Rail conveyors are conveyor systems that use rails with pulleys, wheels or cylinders mounted on them to transport items. They can be powered or not and are commonly used in dry cleaning businesses and with pallets. Rails are usually made of steel and pulleys can be made of steel or composite plastic. Bearings are mounted in the center of the pulleys for smooth movement.
The term “rail conveyor” can refer to different styles of conveyor systems used to transport items from one location to another. Any conveyor system that uses a rail or a series of rails with pulleys, wheels or cylinders mounted on them can fall into the category of rail conveyors. A common place to see such a system is in a dry cleaning business; garments to be cleaned or recently cleaned will hang on hooks mounted on pulleys, which in turn are mounted within a ceiling-mounted track or rail system.
The advantage of a rail conveyor over other types of systems is the ability to fix the position of the items being transported. In the case of a dry cleaner’s rail conveyor, freshly laundered garments can be kept in order by hanging them on pulley-mounted hooks, which will not stray in any direction from the fixed rails. Other track systems can be mounted on the ground or on a frame of some sort to achieve the same goal. Pallets are often used in conjunction with ground-mounted or frame-mounted rail transportation systems, as the structure of a pallet lends itself to easy guidance along a track or series of tracks.
Like other conveyor systems, the conveyor belt can be powered or not. Powered models generally come with some sort of motor, and as these conveyor systems tend to be used indoors, electric motors are the most common. A chain or belt drive will spin a pulley or pulleys, thus providing propulsion for objects being carried along the track. In other cases, the conveyor may be shut down, meaning an operator will need to push or pull items along the track or rails by hand in order to effectively move the items.
The materials used to make the rails and pulleys can vary, although the rails are usually made of some kind of strong metal such as steel. Pulleys can also be made from steel, although they can also be made from composite plastic. The bearings are usually mounted in the center of the pulleys to facilitate easy and smooth movement, and in some cases these bearings can be easily replaced if one fails over time. An axle will slide through the center of the bearing and will usually be mounted to the rail itself or to a hook or other carriage to be moved along the track.
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