Control Panels - Belt Conveyor Systems
Control Panels - Belt Conveyor Systems
Control panels for belt conveyor systems are very simple when compared to the delay and duration times, set up menus, recipes and other controls found on container cleaning machines, liquid filling equipment and capping machines. Controls for standard belt conveyor systems will normally include two functions, power and speed, though specialty conveyors may include other functions. The operator of a belt conveyor system may control power and speed using a simple controller mounted to the conveyor or the power and speed controls for a belt conveyor may be integrated into the control box for another piece of packaging machinery such as a rinser, filler, capper or labeling machine. In addition, the belt conveyor system for an automatic packaging system will likely include more than one conveyor controller.
The controls for conveyors on an automatic inline packaging system will likely be broken down by the packaging function. For example, if bottles are loaded onto a turntable, the speed and power of the initial conveyor may be adjusted using the controller mounted to the conveyor. If containers then enter a bottle vacuum, the control panel for the bottle vacuum will likely include the power and speed controls for that section of the belt conveyor system. While there are several reasons for controlling different sections of conveyor individually, one is simply efficiency. A filler conveyor, for example, may need to stop and go to allow for the filling process, while the conveyor for bottle capping will run non-stop.
The power controls for conveyor sections will either consist of a switch when using a conveyor mounted controller, or a combination power switch and touchscreen on/off button on the operator interface when integrated with another packaging machine. The speed controls will normally remain the same whether using a conveyor mounted controller or a packaging machine control panel. A simple speed pot will control the variable speed drives to allow the operator of the conveyor to increase or decrease speed by simply turning a dial.
As noted above, some specialty conveyors may contain additional controls. Cooling conveyors, for example, may have temperature controls or additional controls for a fan cooling system. Even with additional or unique controls, belt conveyor systems are simple and easy to use, requiring an operator only to power up the material handling machine and dial in the speed for maximum efficiency.
If you would like more information on the different types of conveyors offered by Liquid Packaging Solutions, simply click here to browse the conveyor section of the website. If you have questions on conveyors or conveyor controls, contact a Packaging Specialist toll free today at 1-888-393-3693.