Telescopic Roller Conveyor Modular Reconfiguration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current roller conveyors are inflexible and wasteful, requiring costly and time-consuming adjustments and replacements when production lines or warehouse layouts change, as they are typically sold in standard lengths and require cutting or purchasing new units to accommodate different dimensions and types of packaging.
Innovation Solution
A telescopic roller conveyor design featuring inner and outer profiles with recesses for adjustable roller organs, allowing for modular length and width adjustments, enabling easy reconfiguration and reuse by locking the profiles together via axles and connecting organs, facilitating adaptation to various rack dimensions without the need for new purchases.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If roller conveyors are sold in predefined standard lengths, then manufacturing and inventory management is simplified, but the roller conveyors cannot adapt to different rack dimensions and require cutting or new purchases
Solution Approach 1:
The roller conveyor is divided into multiple modular sections that can be connected in series. Each section has standardized dimensions for easy manufacturing, but multiple sections can be combined to create custom total lengths. The connection mechanism allows quick assembly and disassembly of these modular units to match different rack dimensions.
Solution Approach 2:
The roller conveyor employs nested profiles where an inner profile can slide within an outer profile. This telescopic design allows the conveyor to be compact when retracted and extended to various lengths when needed. The nested structure maintains standardized component dimensions while providing continuous length adjustment capability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If roller conveyors are cut to fit specific applications, then the roller conveyor fits the desired dimensions, but the cut portions create waste that is difficult to reuse
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of cutting a continuous roller conveyor to length, the system uses discrete modular sections that come in standardized lengths. These sections are designed to be connected end-to-end, allowing the total length to be precisely matched to the application without creating unusable cut-off pieces. Each module is a complete, reusable unit.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular design enables easy disassembly and recovery of roller conveyor sections. When reconfiguration is needed, individual modules can be detached and reused in new positions rather than being discarded. The standardized connection mechanisms facilitate quick recovery and redeployment of existing modules.
3Adaptability or versatility
If wheels are replaced individually in the steel profile, then the roller conveyor can handle new types of packaging, but the replacement process takes a very long time and interrupts production
Solution Approach 1:
The roller conveyor is segmented into modular sections, each containing a set of rollers mounted on a common carrier or frame. This allows an entire section with multiple rollers to be replaced as a single unit rather than replacing each roller individually. The modular section can be quickly swapped out and reconnected, minimizing production interruption.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple rollers are combined into a single replaceable module or section. The rollers are mounted together on a common structure with shared mounting points and connection mechanisms. This grouping allows the entire assembly to be handled as one unit during replacement operations, dramatically reducing the time and complexity of roller changes.
4Adaptability or versatility
If a completely new roller conveyor is purchased instead of replacing wheels, then the new roller conveyor handles new packaging types, but this results in waste of the old roller conveyor that is difficult to reuse
Solution Approach 1:
The roller conveyor system is divided into interchangeable modular sections that can be reconfigured for different applications. When packaging requirements change, only specific modules need to be swapped or repositioned rather than replacing the entire conveyor. The standardized interfaces allow old modules to be easily transferred to new configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The roller conveyor employs dynamic, reconfigurable modules that can be adjusted or replaced based on current needs. The modular design with quick-connect mechanisms enables the system to evolve and adapt to changing packaging requirements without complete replacement. Old modules can be dynamically reassigned to different positions or applications.
Data Source
AI summary
A telescopic roller conveyor is provided, the telescopic roller conveyor comprises an inner profile (1) and an outer profile (2). The inner profile (1) is adapted to slide inside the outer profile (2) such that a telescopic functionality is achieved. The inner (1) and outer (2) profiles each have a first side (3) comprising: at least one first recess (8) adapted to partly contain at least one roller organ (6) and at least one second recess (4) adapted to receive an axle (5) connected to the roller organ (6). The axle (5) is adapted to lock the inner (1) and outer (2) profiles to each other in the length axis of the profiles (1;2) when the axle (5) is placed in the recess (4). A telescopic roller conveyor frame is also provided.