What advantage does new Conveyor-Rollers offer to Material Handling Systems?

With great experience and passion Dieter Specht, the co-founder of the Interroll-Group has invented the roller again. It is a roller-corpus of polyamide or with tires of polyurethane for conveying 80 % of all goods, which are daily transported around the world. This incomparable roller-concept offers many combinations besides a safe and protected installation in a new advanced and attractive conveyor-design.

The production manager looked at the roller. It was made of plastic materials. He examined it closely; Then he turned it and touched it. “And how long do these last?” – “Actually forever,” said Dieter Specht. “It is made of polyamide, this material is highly abrasion resistant, has good sliding properties and is highly shock resistant.” – Then he pulled a hammer out of his briefcase, handed it over to the production manager and said with a prompting look: “Beat it!” – The latter put the roller on the stone floor, bent down – and, ‘bang’! – A firm blow. Then he picked up the roller, looked at it all around and wondered. Slowly came out of his lips: “Yes, it withstands.”

This was the way Dieter Specht, the co-founder of Interroll-Group, convinced his customers, the manufacturers of conveyor systems, more than 50 years ago with great success.

Surprisingly, Dieter Specht has freed himself from his former principles of a typical conveyor-roller manufacturer, where everything had to be within and rigidly connected to the roller – the drive head for chain or timing-belt or V-belt. It was visible outside and was by far not an intelligent construction. Likewise, the motor had to be inside a roller. – And then it was completely left to the conveyor manufacturer, how he installed it and how he protected it against possible injuries – as with finger protections and the like.
But now these types of rollers are obsolete.

What are the benefits of this new concept for the producer of conveyors and finally for the user of a distribution and logistics system?

“There are many advantages of this new modular roller concept”, says Dieter Specht, “it is extremely easy to assemble. Through the many roller-combinations one can solve nearly any problem and find good ways of economical construction for the logistics customer to handle almost every box or carton.
The top of the line of this new concept is that the invisible drive system inside the closed frame is completely separated from the roller, which provides much more safety, of which primarily benefits the user of such a conveyor system. Besides it is more professional. Assembly and maintenance are incredible simple and fast without using any tools. This makes this system very cost effective.”

The roller corpus and the drive pulleys are all connected by the axle, (see: IMG 4.2) which has 3 grooves and fits through the precision ball bearings. All have a firm contact with each other and are supported by rips inside the anodized aluminum profile.

However, the roller corpus is also available as a “friction roller” and rotate on the axle. This makes it possible to accumulate goods with low pressure.

Furthermore, curves run with these friction rollers in combination with fix driven rollers. The inner rollers can run faster than the outer ones. This replaces the special tapered rollers, which are not only expensive but also cumbersome to install.

At first glance, all rollers look similar. However, this roller corpus, is available in different versions. There is a tire made of softer polyurethane – which preserves the conveyed goods and reduces noise. These are also available with 1 or 3 outer rings for sensitive goods and with outer rips for up and down transport. Polyurethane tires, prove a high load capacity and a longer life (see tires of forklift-trucks.)

Then there is the same roller corpus entirely made of indestructible and high abrasive polyamide with high load capacity.

Many different and flexible combinations offer an extensive variety of options for 80% of goods up to max. 50 kg, which have to be transported and distributed worldwide in millions every day.

The smallest pitch of 38 mm enables the transport of small goods from 120 mm length. Extra rollers with small diameters are no more needed.

Extraordinary is the modern and aesthetical appearance and the distinctive lines of the anodized Aluminum profiles. It fits to our time, to modern covered machines and contemporary architecture.

However, this innovative system offers the greatest advantages to the “final user”, the operator of internal logistics systems, who will surely prefer such an attractive and avant-garde material handling system!

The Swiss start-up Avancon SA has acquired all patents from Dieter Specht – and distributes the concept worldwide exclusively through selected OEMs, system integrators. (www.avancon.com)