How to Get Power to a Conveyor

Conveyors moving light goods horizontally can be powered with fractional horsepower electric motors.

You can power a conveyor with a suitably sized electric motor, a speed reducer and chains or belts to transfer the power from the motor to the conveyor. The motor must be able to start the conveyor belt and accelerate it to a given speed in a certain time. The area around the conveyor must be free from obstructions so the motor is often mounted lengthwise, under the conveyor. The speed reducer has gears with input and output shafts at ninety degrees which puts the output shaft in position to drive the power roller of the conveyor. Once the correctly-sized pulleys and sprockets are mounted, the conveyor is ready to make its first powered run.

Things You'll Need

• Electric motor
• Speed reducer, 10 to 1
• Two pulleys, 3 inches and 6 inches in diameter
• Two sprockets
• V-belt
• Chain

Instructions

1. Check with the conveyor manufacturer to find the right sized motor for the conveyor. The motor horsepower required depends on the length of the conveyor, the number of rollers and the weight of the goods being transported on the conveyor. An important factor for determining the motor size is whether the conveyor must be able to start when loaded with goods or whether it is usually empty. Typical electric motor ratings for conveyors less than 50 feet handling light goods are from 0.5 to 1 horsepower.

2. Measure the diameter of the roller powering the conveyor in inches and multiply by 3.14 to get the circumference. Divide the circumference by 12 to get the roller circumference in feet. Divide the conveyor speed in feet per minute by the circumference of the roller to get roller speed in rpm.

3. Look up the motor speed on the motor nameplate. A typical speed is 1800 rpm. Divide by 2 to get the speed reduction from the two pulleys. Divide by 10 to get the shaft speed at the output of the 10 to 1 speed reducer. Divide by the roller speed calculated above to get the ratio required for the sprockets so that the motor speed will give the required conveyor speed. For a motor speed of 1800 rpm, the speed of the speed reducer output shaft is 90 rpm. For a typical conveyor speed of 50 feet per minute and a 4-inch power roller, the roller speed is 52 rpm. The ratio of sprocket teeth required for the two sprockets is 1.7. For a sprocket of 20 teeth on the speed reducer output shaft, you will need a sprocket of 34 teeth on the power roller.

4. Mount the larger sprocket on the power roller. Mount the smaller sprocket on the speed reducer output shaft. Mount the speed reducer beneath the conveyor so that the output shaft can drive the power roller and place the chain over the sprockets.

5. Mount the 6-inch pulley on the speed reducer input shaft. Mount the 3-inch pulley on the motor shaft. Mount the motor underneath the conveyor so that it can drive the speed reducer input shaft. Place the v-belt over the pulleys. Start the motor and measure the conveyor speed to verify the calculations.

References

• Hytrol: Hytrol's ABC Conveyor Book
• CSE: MODEL "HPB" Heavy Duty Slider Bed Conveyor
• Electricmotors.com: Electric Motors Store - Sizing and Dimesions