People like Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, The Wright Brothers, Henry Ford and Alexander Graham Bell have long been pushing the limits of creative thought and invented output. Having changed the course of history in a positive manner with many of their ideas it is without these type of people that we might live in a more stagnant and uncomfortable world. The invention of the conveyor is often associated with the development of the assembly line but the essence and substance of conveyors actually pre-dates this business function. The building of machines to move items from one place to another can be seen as far back as the early 19th century. To most industry historians the Swedish organization Scandisk was the first to commercialize mass market and put into working production a conveyor type system. Originally geared mostly towards the mining industry and hauling large massed objects across long distances, the innovations of the conveyor have now expanded into almost every conceivable industry. After looking at some of the industries pushing the boundaries of conveyor modernization and what some of these technologies may be, we will have a better understanding of where the conveyor industry stands today and where it is headed for tomorrow. Long gone are the days of men and women hand cranking and turning conveyor apparatus' to allow for the movements of belts and pulleys to maneuver objects around. Conveyors are now highly specialized and flexible mechanisms that are responsible for such important projects as assembly of the Hubbell telescope. Certainly not exclusive to the space and exploration fields, conveyor implementation and invention reaches a broad spectrum of product and business categories. Conveyor activities are finding new and industrious homes in such places as pulp and paper mills, auto manufacturing plants, steel fabrication centers, logging outfits, airplane and helicopter production facilities, toy making ventures, loading and unloading docks, cell phone assembly locations, warehouses packaging and distribution sites, and a slew of other commercially and privately represented tasks. There will always be new and complex production conundrums and conveyors are regularly called upon to resolve all sorts of object moving snafus. There are many new innovations and gadgets in conveyor systems and is very interesting to have a look at some of these new fangled devices. Most conveyors now are electronic and computer based giving them more power and a huge flexibility when it comes to design improvements. Contemporary advances include such ideas as the pneumatic conveying system and the travelator, a conveyor based people moving system. The one thing that is for certain is that people are working day and night to develop and maximize the operating characteristics of conveyors for improvements in such areas as pressure, conveying line velocity, efficiency and performance. Even futuristic ideas like parking cars using conveyors instead of human drivers might not be too far off in the distance. As robotics and artificial intelligence are introduced more and more into conveying solutions, future conveyor advancements and inventions should be impressive and exciting. There are some excellent reasons to keep the conveyor alive in every possible application. They are one of the most cost effective, time saving and labor saving mechanisms ever introduced to industry. Conveyor inventions over the years have enhanced many aspects of our lives and have provided beneficial methods of product distribution for most of the world. Without them, our level of comfort would be at a much lower standard. Visit Wilkie Brothers Coveyors for more information on conveyors or to order Rapid Industries Replacement Parts, Saginaw Replacement Parts or any other related replacement parts. ![]() | |||
| |||
| |||
|
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Conveyor Inventions – Setting Boundaries but Moving Limits
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments:
Post a Comment