Live Roller Conveyor and Belt Conveyor will take your products from point A to B but each one has unique attributes built for entirely different processes.  

What is Live Roller Conveyor?

Live roller conveyor is comprised of steel rollers that are in direct contact with the product. It’s a powered solution which is either belt-driven or chain-driven to provide roller rotation. 

Commonly used for solid, stable and heavier products. Boxes, cartons and heavy duty pallets all are appropriate materials for live roller conveyor. 

What is Belt Conveyor?

Belt conveyor is motor powered and runs over slider beds or rollers. The belt is in direct contact with the product. It offers a higher degree of control providing better support for the product especially on incline/decline processes.

Lighter cartons, bags, and fragile products are typically conveyed on belts. Used for high speed scan tunnels, gapping and tracking, and incline/decline operations.

Perfect example of Belt and Live Roller Conveyor integration. Arcadia Farms Case Study by Material Handling Specialist, Scott Hovis.

Use Live Roller Conveyor When

Live roller conveyor is the workhorse of conveyors. You’ll want to use live roller when it’s not necessary to maintain precise control and positioning of the product. Also appropriate when continuous flow is acceptable.

It’s important to know that transfer speed will fluctuate with product weight. So applications with products of large weight variations should not expect a fixed transfer speed.

Ideal for conveying items with flat surfaces, product merges, curves and spurs, and 90° chain or belt transfers.

Typical applications:

• Long distance transportation of products
• Product delivered to and from robotic stations
• Curves and spurs
• Return lines
• Pallet dispensing
• Load transfer
• Load accumulation
• Bulk goods receiving

Use Belt Conveyor When

For more complex solutions, you’ll want to use a belted conveyor. Perfect for products that have abnormal weight distribution, varied shapes and surfaces, bagged materials, and smaller sizes.  These irregular items need the full surface support of a belt conveyor. 

If you’re transporting product on an incline or decline, belt conveyor offers the friction needed through changes in elevation.

You’ll have greater control that’s required for fragile products to maintain separation needed for protected, safe product transfer.  

High speed bar coding processes require a belt conveyor to keep products stabilized as it passes through the scanner.

Belt conveyors provide the accuracy needed through consistent speed for gapping and tracking processes. All products, no matter weight or shape, will maintain a constant speed.

Typical applications:

• Economical transport within pick modules
• Pusher sorters with slick top belt
• Assembly and kitting
• Pacing lines for assembly
• Gapping conveyor to separate product before scanners or inline scales
• Inclining and declining conveyor
• High speed conveyance

Get It Right 

Choosing the right conveyor will save you time and money.  We have the experience and knowledge to select the right conveyor for your application.

Contact us for no-obligation consultation on your next project. We’re happy to guide you into the right solution.