Simple & adaptable

“Sometimes called a ‘rope’ conveyor, the ‘cable’ conveyor concept has been in existence for many years, but seems to have received little recognition in the UK, yet it has real benefits for many unit load handling applications,” says Hart.

“The operating principle is very simple. The nylon rope or metal cable forms a continuous loop which is driven by one or more motor/pulley combinations, depending on the conveyor route. The cable is attached to a series of trollies which run in a metal track. Carriers are attached to the trollies and the items to be conveyed are supported from the carriers. The design of carrier will depend on the type of load being conveyed. The track can be in galvanised or stainless steel construction.

“The cable conveyor will move unit loads such as boxes, crates, bags or sacks; in fact, any item that can be easily attached directly to the conveyor using hooks, or placed in a suitable carrier attached to a hook or other suitable hanger.

“The conveyor is available with a variety of pulley sizes, horizontal bends and vertical curves to match the flow path of the conveyor. It is extremely flexible and is capable of rising vertically up to 60 degrees. The number of drive motors will depend on the conveyor length and the load being carried. As an example, a recent Rusmail project included a cable conveyor 450m long and required a total installed power of only 1 Kw with a load capacity of approximately 3500kg.

“The conveyor can be supported from the floor with posts and beams or hung from above from the roof structure. The conveyor weight is low at only 5kg/m except in the area of the drive motor and curve assemblies. One of the major benefits is the flexibility of being able to use roof space to accommodate the conveyor rather than take up valuable and useful floor space.