In the world of mechanical parts production there has always been a space for conveyor belts. The complexity and productivity required significantly influence the proposed solutions.
Very simple conveyor belts are required for the individual milling machines or for the shears, the main features of these conveyors are: low profile structures and reduced overall dimensions, good wear resistance and easy maintenance in case of breakages caused by the machine tool itself in the event of extra strokes. This simpler type of machine tending has seen quite a few changes in recent years: collaborative robots are integrating or replacing them completely, thanks to the flexibility that the customer benefits from.
Cobot assembly
Linee pallet
When the work cycle of the pieces, on the other hand, involves passing through multiple machines and milling stations, things get definitely more interesting. The most typical solution involves free pallet lines that transport the products, fixed on the pallets by means of special equipment, to the various required processing stations. The free pallet lines can have different accessories: accumulation, stop and flip-flop stations, precision indexing or exchange stations if pieces with different work cycles can turn on the same line. The presence of chip residue and emulsion of water and processing oil requires the use of rather robust systems. MH prefers the 1700 Series cardan joint chains for this type of applications. The structure of the belts can be made of painted sheet metal or, preferably, of anodized aluminum for greater flexibility of design and installation.