What Are Roller Conveyor Systems?

Roller conveyors are industrial systems that carry products on parallel rotating cylinders (rollers), designed especially for the transfer of flat-bottomed loads. Depending on the nature of the operation, gravity or manually powered free (idler) roller systems can be used, as can motor-driven roller conveyors whose speed and flow are controlled by automation.

What Are the Key Advantages?

These systems offer high stability and performance particularly when moving heavy, bulky and wide-based products. Thanks to their modular structure they can easily be integrated into existing lines within the facility, extended or revised. Because motorized systems work on a low-friction principle they provide energy efficiency, while increasing operational flexibility by allowing products to be buffered safely on the line without colliding (accumulation).

In Which Sectors and Applications Is It Used?

It is the ideal solution in any environment that handles flat-bottomed packaged products such as boxes, cartons, crates, trays and pallets. Logistics and distribution centers, e-commerce order-fulfillment facilities, automotive assembly lines, white-goods manufacturing, beverage plants and airport baggage handling systems are where they are most widely used. Rather than bulk materials, they are perfectly suited to the fast transfer of packaged loads in a defined format.

What Should You Consider When Investing?

Roller conveyor design depends directly on the product to be carried. Because the shortest dimension of the product must always be in contact with at least three rollers simultaneously, the roller pitch must be calculated correctly. The maximum weight to be carried determines the rollers' diameter, wall thickness and bearing system. In addition, the conditions of the operating environment (humidity, extreme heat, chemicals) play a critical role in selecting the rollers' material (galvanized steel, stainless steel, plastic or rubber-coated).

Why ACS Intralogistics Solutions?

As ACS Intralogistics Solutions, we engineer, manufacture and install roller conveyor architectures best suited to the physical conditions of your facility for every kind of load, from light cartons to pallets weighing tons.

Going beyond a standard transport line, we seamlessly integrate zero-pressure accumulation technologies that prevent products from jamming, 90- and 180-degree turn modules and vertical lift transfer units into your systems. With smart solutions such as sensor-based traffic control, diverters and weighing stations that work in full harmony with our automation software, we deliver maximum speed, safety and durability across your intralogistics processes.