How will smart conveyors improve industry?

Conveyor belts have been in existence since the late 18th-century and can transport almost any product on the globe. The first conveyor belts were made from leather and ran on wooden rollers to move goods between ports. Modern iterations almost always use motors instead of hand cranks and steel belts above leather. The design principle is the same.

Smart conveyors are IoT technologies that enable product tracking, efficiency optimization, productivity optimization, and simplified predictive maintenance. They make entire processes more efficient, from start to finish. Let’s look at how smart conveyors could improve industrial operations.

Smart conveyors – to increase energy efficiency

Smart conveyors and facilities can help companies reduce their energy consumption. This allows them to save money and reduce their carbon footprint. Smart conveyors use sensors to monitor current loads and reduce power consumption. They can be turned off automatically when not in use to save power. The distance a conveyor belt has to travel, the number of products it lifts, and how heavy it is being moved all affect its power consumption. Smart conveyors can automatically adjust their power consumption without the need for engineers or mathematicians. When there is less human interference, energy management can be easier and more efficient.

Transporting with safety

Between 2008 and 2012, 35% of all work-related injury cases were caused by conveyor belts. Conveyor belts were responsible for 35% of all work-related injuries between 2008 and 2012. This resulted in $218 million in workers’ comp claims. Conveyor belts could catch hair, clothing or even your head, causing injury or death. While training employees can prevent some of these injuries, it is not enough for everyone to fall for the traps while working.

Sensors can be used to detect if workers are too close or stuck to machinery. These sensors are connected to controls that slow down the equipment until it can be fixed. Smart conveyor functions respond much faster than human workers. This lowers the chance of worker injury.

Simpler conveyor maintenance

Some operations will not take down their systems because it can be expensive. Unplanned equipment failures are more expensive than planned maintenance.

Preventative maintenance can be replaced by predictive maintenance with IoT-enabled smart conveyers. In order to inspect conveying surfaces, maintenance personnel do not have to travel to them. Instead, sensor arrays monitor online equipment. Sensor arrays monitor online equipment and can predict failures, which allows plant operations to prevent them from happening.

Increase productivity with smart conveyors

Belt conveyor have been a great way of increasing productivity. These productivity gains are taken to new heights with smart conveyors. These motors can be connected directly to certain conveyor systems. These smart motors can be controlled using IoT data from the conveyor surface. They adjust speed and force according to the products being moved. You can program the conveyor surface to slow down or slow down so that the product passes before an inspection camera or robotic arms. This eliminates human error.

Conveyors can be included in automated systems.

Over the past 20 years, smart conveyors have allowed automation in many industries. While they can’t replace human labor entirely, smart conveyors can still take over manual tasks in manufacturing logistics. These smart conveyors are used to reduce quality control issues and assure consistent product.