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Idler Rollers
Idler Rollers
Looking for the ideal solution for your roller conveyor needs? Look no further than these high-quality conveyor idler rollers. With a diameter of 1.9 inches and double grooved, these galvanized rollers are specifically designed for use in MDR conveyor systems.
Idler Design and Manufacturing
Having designed and manufactured tens of thousands of rollers I have strong opinions about what makes a good roller. Conveyor rollers, or idlers, are key components of a conveyor system. They support the load of the material and the belt and form the belt into the troughed or pipe shape.
In April I'm presenting a short course at the Colorado School of Mines (CSM) on Belt Conveyor Design - Engineering, Component Selection, Installation, and Maintenance. One of the broad topics being covered is: "Intermediate Structures / Idlers". We could spend 2-3 just on this topic but will condense this down to the important and interesting bits over a few hours.
Some Background
When Ginger and I left Fenner we planned to head to Chile to start a conveyor consulting and software business. We had sold our house and had our visas. However, after watching a high school football game with Troy Dolan, we were first headed to Blairsville, PA to build a roller production facility through a technology transfer from Lorbrand. They had supplied the low rolling resistant rollers on the Henderson 2000 project and Conveyor Services had been supplying the aftermarket support.
In January we closed on a building and on the July 4th, 2005 weekend we were making our first rollers. Todd Shearer was our first worker after Tom Dolan and myself.
Todd Shearer Assembling Roller
It's been rewarding to see the production facility continue to develop over the years.
Lorbrand winning the Henderson 2000 project was a big deal. It represented the first time there had been a strong focus on "low rolling resistance" idlers and lots of independent testing was done. The interesting piece regarding the rollers was that even with everyone's seals removed, and the same size of ball bearings, the Lorbrand rollers still had lower rolling resistance than competitors.
Years later we moved to Perth, Australia, and worked at the Sandvik, Bayswater facility and then to Belo Horizonte, Brazil to start up another Idler and Pulley production facility. However, this time the budget was a lot bigger. In Brazil, we had a greenfield facility and all new equipment. The manufacturing was very "high tech" with laser tube cutting, laser welding, robots, and flow-formed rollers. Internally we called these the "Silver Baby" design. The production process was unfortunately also very slow.
Joyroll Product Page
Once Brazil was up and running Sandvik Conveyor Components was reorganized. Australia was running in one direction, Europe in another, and in Brazil a third. I relocated to Essen, Germany as the Global Product Line Manager for Conveyor Components and my good friend Grzegorz Dewicki joined me as the Global Engineering Manager.
With the help of Gabriel Moniz , Gunnar Lima , and Balaji Srinivasamoorthy we created automated design tools in Unigraphics NX and Teamcenter to standardize the product line for the production facilities in Perth, Belo Horizonte, and Schoppenstedt, Germany. Schoppenstedt, Germany is the location where the extruded and flow-formed "Golden Baby" roller was made and fathered by Bernhard Hoffmeyer. This is manufactured using the most advanced techniques in the world and as an engineer is fascinating to see. See Here! We looked at every subcomponent and process involved in roller and frame production.
When Sandvik sold off the Material Handling business these facilities were acquired by Nepean who resurrected the Prok, Gurtec, and Roxon brand names around the world. It's been great to see the advancements that Miles Fuller has made with this business!
Over the years I've also had the experience of visiting several facilities that have gone out of business and the equipment auctioned off. The majority of the time my recommendation is to not buy anything. It's a bit depressing seeing this worn-out equipment as it means people lost their jobs. It is also a reminder that you need to continue to upgrade and replace your equipment as this is the final result of the mantra "We have always done it this way."
What will be covered in the course?
- The differences in the approach toward idlers and rollers of CEMA in North America vs the rest of the world.
- How the different components including the shaft, bearings, and end caps impact the roll quality.
- How rollers are manufactured.
- What makes for a "Quality Roller" and what do I look for when visiting an idler manufacturing facility?
Come to Golden, Colorado in April to learn more than you ever wanted to know about Conveyor Idlers!
How to register:
Dates: April 24-26, 2024
Looking forward to seeing you there!
If you want to learn more, please visit our website Idler Roller Manufacturer.
If you are interested in sending in a Guest Blogger Submission,welcome to write for us!
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