwise, you could end up spending a fortune on reconfiguring and fine-tuning your conveyor system - over and over again. A truly modular conveyor system, with a wide range of accessories and attachments, can provide an extraordinarily long lifespan and a very high ROI."

Recognizing the need to meet frequently changing production flows, Steele's favorite modular conveyor solution for light- and medium-duty applications (handling objects of up to approximately 5-10 lbs.) is the DynaCon® System from Dynamic Conveyor Corporation, Muskegon, MI.

This new breed of conveyor system is constructed of high-impact plastic modules that are assembled in what might best be described as a "Lego" scheme of interlocking sectional units. These include belts, sides, legs, motors and accessories that make up modules. Self-tracking belts are available in 10 styles in 4-inch to 60-inch widths. Some of the more popular optional features include drive flights of 1-, 2- and 3-inch heights, flanges to extend side retaining walls, adjustable leg sets to control conveyor height, and leg sets with casters to facilitate wheeling the conveyors away from work cells or to other plant locations.

The selection of DynaCon components and accessories enables manufacturers to adapt to a variety of changing situations and challenging ones, such as detecting mishaps on the conveyor line, cushioning the impact of items that must drop on the belt and accommodating a tote stacking system. With standard modules measuring 18 inches in length, the system offers users maximum flexibility of configuration. Accessories include feed shields that prevent parts from deflecting off the conveyor; drop-zone reinforcement modules; electrical components; electronic eyes; metal detection equipment; as well as electrical controls for indexing, reversing, cutting conveyor power, and piece counting.

Here's a look at some of the most useful attachments and accessories that integrate with DynaCon conveyor systems:

COOLING TUNNEL MODULE
The use of rigid Lexan-Polycarbonate covers that fit snugly on either top or bottom of a standard DynaCon conveyor module allow users to create a "Cooling Tunnel" that cools parts efficiently without a water bath. Cold air is piped into the tunnel from beneath the conveyor module through a hose attached to an in-house forced air cooling system (up to 18,000 BTU/hr). This type of cooling tunnel can drop the temperature of the products from 200° F to room temperature in a very short period.

These covers can also be used for cleanroom applications and a variety of sterile/medical applications. Lexan covers prevent contamination from coming in contact with the product on the conveyor and can be used in Class 10,000 Cleanrooms. Brushless conveyor motors have virtually no emissions and the conveyor belts need no lubrication and are contaminant-free.

WATER BATH TANK:
This accessory is a 14-gauge stainless steel tank with a built-in cooling element that integrates directly into the standard-size conveyor system. The Water Bath provides for water bath and washdown applications, and is used widely in the plastics industry to cool hot articles as they exit injection-molding machines onto a conveyor system. Rather than allowing these hot items to deform as they sit and cool, the Water Bath cools them very quickly and enables them to retain their molded shape.

DynaCon conveyors, with the exception of the drive module, can be completely submerged in water, because they are made from plastic and aluminum with stainless steel fasteners. Also, Variable Speed DynaCon Drive Motors can be used to slow conveyor speed so that even extremely hot parts can be cooled in a standard bath module.

DROP ZONE REINFORCEMENT MODULE:
The Drop Zone Reinforcement Module, when placed under the belt, beefs up support for a particular section of the conveyor belt by providing a special, drop-in surface module designed to absorb the shock of impact.

PVC pipe manufacturers are often good candidates for using the Drop Zone Reinforcement Module. An eight-inch section of PVC can weigh up to ten pounds, and when dropped onto the conveyor from more than a few inches, can hit with great force. The Drop Zone Reinforcement Module cushions that impact, preventing damage to the conveyor belt.

EXIT CHUTES:
Exit Chutes are another modular piece that can be bolted onto a DynaCon module. Exit Chutes are used to control product flow-they can bend the flow of product to the left or to the right, channeling parts in a particular direction.

Manufacturers use Exit Chutes when they have a large bulk of small parts on the conveyor line. They are commonly used in the plastics industry to channel parts to their desired destination, whether a tote box or the next piece of manufacturing equipment on the line.

FEED END RETAINING KIT:
This accessory is unique to the DynaCon conveyor. It's a modular wall that bolts onto the conveyor and adds four inches of profile. The Feed End Retaining Kit is used to capture bulk parts and prevents them from falling off the side of the conveyor. It also gives the conveyor more sidewall, so that if parts bounce around when introduced to the conveyor, the wall ensures that they stay on the belt.

One common application for the Feed End Retaining Kit is an injection-molding line where small parts are rapidly exiting the injection molding equipment in clusters. A Feed End Retaining accessory captures those parts and makes sure that they make it onto the conveyor.

METAL DETECTOR:
The metal detection accessory is used in plastics as well as other industries. It is highly useful in detecting the presence of metal contaminants on the conveyor belt, contaminants that can severely damage sensitive equipment or even the blades of grinding machines. If a metal foreign object such as scrap accidentally falls into the conveyor belt, it will also pass over the detector, which will automatically stop the conveyor system. An audible and visual alarm alerts personnel to remove the metal debris and get the conveyor up and running again. The Metal Detector recognizes ferrous and non-ferrous metals, so that iron, steel, aluminum, copper and brass will all activate the device.

AUTOMATIC BOX FILLING:
A box filling system can reduce manual labor and error. Using a supplied electrical signal, the box filling system counts the number of pieces going into each box. When the designated count is reached, the feeder conveyor is automatically stopped, a new box is moved into position, and feeding resumes.

INDEXING:
Indexing is an option that stops and starts the belt automatically in response to an electronic signal. It can have many uses. For example, for operations that involve packaging a quantity of screws in a bag, a signal would go to the conveyor belt to advance the belt five inches when each bag is filled.

Indexing can also be used for assembly and inspection operations. The belt would stop in front of a worker automatically so he could proceed with an assembly process--then move on. Feeding a signal to the system is the best way to index the belt. Indexing can also be controlled by a manual foot switch that the operator uses once he has finished the assembly operation.

ELECTRONIC EYE:
The Electronic Eye option is used for part counting and placement detection on the standard DynaCon system. It is similar to the photoelectric sensor at the end of every grocery store check out line.

The primary purpose of the Electronic Eye is to prevent parts from falling on the floor. The conveyor belt indexes off the photo eye input signal. If parts flow gets out of control, the Electronic Eye will automatically shut off the conveyor until the system is reset

E-STOP:
The Emergency Stop option is an on-off switch. Pushing it immediately cuts power to the DynaCon conveyor. It's a form of insurance, allowing workers an emergency stop on the line as protection. A system manager can place this accessory anywhere along the assembly line in the proximity of the operator.

COOLING FAN MODULE:
The Cooling Fan Module is a cooling option that is installed between the belts of the conveyor. The required conveyor belt is a honeycomb grid configuration that allows ambient air to pass through it to cool the product.

The operator can stop the belt and position the product over the fan long enough to cool it using ambient air only. This module is used for less stringent, less demanding, cooling applications that do not require a water tank, or cooled air.

CONVEYOR REVERSES:
Conveyor Reverses are used primarily to protect against faulty products from advancing on the assembly line. After all, the last thing you want is for substandard items to end up in a parts assembly or box of finished goods.

For example, if an injection molding system senses that an error has occurred and flawed products are exiting the molding machine, it would signal the DynaCon system to reverse-index the conveyor. The parts in question would then be directed off the conveyor to a bin reserved for manual inspection, or could be dumped into a recycle bin. After performing the reverse action, the conveyor automatically resets and returns to normal operation.

THE TOTE STACKING SYSTEM:
The Tote stacking system allows you to stack totes vertically so they can be nested. Totes are reusable plastic bins that can store parts as they go down the assembly line. When they are empty, these totes nest easily in vertical stacks. Using this system you can nest 20 totes in the footprint of a single bin.

Dispensing a vertical tote is very efficient for the manufacturer who wants a lights-out operation and has limited floor space. Every square-foot of shop floor space costs money. One at a time the tote stacker kicks the totes out and on to the filler. When that tote is filled, the stacker kicks the next one out, which pushes the previous one out on to the conveyor.

ABOUT DYNAMIC CONVEYOR CORPORATION:
For over 20 years Dynamic Conveyor Corporation has been a source of innovative conveyor systems for industry, including the lightweight, "truly modular" DynaCon system, the alternative to traditional heavy steel conveyor systems that require custom fabrication and cannot be modified without considerable expense. The DynaCon system is appropriate for today's manufacturing techniques, where work flows and systems must be adaptable to ever-changing processes and product requirements.

For more information about DynaCon conveyor solutions, contact Dynamic Conveyor Corporation, 5980 Grand Haven Road, Muskegon, MI 49441; phone toll free (866) 249-2641; fax (231) 798-9583; or visit the web site www.dynamicconveyor.com

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