Geared motors boost conveyor system

from production and conveyor specialist firm Texam, that uses more than 50 geared motor units (supplied by David Brown) at its factory in Larne. The 700,000 square foot plant previously used a gravity roller system to transport generator sets that weigh up to 8.5 tonnes. The factory has more than half a kilometre of roller systems. Texam worked with FG Wilson facilities engineer Garry Hayes to devise a system using powered rollers every six metres. Each powered roller is linked to a David Brown series C 0520 helical worm gear unit incorporating a 0.55kW motor, with one powered roller powering 12 slave rollers via twin simplex sprockets and a 5/8 pitch chain drive. The powered system is then able to transport the generator sets along the line at up to 10 metres per minute. The gear units were specially modified to fit into the limited space beneath the line and operate at a very low level on the roller conveyors. More than 50 units are now installed at the plant and, according to Texam's sales director John McGuigan, the units have operated faultlessly since commissioning. FG Wilson designs and builds standard and customised generating sets with power outputs between 5 and 2,500 kVA. The product range includes small standby sets for domestic use, up to large units for power stations, able to feed back power into the national grid. DP