Conveying
The conveyors are based on an aluminium conveyor beam with low friction slide rails guiding a plastic multi-flexing chain. Products to be conveyed travel directly on the conveyor, or on pallets/carriers. Products that are handled have a weight from a few grams up to 30 kg and up to 1400 kg using roller and belt conveyors. The chain design permits horizontal as well as vertical change of direction.
Chain permits transport of very small items which are otherwise difficult to handle. Compact and neat design.
Examples of application areas
Small ball bearings, perfume bottles, pharmaceutical bottles, sintered metal components.
Technical characteristics
Drive unit capacity
500 N
Chain tension limit
500 N
Beam width
45 mm
Chain width
44 mm
Chain pitch
25,4 mm
Item width
10--80 mm
Maximum item weight
Horizontal transport
2 kg
Vertical transport
1 kg
Maximum weight on conveyor
150 kg
Maximum conveyor length
30 m
XL 63 mm chain
Suitable for a wide range of applications. Preferable in high speed applications. Includes components for pallet handling (XLP) and vertical wedge conveyors.
Examples of application areas
Tissue paper, gear wheels, aerosol cans, medium size ball bearings, piston parts, yoghurt, fuel injectors, dry batteries, plastic bottles, tape cassettes, matches, cheese boxes, coffee and tea packages.
Technical characteristics
Drive unit capacity
500 N
Chain tension limit
500 N
Beam width
65 mm
Chain width
63 mm
Chain pitch
25,4 mm
Item width
15--140 mm
30--300 mm
Maximum item weight
Horizontal transport
10/1* kg
Vertical transport
2/1* kg
Maximum weight on conveyor
150/80* kg
Maximum conveyor length
40/8* m
*Applies to vertical wedge conveyor.
XM 83 mm chain
Suitable for a wide range of applications. Higher capacity than XS and XL. Includes components for pallet handling (XMP) and vertical wedge conveyors.
Examples of application areas
Ball valves, water meters, disk drives, pie packages, film cartridges, plastic bottles, beverage cans, products on pallets, paint cans, socks.
Technical characteristics
Drive unit capacity
1250 N
Chain tension limit
1250 N
Beam width
85 mm
Chain width
83 mm
Chain pitch
33,5 mm
Item width
20--200 mm
40--300 mm*
Maximum item weight
Horizontal transport
15 kg
Vertical transport
10/2* kg
Maximum weight on conveyor
200/80* kg
Maximum conveyor length
30/8* m
*Applies to vertical wedge conveyor.
XH 103 mm chain
Suitable for larger items, especially if point of balance is somewhat offcenter. Higher capacity than XS and XL.
The XH conveyor is also available in a stainless steel version
Examples of application areas
Large ball bearings, turbo rotors, safety belt brackets, electric motors, shock absorbers, video cassettes, steering arm components, boxes.
Technical characteristics
Drive unit capacity
1250 N
Chain tension limit
1250 N
Beam width
105 mm
Chain width
103 mm
Chain pitch
35,5 mm
Item width
25--300 mm
Maximum item weight
Horizontal transport
20 kg
Vertical transport
15 kg
Maximum weight on conveyor
150--300 kg
Maximum conveyor length
30 m
XK 102 mm chain
Suitable for larger items, especially if point of balance is somewhat off center. Higher capacity than other types. Includes components for pallet handling.
Examples of application areas
Ball and roller bearings, heavy boxes, gear wheels, motor parts on pallets, disk brakes, hydraulic pumps.
Technical characteristics
Drive unit capacity
2500 N
Chain tension limit
2500 N
Beam width
105 mm
Chain width
102 mm
Chain pitch
38,1 mm
Item width
50--300 mm
Maximum item weight
Horizontal transport
30 kg
Vertical transport
15 kg
Maximum weight on conveyor
800 kg
Maximum conveyor length
40 m
XB 175/295 mm chain
Chain travels on four slide rails. Wide track sideflexing safety chain. Compact horizontal and vertical bends. Suitable for soft packages
Examples of application areas
Large cardboard boxes, products in soft plastic bags. Examples: detergent powder, wrapped tissue paper rolls, food products, personal care products
Technical characteristics
Drive unit capacity
1250 N
Chain tension limit
1250 N
Beam width
182/300 mm
Chain width
175/295 mm
Chain pitch
35,5 mm
Item width
70--400 mm
Maximum item weight
15 kg
Maximum weight on conveyor
200 kg
Maximum conveyor length
30 m
XW 300/600/900/1200 mm chain
The XW conveyor system is a system for wide applications. It offers many of the benefits of the original FlexLink systems. The added advantage of a wide chain (up to 1200 mm) permits effective transport and accumulation in many different configurations.
The XW conveyor system is designed for transport and accumulation of lightweight goods such as plastic and glass bottles, hygiene products, food packages and tins, bearings and other cylindrical products. The maximum weight per item conveyed is 25 kg and the maximum conveyor speed is 30 m/min. The conveyor widths are available in 300, 600, 900 and 1200 mm.
Many accessory components of the original FlexLink system will fit, including guide rail components and supports. Most components are attached by means of T-slot fasteners, ensuring maximum flexibility. Nothing is welded. Only a minimum of cutting and drilling will be required to install a conveyor and have it running.
Double drive units are used to drive two adjacent 300 mm XW conveyor belts in opposite directions (See picture). This permits construction of high capacity accumulation tables. The XW catalogue (click icon below) covers the basic XW conveyor components. In addition to these, you will need guide rails and support system components. See catalogue sections Conveyor accessories and Structural system XC.
Guide rails are used to guide the products being conveyed and also to prevent them from falling off the conveyor. The FlexLink conveyor system includes a versatile system of guide rails and guide rail brackets which make it possible to accommodate many different product sizes and shapes. Guide rail brackets are available in fixed or adjustable configurations.
Click on the Catalogue link below and read the section about guide rail components: various types of guide rails and guide rail support components. Those products are used with several of the FlexLink conveyor systems. A number of pre-designed guide rail structures are shown as examples.
Automatically adjustable guiderails
With the automatic guide rail system (AGS), change-overs between products with different widths can be performed very quickly. The system can be used in areas where access for manual resetting is limited or non-existent. This means that conveyors for multi product manufacturing can be placed at ceiling height or in closed areas, which contributes to compact layouts. Safety and the working environment for the operators are enhanced. Automatic resetting of the lines promotes small production batch sizes and increased line utilization.
The AGS solves a long-standing productivity bottleneck in conveyor lines. Line output will increase and the payback time of the investment may be less than a month if resetting is required 5 times per week. The system makes efficient multi products manufacturing lines a reality as frequent product changes are commonplace in industry today. The core of the system is the electrically driven guiding units which control the position of the guide rails along the line. Up to 220 guiding units can be controlled from one cabinet and the system has a repetitive accuracy of less than +- 0.1 mm.
Compared to manual resetting, the new system eliminates sources of disturbances and enhances the stability of the product conveyed. The system is designed for dry and wet production environments, it suits a wide range of conveyor types and is available from stock. The system, which consists of a number of guide rail support units along the conveyor, can be driven either pneumatically or manually with a hand wheel. Up to four parallel lanes can be handled by one system. In larger systems, several units may be connected to each other with shafts instead of driving each separate unit.
The FlexLink conveyors are held in place by a well balanced range of support components, with beam support brackets, support beams, feet, etc. Most conveyor support designs are based on vertical support beams combined, if necessary, with horizontal support beams. The conveyor must be supported at regular intervals not exceeding 3 m.
The support beams come in dimensions suitable for all conveyor sizes. Conveyor beam support brackets are used to connect the conveyor to the support system. Brackets are available for connection to vertical and horizontal support beams. A selection of feet is available, ranging from heavy-duty die-cast aluminum feet to adjustable feet and foot plates. A number of pre-designed support structures are shown as examples Conveyor structures built from aluminum beams with standardized T-slots simplify attachment of components and accessories.
Fasteners
A number of standard fasteners can be ordered, including screws, nuts and washers in selected metric sizes. Slot nuts are used for connections to the structural system T-slots. Slot nuts are available to fit the XC and XF system T-slots.
Click on the catalogue link below to read more about the fastener assortment. It includes screws, nuts and washers frequently needed when building conveyors and other structures based on aluminium beams with T-slots. Locking levers are recommended replacements for screws or nuts when frequent readjustment of a screw/nut connection is needed.
Plastic chain conveyors, stainless steel
XMY 83 mm chain
The FlexLink hygienic conveyor was designed to meet the requirements of special interest to the dairy, food, and personal products industries with regard to hygiene, safety, speed, and environment. The hygienic conveyor system uses the standard XM 83 mm plastic chain, traveling in stainless steel beams where the return chain runs in an enclosed bottom profile. System XMY uses stainless steel guide rails, and guide rail brackets specifically designed for the system.
Examples of application areas
Plastic bottles, packaged dairy products, beverage cans, food products.
Conveyor with focus on hygiene
The hygienic conveyor was designed to meet the following requirements:
Hygiene
- Open design facilitates cleaning by means of foam followed by water rinsing.
- Only food approved materials in touch with food
- No harmful gases or smells created.
Environment
- Operating temperatures --20 �C to +60 �C
- Operating humidity 10% to 95% RH
- Noise level at 70 m/min is 70 dBA or less
Safety
- Designed to high standards of safety.
Speed
- The conveyor is designed for speeds ranging from 5 m/min to 100 m/min.
Series X (XLX/XMX/XHX) 63/83/103 mm chain
Series X are stainless steel conveyors adapted to the requirements of the food processing, pharmaceutical and hygiene industries. The Series X system is designed for easy integration with aluminium systems. Suitable for a wide range of wet applications, wedge conveyors (XLX and XMX) and high speed solutions. Many chain types available from the standard ranges.
Examples of application areas
Filling lines within the food, personal products and liquid pharmaceuticals segments.
Technical characteristics
Drive unit capacity XLX/XMX/XHX
500/1250/1250 N
Chain tension limit XLX/XMX/XHX
500/1250/1250 N
Beam width XLX/XMX/XHX
65/85/105 mm
Chain width XLX/XMX/XHX
63/83/103 mm
Item width XLX
15--140 mm
Item width XMX
20--200 mm
Item width XHX
25--300 mm
Maximum item weight
Horizontal transport XLX/XMX/XHX
10/15/20 kg
Vertical transport XLX/XMX/XHX
2/10/15 kg
Maximum weight on conveyor XLX/XMX/XHX
150/200/300 kg
Maximum conveyor length XLX/XMX/XHX
40/30/30 m
Accessories for guiding and supporting, stainless steel
Guide rail components for Series X
Guide rail components suitable for use with Series X stainless steel conveyors are available. This includes stainless steel rod and tubing. A range of adjustable guide rail brackets facilitates construction of a wide variety of guide rail configurations. If stainless steel is not required for the guide rails, the standard assortment of guide rail components is compatible with Series X conveyors.
Click the catalogue link below for more information, including illustrations of possible configurations. See also catalogue section Guide rail components (GRX) for details, including calculation of track width. System XMY uses special guide rail brackets, see the corresponding catalogue section.
Support components for Series X
Suitable supports for Series X conveyors includes stainless steel tubes, connected to the conveyor beam by means of connector plates and beam support brackets. Two- or three-point polyamide feet can be used with the support tubes.
The maximum adjusting height of the adjustable feet is 30 mm. Anti-slip pads can be fitted to the adjustable feet. Apart from increasing the friction if the feet are not bolted to the floor, these also reduce vibration. Other support variants are available on request.
Modular conveyors, aluminium
XL/XM/XH 63/83/103 mm chain
Online configuration of conveyors and functions, including enquiry and ordering functions. Modular conveyors, drive units, pallet handling functions and supports are configured correctly in minutes. A selection of often used conveyor configurations can be specified and ordered using the FlexLink online configurator. Designs include a straight conveyor, a conveyor with one or two bends, support modules, and vertical wedge conveyors.
Modular conveyors are available in the XL, XM and XH sizes (beam width 65 mm, 85 mm and 10 mm).
Cleaning of the chain by hand takes a long time and involves taking the chain out of the beam, with resultant loss of production. With the compact design of the chain washing unit, a clean and dry chain is achieved and gives a more reliable production. It is an easy and efficient operation which saves a lot of time.
The washing unit can be moved between conveyors, which means that only one unit is required. Both the inside and outside of the chain can be washed during running. A drying function is incorporated so that the chain is fully dried after washing. The chain cleaner consists of a basic unit which is mounted to all conveyors to be washed and a front plate which is attached to the basic unit when the particular chain is to be cleaned.
When the front plate is not in use it is placed on the service cart. Between the washing operations a cover plate is fixed to the front to avoid accidents. The service cart containing the supply reels for water and compressed air, as well as a 12 m cable for the single-phase power supply. There is also space for a "wet vacuum cleaner" (not included). Drainage tanks are also available (2x55 litres) each with a dolly if there are no drainage facilities where the washing takes place.
The chain tensioner can be useful when problems occur with stick slip in catenary drive units. The chain tensioner can be used for XLEC, XMEC, XHEC and XKEC catenary drive units.
For more information, please contact your local FlexLink office.
The lubrication system consists of a plug which is fitted to the conveyor beam replacing a short section of the slide rail. The plug distributes oil or grease between the chain and the slide rail. The lubrication is transported along the slide rail by the chain. The other main part of the system is the container which is easily fitted near the plug and takes a minimum of space.
The container is self emptying and can be set to be emptied between 1 to 12 months. An empty container is easy changed.
If both sides of the conveyor need lubrication two systems as described above are needed. Lubrication of FlexLink conveyors is normally not needed but in some cases it can make a difference: when speed exceeds 75 m/min, when load is high, when environment is dry or difficult in other aspects. A long conveyor can require more than one system on each side.
90/180 degree packet rotation unit
The rotation unit enables small product packs to rotate in flat position, at a speed of up to 400 packs per minute. Units can be built for 90 or 180 degree rotation. The rotation will be used when the packs need to be reoriented to suit the feeding of the following packaging machine. To maintain a continuous flow without interruption between the packets a driven soft roller ensures that the rotation is carried out without any delay, with a maximum conveyor speed of 60 m/minute.
The unit is designed to fit on a FlexLink XL (65 mm wide) plain or flocked chain conveyor. The distance between the roller shaft centre lines can be adjusted to suit different pack sizes.
The rotation unit consists of two soft driven rollers, which ensure that the packages are rotated degrees in conjunction with special side guide arrangement. The unit requires a 230V, 50 Hz, single phase power supply for the motor.
Standard features
- Self contained unit
- Easily fitted to existing conveyors
- Smooth handling of product
- Requires minimal gap between packs
- Left-hand and right-hand rotation units
- No additional controls required
- Adjustable distance between roller centre lines
Standard parts
All conveyor parts are selected from the FlexLink standard catalogue for the XL system. The standard parts used in the rotation unit are:
- Conveyor beam XLCB 6
- Slide rail XLCR 25 H
- Chain XLTP 5 or 5947490 (flocked)
- Guide rail XLRS 6x15
- Guide rail cover XLRT 6x23
- Guide rail bracket XLRF 42x18 V
- Guide rail clamp support XLRL 18x60 CA
- Guide rail clamp XLRK 18x60 C
Overhead merge unit
The carton overhead merge unit allows two streams of cartons to be merged together in a controlled manner, using a purely mechanical policing mechanism, at up to a total of 160 cartons per minute. It is suitable for cartons or similar products where the carton height is less than 40% of the carton length.
The unit allows cartons from different production cells to be brought together, with products from one track coming in from above the other. A typical requirement for this type of module may be where multiple production cells are feeding a main production line that is carrying cartons to a case packer. The vertical orientation of the merge may be more suitable due to space constraints.
The arrangement of the mechanical policeman ensures that when one stream of cartons is entering the merge section of the module, the second stream is blocked, thus ensuring that there are no jams or product damage. Once a gap in the first stream appears, the block on the second stream is removed and product can carry on flowing. It does not matter which of the two conveyors entering the module acts as the first stream.
The overhead merge unit consists of a self-contained module which includes a sloping twin track conveyor and a vertical go/no-go mechanism. The product stop paddles of the go/no-go mechanism are fitted between the twin tracks to ensure the product is stopped in the middle of its front face. A short section of roller conveyor is used to control the product until it drops onto the lower conveyor. The standard post supports are also included.
Standard features
- Self contained unit
- Easily fitted to existing 65mm wide conveyors
- Smooth and gentle handling of product
- Includes flocked chain to ensure no product damage
- Contains one single motor for the twin track section
- No additional controls required
Starwheel rotate unit
The star wheel turning device is ideal for 90 degree rotation of products, from labeling to packaging. It was designed for 1 L Tetra R Rex, Pure pak, Combiblock and similar products, 70x70 mm. A high throughput, of up to 14000 pieces/hour can be reached. The compact turning device is safe product handling resulting in a high uptime in production.
- High line throughput, up to 14 000 pieces/h
- Good product stability
- Proven technology
- Driven product feed through twister:
- driven support
- free wheeling star wheel
- Independent on product gaps
- Robust design
- Stand-alone unit
- Easy to integrate
- Short delivery time
- Dimensions: 500x500x400 mm (LxWxH)
The carton spacer module is designed to ensure a minimum gap between products, thus allowing cartons to be fed into another module, which needs gaps to ensure efficient operation. The use of such a module improves the performance of downstream units and reduces the need for complex controls.
The unit will work at conveyor speeds of up to 160 cartons per minute, even when mounted close to curves. Units such as high speed right angle pushers which are used to transfer product onto case packer in-feed belts operate better when there is a gap between cartons entering the module. Having product entering the unit at a minimum spacing reduces pressure and the complexity of controls that are required.
The spacer unit consists of a self-contained module which includes a powered friction roller, running at a speed slightly less than the main conveyor belt speed, together with a roller side guide against the product is held. The module works by slowing down products, thus delaying the release of products from the unit and guaranteeing a minimum gap between cartons exiting the unit.
The slower the relative speed of the spacer motor compared with the belt speed of the main conveyor, the greater the gap between products. It may therefore be necessary to use an inverter to control the motor speed to achieve the required gap. The position of the roller side guide is adjustable to ensure the product engages correctly with the sponge roller. Note! Flocked chain should be used whenever scratch sensitive products are being handled.
Standard features
- Self contained unit
- Easily fitted to existing conveyors
- Smooth and gentle handling of product
- Includes adjustable roller side guide to suit different product widths
- Contains one single motor
- 230v, 50Hz, single phase power supply.
- No additional controls require
Carton turn up unit
The turn-up unit enables small product packets to be turned from flat to an upright position, at a speed of up to 400 packs per minute. Due to the high production speed and the twisting function the unit must be able to operate with a continuous conveyor speed of 60 m/minute without the need for any control system.
The turn-up unit is needed before a decline function to get the packages oriented correctly before entering the packaging machine after the chute for instance. It can also be used as a first step to turn the packages upside down. The turn-up unit can be mounted either as a right hand or left-hand version. Just change side of the key and move.
The turn-up unit consists of two side support rulers. One ruler forms an incline slope to lift one side of the packs.
The ruler on the other side prevents the packets from lifting from the conveyor chain.
The two guides are fixed to the conveyor and can be adjusted to fit the actual packet dimensions.
Standard features
- Self contained unit
- Easily fitted to existing conveyors
- Smooth handling of product
- Requires minimal gap between packs
- No additional controls required
- No additional drive units required
Carton turn down unit
The turndown unit enables small product packets to be turned from an upright to a flat position, at a speed of up to 400 packs per minute. Due to the high production speed the turndown function must be able to operate with a continuous conveyor speed of 60 m/minute without the need for any controls system.
The turndown unit is needed to ensure packets are oriented correctly before entering the packaging machine. It can also be used as the second step to turn packets upside down.
The turn-down unit consists of two sides. One side will tilt the packs over. The other side prevents the packets from moving sideways and receives and guides the packets.
The turn-down unit can be mounted either as a right-hand or left-hand version. Just change side of the key and move.
Standard features
- Self contained unit
- Easily fitted to existing conveyors
- Smooth handling of products
- Requires minimal gap between packs
- No additional controls required
- No additional drive units required
Packet chutes
Chutes solve many of the space problems that facilities run into when trying to take products down from a higher elevation. With the chute cigarette packs can be declined from a high level to machine or operating level. The unit declines cigarette packets from high to low level at a speed up to 400 packs per minute. These units use gravity alone to move the products, and have proven to be reliable and also easy to install.
FlexLink chutes support the product on all sides to minimize disorientation. This also makes it possible to accumulate products in the chute, if desired. Chutes can be built in different versions to fit any layout requirements of the packaging machinery in the line.
Chutes consist of two sections, one upper and one lower section. The upper section is available in two versions, one for packs coming in an upright position (A) and one for packs entering the chute in the flat position (B). Both versions are adjustable to fit the required packets. The single lower section is suitable for use with all four exit possibilities (0, 90, 180 and 270 degrees).
Standard features
- Self contained unit
- Easily fitted to existing conveyors
- No additional drive units required
- No additional controls required
- Smooth handling of product
- Product brakes
- Four exit possibilities
- Adjustable to suit all pack sizes
- Lowers products at high speed
- Space efficient
- Provides reorientation of products if desired
- Available in C, S or T configuration, any number of lanes
- Width adjustment system for speedy changeovers
(Easy and reliable lowering of products)
Spacer/stop unit
In many material handling applications there is a need to create spaces between products or to stop product flow for various reasons. The primary use of the spacer/stop unit is to stop and/or create spaces between products on plain chain conveyors. The spacer/stop unit can easily be changed to accommodate either left and right hand function, and be adjusted to handle products with a diameter of 20 mm and 120 mm.
Basic functions
1. The spacer unit will release a single ring through the unit while holding back a queue of rings that might have accumulated at the spacer unit.
This unit will require continuous activation during normal production.
2. The stop unit will either stop the whole production flow or release all products accumulated in the unit.
This unit needs only an open or closed position during normal production.
The spacer/stop units are delivered with all mounting hardware to attach to the FlexLink conveyor beam.
Hoses and valves are not supplied with the units.
products & services
industry solutions
Conveying
