A conveyor using a drive chain to drive pallets along a
closed loop path on a track
lying in a horizontal plane through inside and outside turns so that the conveyor may transport parts along non aligned stations. An advance and a return run extend parallel to each other and are closely spaced to minimize the floor space required. The drive chain is engaged by two spaced apart sprockets engaging a respective side of the drive chain, the sprockets mounted to the
pallet on a pivoted bar spring biased to urge the
sprocket teeth into engagement with the chain. The
sprocket bar is pivotally mounted to one end of the swing bar which has an opposite end connected to the
pallet to allow the chain and
pallet to move together along the track and negotiate inside and outside turns. The chain is guided in a chain guide channel through inside turns, and on sprockets around the outside turns. A pair of friction
brake rollers are included, each attached to one of the sprockets and are normally in firm contact with each other to
brake the sprockets and carry the pallet along with the chain, which friction
brake rollers slip when the pallet is arrested by a stop mechanism to be allowed to accumulate, the sprockets then able to rotate and the chain allowed to continue to circulate past the stopped pallet. The pallets extend alongside the chain and track to allow vertical mounting of parts on a side plate of the pallet or alternatively on a horizontal top plate. Alternatively, the swing bars can each be connected to the chain by one of a series of pins connected to the drive chain and pivotally received in the swing bar end in a synchronous nonaccumulating conveyor.