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Conveyor Belts Use Load Cells to Keep Things Moving

Conveyor belts are incredibly versatile machines with numerous applications across industries, constantly moving materials from one point to another. During some of the busiest packaging and shipment times of the year, it is a good reminder of why measurement solutions keep things moving fast and efficiently.

Critical for automated manufacturing, conveyor belts rely on precise weight distribution, timing, and speed of the conveyor belt operation to keep production in sync.

Conveyors are used for sorting and merging systems, inspection systems, and automated loading and unloading using robotic arms or other equipment to handle materials efficiently. Their versatility and adaptability make them critical in modernizing industries, including construction, mining, manufacturing, logistics, maritime, and agriculture.

Boxes, cans, bottles, and other packages glide smoothly through packaging lines on conveyor belts, ensuring efficient sorting, labeling, and palletizing. These machines efficiently load and unload ships, trucks, and trains with bulk materials, minimizing manual labor and maximizing throughput. Conveyor belts are crucial in sorting and distributing packages in warehouses and postal facilities, speeding up delivery processes.

It is also important to recognize how specialized conveyor belts transport people in public spaces. Conveyor belts seamlessly whisk luggage from check-in counters to aircraft and vice versa, ensuring a smooth passenger experience.

Force measurement can be applied to testing and monitoring conveyor belts in several ways. One of the most common ways is by using load cells to measure the alignment of the belt. Load cells can detect subtle changes in belt behavior, such as uneven loading or misalignment, which can indicate internal damage like cracks or tears. Early identification of these issues allows for timely interventions, preventing further damage and costly repairs.

Testing the conveyor belt rotation or ability to hold weight is a requirement for equipment makers and engineers. Machine builders use Interface sensors in the design of conveyors. In addition to monitoring the system during peak usage, load cells are instrumental in testing the equipment’s quality and durability.

Load cells on the head and tail pulley shafts continuously monitor belt tension for preventative maintenance. This data helps identify deviations from optimal tension levels, leading to premature belt wear, pulley misalignment, and energy inefficiency.  You can prevent costly repairs and downtime by addressing these issues early on.

Conveyor systems often have multiple belts working in tandem. Load cells can monitor the load distribution across these belts, ensuring balanced operation and preventing the overloading of individual components.

Conveyor Belt Adhesion Test

A customer wanted to test the adhesion strength between a conveyor belt’s many layers and textiles. They wanted to conduct a separation test from the rubber of the conveyor belt from the other layers. They also wanted a wireless solution. Interface suggested a SMA Miniature S-Type Load Cell to be installed in the customer’s tensile test load frame, where it measured the forces applied as the test was conducted and the layers were pulled and separated. When connected to the WTS-AM-1F Wireless Strain Bridge Transmitter Module, the data was wirelessly transmitted to WTS-BS-5 Wireless Analog Output Receiver. The WTS-BS-5 then connected to the 9330 Battery Powered High Speed Data Logging Indicator to display, graph, and log the data with the supplied BlueDAQ software. With Interface’s force measurement system and solution, the customer successfully tested the strength of the adhesion applied to their conveyor belts through the layer separation test.

Force measurement sensors can be built into machines as a real-time monitoring system. This type of force application can let engineers know if there is a problem with the system that needs to be taken down for repairs by reviewing data and seeing discrepancies in the normal forces on the conveyor belt. This is particularly important in maintaining efficiency on production lines to ensure minimal downtown.

Food and Beverage Conveyor Belt equipped with PBLC Pillow Block Load Bearing Load Cells and 920i Programmable Weight Indicator and ControllerFood And Beverage Conveyor Belt

Conveyor belts for the food and beverage industry must be maintained and properly aligned to transport products. A load cell is needed to prevent misalignment and to reduce the risk of damage or malfunction of the belt while in operation. Interface suggested installing PBLC Pillow Block Load Bearing Load Cells onto the conveyor belt. They are designed for easy maintenance. The PBLCs measured and monitored the force of the conveyor belt while preventing misalignment. The PBLC Pillow Block Load Cells successfully maintained the proper alignment of the conveyor belt for the food and beverages being transported while also monitoring the forces being implemented.

In automotive, electronics, and other production settings, conveyor belts move components and products along the assembly line, facilitating efficient workflow and ensuring precise positioning.

Conveyor belts easily handle diverse materials, from transporting heavy metal sheets in steel mills to delicate circuit boards in electronics factories. They are the go-to for transporting vast quantities of mined ores, coal, grains, and other bulk materials over long distances and uneven terrain.

Conveyor belts move waste and recyclables efficiently in processing facilities, ensuring efficient sorting and processing. Industrial automation robotics often supports this as part of advanced conveyor systems.

Automating Conveyor Production Lines

Collaborative robots, known as cobots, are used to working alongside humans next to conveyor belts on the production line. Extensive safety measures must be taken for the conveyor and the robot for optimal efficiency and operations. A multi-axis sensor is a tool for this use case. The 6A40 6-Axis Load Cell is installed at the head of the cobot. The 6A40 6-Axis Load Cell interfaces with the BX8-HD44 BlueDAQ Series Data Acquisition System for data collection of force and torque measurements on the line. The customer connected the BX8’s analog outputs to their control system. As a result, the customer can log, display, and graph these measurements during the robot and belt operations. The results are sent to the customer’s control system via analog or digital output.

Interface products are commonplace in these types of applications. Force measurement is integral to advanced manufacturing systems like conveyor belts. Our sensors are utilized to ensure accuracy and repeatability throughout the production line.

We understand manufacturing test and measurement applications, and our custom OEM solutions are ideal for manufacturers who require direct installation to monitor weight, force, and torque into conveyor belt systems.  Contact our application experts to see how we can help you modernize your conveyor systems with advanced sensor technologies.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Manufacturing Solutions

Interface Solutions for Heavy Equipment

Heavy Machinery Solutions

Production Line Solutions

Interface Solutions for Production Line Engineers

Examining Machine Builder Applications

 

Interface Solutions for Consumer Products

Interface’s force measurement solutions affect every industry and all types of products. Chances are that the everyday consumer has purchased and used something evaluated with or utilizing an embedded force sensor.

In fact, Interface has a long history in providing load cells and sensor technologies to test and measure consumer packaged goods (CPG) and products. They are commonplace in early-stage prototype testing, all through final distribution. Most often, our force measurement solutions help predict failure and identify design challenges before goods are available to consumers. It is hard to imagine any product that would not go through rigorous test and measurement protocols before it goes to market. The liabilities are too great and consumer safety is paramount.

It is also critical to use accurate, quality sensors to gather reliable user data related to any consumer product. Product makers use sensor data to assess product usability, capabilities, and durability. The more data, the greater the opportunity to adjust and ensure the product is a direct fit. Precision in this process through data will improve the product’s performance and influence adoption.

From testing home health care devices to ensuring household appliances are safe and durable, Interface’s sensor measurement technologies have a vital role in R&D, design, production and packaging. Load cells and other sensor products are used for all kinds of testing, from material to fatigue, in the creation and manufacturing of everyday goods. They are growing in popularity to make products smarter and designed for IoT use.

Consumer Product Applications for Interface Force Measurement Solutions

  • Smart home devices
  • IoT solutions
  • Production line testing
  • Usability research
  • Safety and compliance
  • Regulatory and performance monitoring
  • Manufacturing robotics
  • Warehouse equipment
  • Food packaging
  • Toys
  • Gaming and simulation equipment
  • Electronics hardware
  • Sports equipment
  • Furniture
  • Capping and bottling machines
  • Real-time user feedback

We even provide products to accurately measure and monitor hardware used in intermediate goods, assembly equipment, and distribution. Our force measurement solutions are ideal for consumer product stand-alone testing rigs, production equipment, as well as embedded in consumer products to increase operability and reliability for end users.

Interface load cells and instrumentation help product designers and fabricators drive usability, adoption, production efficiencies, and ensure safety to satisfy the needs of all types of consumers. Here are a few applications notes to demonstrate Interface solutions utilized in the consumer products industry. Additional applications for consumer packaged goods and consumer products are found here.

Commercial Food Processing

A consumer food product processing plant wants to measure in-motion the food weigh as it is processed down the line. They want to ensure production line efficiency and food quality for future consumers. The customer also wants real-time results of their food being weighed to keep standards high and ensure quality product. Multiple of Interface’s SPI High Capacity Platform Scale Load Cells can be installed in the customer’s in-motion check weigher at the specific points where the food is weighed on the belt to deliver precise weighing results. When connected to the 920i Programmable Weight Indicator and Controller, real time results of the weight of the food being processed is available at all times. The 920i Programmable Weight Indicator and Controller can read up to four scale channels. Read more here.

Computer Touchpad Force Testing

A laptop manufacturer wanted to test their mouse touchpads to ensure it is functioning properly for future consumers, thus measuring the right amount of sensitivity during the consumer’s use. They also needed a system that measures the force it takes for the mouse pad to activate a response on the laptop. Interface suggested using the SMTM Micro S-Type Load Cell, from the Interface Mini™ line. The SMTM was installed in the customer’s actuator test rig. The SMTM recorded the amount of force it takes to press on the trackpad and create a response on different areas of the trackpad. An actuator aided with tactile feedback by providing movements such as dragging or creating friction. The measurements were captured using the 9330 Battery Powered High Speed Data Logging Indicator through an SD card, or another laptop directly. The SMTM Micro S-Type Load Cell was able to measure the forces applied to the mouse touchpad at various locations. Interface’s products successfully measured the forces needed to make the mouse touchpad create a response. Get more information here.

Furniture Fatigue Cycle Testing

To meet safety protocols in relation to the manufacturing of various furniture products, rigorous fatigue testing, shock testing, and proof testing before dispersion into the marketplace, and into the homes of consumers. Force testing on furniture products is critical in determining the posted max loads to protect manufacturers from liability due to damages that might result from the misuse of those products and overloading. Using Interface’s SSMF Fatigue Rated S-Type Load Cell along with Interface’s 9890 Strain Gage, Load Cell, & mV/V Indicator provides a solution that measures the force being applied in fatigue cycle testing of a furniture product, in this case testing the rocking mechanism in an office chair. Unlike other similar load cells, the SSMF is fatigue rated making it highly suitable for fatigue testing. Using this solution, the furniture manufacturer was able to obtain accurate data about the rocking mechanism the office chair as it was fatigue cycled into failure. Post testing, adjustments to the design to improve the safety and life of the furniture, ensuring product quality, and protecting the manufacturer from future liability. Learn more here.

Printer Cartridge Seal

An ink manufacturer wanted to ensure there is a proper seal between their ink cartridge caps and the cartridge body, for it to work effectively in their printers and for consumers buying it for themselves. A bad seal can cause leaks, clogging, and overall deficient performance for their printers. Interface’s solution was to measure the pressure exerted on the cartridge cap by installing the 3A120 3-Axis Load Cell under the plate during the automatic production line process. Results were logged, graphed, and stored when the customer’s PC or laptop is connected to the BSC4D Multi-Channel PC Interface Module with supplied BlueDAQ software. Using this solution, the ink manufacturer was able to determine the exact amount of force it took to seal their ink cartridge caps onto the cartridge bodies to prevent any leaks or clogging. Learn more here.

Interface solutions for consumer products are abundant. For every machine, test system and even many products themselves, these products benefit from a force sensor to improve product performance, prove reliability and more.

Additional Resources

Force Measurement is Reducing Waste and Automating the Consumer Packaging Industry

Applications for Consumer Products and Packaging

Load Cells for Consumer Product Applications

CPG Bike Handlebar Fatigue Testing

Interface Solutions in the World of Sports

CPG Water Bottle Dispensing and Weighing

CPG Treadmill Force Measurement

CPG Golf Club Swing Accuracy

CPG Gaming Simulation Brake Pedal