You see them in movies and documentaries on how manufacturers make their products. You hardly notice them as they whisk products by or operate a piece of equipment. In Texas and elsewhere throughout the world, a common component of many operating systems is a conveyor. This mechanism utilizes a belt to perform its tasks. In fact, without conveyor belts, many parts, products and even people (escalators) would not be able to move or be moved from place to place.
What Exactly Are Conveyor Belts
A conveyor belt is a loop or loops of materials. It is a significant component in an entire conveyor system. The system consists of:
* Pulleys (AKA drums) – usually two or more
* Variable Speed Motor – although another power or moving source may be used to control the pulleys
* A conveyor belt
The belt consists of material in endless loops. It rotates about the pulleys that are powered by the motors. The conveyor moves continuously, never stopping as it moves its load from point A to Point B.
What Does a Conveyor Belt Do?
Conveyor belts were part of an industrial revolution. Previously workers went to the pile of materials or moved the items by hand from the various works stations to other workstations. A conveyor belt saved manual labor and time. It brought the project or work to the employee. The employee could then perform his or her task, place it on another or the same conveyor belt and it would move further along the line. Incomplete parts could move towards completion and then out of the factory. This notion further expanded upon the concept of the division of labor in a factory and honed the assembly line.
Technological advancements involving conveyor systems resulted in automation and semi-automation in factories in Texas, USA and across North America, Europe, and the UK. Certain types of manual labor were dispensed with freeing employees to concentrate on other tasks including quality control. While conveyor systems did cut down on the labor force, they also were able to reduce the amount of physical damage to employees by eliminating many of the tasks that had previously required heavy lifting. It also became a means of safely moving hazardous material through a plant or facility with minimal worker involvement.
Conveyor Belts: Safe and Labor Saving Devices
Grocery stores, warehouses, and transportation centers all employ conveyor systems. They are there to accomplish certain tasks. Factories are common places where such systems have improved a lot of many workers. They have reduced the instances of physical damage from the carrying of heavy loads and items. Moreover, companies in Texas and throughout the world also like them because they have sped up the method of production and reduced the labor costs. While the latter may be a sore point for some workers, there is little doubt that conveyor belts have had a major effect on the process of the manufacturing.
