Chip conveyors are used in industrial settings to remove waste, such as metal chips, from machining and manufacturing operations. They aid in safety, cleanliness, and recycling efforts by filtering waste from lubricants and reducing clogging of drains and machinery. Belt systems, including solid or perforated belts, metal flaps, and compartments, are used to transport waste to a central point for sorting or further processing. Chip conveyors are common in machine tool operations and are typically small, but larger systems for high volume machine tools are available. Custom chip conveyors are also offered by many manufacturers.
A chip conveyor is primarily used in industrial settings to carry away waste, such as metal chips or chips produced during machining and manufacturing operations. They are typically small and designed to handle wet or dry waste because many of the types of processes that create the waste they are designed to use water or other liquids as lubricants. They are useful for a variety of reasons as they keep waste away from the work area, aiding in safety and cleanliness. They also aid in the recycling processes of filter waste and chips, shavings and other lubricating material waste, which helps reduce clogging of drains, pipes and tanks.
A belt system is the basis for a typical chip conveyor. Depending on the application, however, the belt can be solid or perforated and may or may not be metal. Some designs may use metal flaps or compartments to push the material. Some belts can be made of extremely strong rubber or other material, enclosing a metal grid that can be magnetized for the purpose of collecting or sorting out chips, scraps, and shavings that contain iron. Sometimes other metal sorting systems are also incorporated and often the length of the conveyor is enclosed, with the exception of the pick-up and drop-off points.
Most common in machine tool operations, a chip conveyor is an important part of cleanliness and safety, as well as a key element in recycling efforts. Most often, each machine tool has its own chip conveyor, which is sometimes part of a larger system, where each component feeds chips and other scrap metal to a central point for sorting or further processing. Some chip conveyors, however, simply dump the scrap into a bin or hopper. The conveyor prevents chips and other debris from soiling the work area and posing safety risks to workers, as well as reducing the possibility of fouling on machinery. For operations that use liquids to lubricate their machining processes, chip conveyors can filter waste from lubricants, enabling lubricant reuse, lowering costs and reducing clogging of drains, storage tanks and machinery.
Many manufacturers produce chip conveyors, which are typically quite small since each conveyor is made to serve one machine or station, although large chip conveyor systems for large or high volume machine tools are not uncommon. Chip conveyors are common to many types of machine tools, including lathes, milling machines, and grinders. Many manufacturers offer custom chip conveyors to fit any type of machine or application.
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