Rotating Conveyor Side Guard with Bolt Slots
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional conveyor side guards are cumbersome and time-consuming to remove and install, often requiring multiple people due to their cumbersome removal and installation procedures.
Innovation Solution
A rotating and locking conveyor side guard system featuring a side guard with three longitudinal bolt slots, allowing for easy sliding and rotation to access the conveyor interior without complete bolt removal, enabling single-person operation and secure locking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional side guards are used, then safety protection is provided, but removal and installation are cumbersome and time-consuming requiring multiple people
Solution Approach 1:
The side guard is divided into multiple sections with individual bolt slots, allowing partial disassembly. The guard can be separated into segments that can be independently manipulated, enabling one person to remove and install the guard by working with smaller sections rather than the entire assembly at once.
Solution Approach 2:
The side guard system transitions from a static fixed structure to a dynamic adjustable structure. The guard can be quickly moved between locked and unlocked positions along the conveyor, and the bolt slots allow for rapid repositioning without complete disassembly, making the system adaptable to different operational needs.
2Ease of operation
If side guards are securely fixed to prevent movement, then safety is maintained, but access to conveyor interior becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The side guard system allows dynamic adjustment between secured and accessible states. When maintenance is needed, the guard can be quickly repositioned along the conveyor to an accessible location using the bolt slots, providing easy access to the interior while maintaining the ability to be securely fixed when safety is the priority.
Solution Approach 2:
The bolt slots act as intermediaries between the fixed security position and the accessible maintenance position. By allowing the guard to be positioned at different locations along the slots, the system provides a transitional state that balances both security requirements and access needs without compromising either extreme.
Data Source
AI summary
A rotating and locking conveyor side guard system may include an elongate side guard of sheet material having three longitudinal bolt slots therethrough, one at each end and one at the center, and three bolts for securing the side guard to a side of a conveyor through the bolt slots. With the bolts loosened, a user may slide the side guard from side to side, relative to the conveyor, and rotate the side guard about the center bolt to a substantially perpendicular orientation to allow access to an interior of the conveyor through the side of the conveyor. It may then be rotated in a second direction until the first and second bolt slots engage corresponding bolts, in a locked position, to prevent rotation of the side guard. Some systems may include multiple side guards end-to-end in series, each side guard sharing a bolt with each adjoining side guard.