Conveyor Support Station Guarding for Roller Gap Pinch Points
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Solution Overview
Problem
Belt conveyor support stations with re-entrant angles pose a safety risk due to the potential for operators' hands to be caught between the conveyor belt and rollers, with existing protection measures being inadequate and difficult to implement on certain stations.
Innovation Solution
A support station design featuring reinforced protection placed longitudinally opposite the gaps between rollers, comprising a single continuous piece with a continuous upper edge and lower parts, made from materials like plastic or metal, which extends over the entire length and width of the rollers and gaps to prevent access to re-entrant angles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If rigid protection is placed at the right of each roller, then access to re-entrant angles is blocked, but the protection is difficult to arrange on certain support stations
Solution Approach 1:
The protection system is divided into modular components: individual roller protections and gap protections that can be independently positioned and arranged according to the specific geometry of each support station, making installation feasible on various station configurations
Solution Approach 2:
A guard is introduced as an intermediary element placed longitudinally opposite the gap between rollers. This guard acts as a mediator that blocks access to re-entrant angles without requiring direct attachment to roller sides, solving the arrangement difficulty on certain station types
2Reliability
If protections are placed only at the right of each roller, then some re-entrant angles are protected, but gaps between rollers remain unprotected
Solution Approach 1:
The protection system merges roller protections with gap protections into a comprehensive safety solution. The guard placed opposite each gap works in conjunction with roller protections to eliminate all unprotected re-entrant angles, ensuring complete coverage
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of only placing protections radially adjacent to rollers, the solution extends protection into the longitudinal dimension by placing guards opposite the gaps between rollers, covering the previously unprotected space between adjacent rollers
Data Source
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AI summary
The support station (1) comprises: - a frame (5); - at least two support rollers (7) separated transversely by a gap (23); - a re-entrant corner guard (25), comprising for each gap (23) a gap guard (29) placed longitudinally opposite said gap (23) on an upstream side of said gap (23).