Accumulating roller conveyors

An accumulation roller conveyor or friction roller conveyor is a specialised conveyor system with rollers that is used in logistics and material processing environments to deal with temporary accumulations of products. This type of conveyor system is particularly relevant in situations where the flow of materials is not continuous or interruptions can occur.

A basic distinction is made between two systems for stowing goods:

When accumulating with pressure, the conveyed goods come into direct contact with each other or are very close to each other on the track. This leads to pressure between the individual products, the so-called accumulation pressure. At the end of the accumulation section, separation is required to separate the transported goods from each other and ensure a smooth material flow.

The alternative is sectionalised stowage without dynamic pressure. With zero pressure accumulation, the transported goods are positioned at a distance from each other in individual sections. There is no direct contact between the goods on the roller conveyor and therefore no pressure. No additional separation is required at the end of the accumulation section, as the products are already sufficiently separated from each other on the roller conveyor. This type of accumulation is often used in applications where the products are easily damaged or difficult to accumulate, e.g. conical containers or containers with edges that tend to tip over.

Roller conveyors with accumulation systems enable the transport of various goods with different dimensions. Both flat surfaces and goods with a surrounding frame can be transported. These include, for example, workpiece carriers, refrigerators, dishwashers, brake discs, cardboard boxes, washing baskets, steel racks, crates, plastic baskets, batteries and many other goods.

We offer the ideal solution depending on the type of goods to be transported. Our range of idlers includes conveyor rollers with different diameters and lengths with internal friction through to section drives with motorised rollers that enable zero pressure accumulation transport. In addition to accumulation roller conveyors, we offer various roller conveyors such as idle roller conveyors, driven roller conveyors, Rollenkurven, roller conveyors with motorised rollers as well as versatile components for pallet conveyor technology. You can find a selection of our realised projects from belts to rollers and chains here.

Accumulating roller conveyors are designed to control the material flow in conveyor systems in an efficient and controlled manner. They are equipped with rollers that are usually evenly spaced and fitted with a friction drive as required. On rollers with a friction drive, the rotary movement can be stopped while the drive continues to run. A control unit, often in the form of sensors or electronic systems, detects the material flow on the roller conveyor with drive and controls the activation or deactivation of the rollers.

Friction roller conveyors are characterised by a number of special features. Firstly, the rotary motion in these roller conveyors is transmitted by friction, whereby the desired friction force can be individually adjusted during operation. Secondly, the conveyed goods touch each other during accumulation on the roller conveyor. This means that the more conveyed goods are accumulated, the greater the accumulation pressure on the first accumulated conveyed goods. For individual transport following the accumulation, the conveyed goods must be separated using suitable devices on the roller conveyor.

An accumulating roller conveyor is used to link several processing machines that are responsible for individual work processes. This system enables heavy weights and loads to be transported with ease. Our friction roller conveyors allow you to precisely control the material flow. With our conveyor technology, you can ensure smooth and efficient material movement in complex conveyor systems.

Systems with accumulation rollers are widely used in conveyor technology and are particularly suitable for situations in which a temporary delay or a temporary standstill of conveyed goods is required. The areas of application for powered roller conveyors with accumulation systems include processing stations, buffer zones, quality control, material handling and assembly areas.

We have realised various projects with accumulating roller conveyors for our customers. Among other things, we have planned and implemented a conveyor system for transporting and positioning different brake drums to a handling unit. The brake drums are transferred from a customer roller conveyor to the new accumulation roller conveyors. Using stop components and separators, the incoming brake drums are separated and conveyed separately to the centring unit.

Another project from our portfolio is the transport of empty small load carriers (KLTs) to a filling station. The accumulation roller conveyor is equipped with an infeed at the start, which makes it easier to insert the KLTs.