Conveyors & Material Handling

Chain, belting, sprockets and conveyor component selection.

Conveyor Types Compared: Belt, Roller, Chain, Screw

Belts carry bulk and mixed items, rollers move cartons, chain and slat take heavy loads, screws and bucket elevators move bulk solids. How to choose.

October 22, 2026

Conveyor Pulleys: Lagging, Crowning and Types

Conveyor pulleys explained: drive, tail, bend and snub roles, drum vs wing designs, lagging types, crowned vs flat faces and basic shaft checks.

October 9, 2026

Conveyor Idlers and Rollers: Spacing, Bearings and Sealing

What conveyor idlers do, what drives their spacing and bearing choice, and why seized rollers damage belts.

September 21, 2026

Conveyor Belt Tracking: Why Belts Wander and How to Correct Them

The common causes of conveyor belt mistracking, and a practical order for diagnosing and correcting it.

September 21, 2026

Roller Chain: ANSI/ISO Designation and Selection

A practical reference on ANSI and ISO roller chain designations, interchangeability dimensions, selection by service factor, wear limits, and sprocket.

August 11, 2026

Conveyor Belting: Materials, Tracking and Splices

A technical guide to selecting belt materials, diagnosing tracking problems, and choosing the right splice for reliable conveyor operation.

August 11, 2026

Gear Reducer Types and Selecting a Ratio

A practical guide to worm, helical, bevel‑helical, planetary and cycloidal reducers, covering ratio selection, load capacity, mounting and backlash.

August 11, 2026

Sprocket Geometry: Teeth, Bore and Hub Styles

A technical guide on how tooth count, pitch diameter, hub styles and bore options affect chain drive performance and reliability in material‑handling systems.

August 11, 2026

Sizing a Conveyor Drive

Step‑by‑step method to calculate conveyor drive torque, power and motor selection, including friction, incline, start‑up and VFD considerations.

August 11, 2026