The 4 Most Common Conveyor Idlers
Idlers are fitted to different sections of the conveyor belt depending on the purposes of their use. There is a wide variety of idlers available; however, the four most common idlers each have particular benefits. Some of these benefits include impact absorption, support for the carry and return sides of the belt or maintaining correct tracking of the belt.
Trough Idlers
Trough idlers are the most common type of carry idler, which are typically designed with 3 or 5 idler rollers and are fitted to the carry-side of the conveyor belt. The 5-roll idler offers more uniform cross section, resulting in a greater net carrying capacity. The 3-roll design has a centre idler roll and wing idlers on either side.
The benefit of using a trough idler is that they help to ensure the load-bearing capacity of the conveyor belt is the same along the length of the belt. With a more even distribution of load-bearing, the maximum capacity of material at the loading point won’t fall off of the belt.
Flat Return Idlers
Flat return idlers are the most common idler on the return side of a conveyor with single steel mounted on two drop brackets. Although a one roller design for flat return idlers is the most common, they are also available with two rollers.
The purpose of using a flat return idler is to support the belt from the return side to prevent stretching, sagging and failure of the belt, which increases the service life of the conveyor belt.
Impact Idlers
Impact idlers are designed for loading areas of the belt, where belt damage is common due to the falling material and consistent impacts. Impact rollers absorb impact forces helping prevent damage to the conveyor belt, idler frame and surrounding structure from occurring.
The key benefit of using impact idlers is the prevention of damage to the belt as belts are costly to repair and replace. Therefore, they help improve productivity and decrease maintenance costs.
Training Return Idlers
Training return idlers detect belt misalignment and correct it, ensuring the belt tracks accurately at the tail end of the conveyor during operations.
If the belt misaligns and rubs against a fixed structure, the head chute or conveyor component, severe damage to the belt can occur as well as damage to anything the belt makes contact with. Therefore, using a training return idler helps to reduce belt damage and the associated repair costs to the belt, structure and components.
DYNA-TRAC® Tracking Rollers
An effective alternative to our training return idlers are our DYNA-TRAC® tracking rollers, which are designed to minimize belt mistracking and assist in keeping the conveyor belt aligned and centred.
Our tracking rollers make constant adjustments in the belt alignment as they are self-aligning and self-adjusting with an intuitive steering mechanism. This mechanism streamlines the correct steering response based on the force applied, also helping to prevent over-correction of the belt alignment.
In summary, the four most commonly used types of idlers are trough idlers, flat return idlers, impact idlers and training return idlers.
Trough Idlers
Flat Return Idlers
Impact Idlers
Training Return Idlers
Read more about our conveyor idler frames and rollers here:
Conveyor Idler Sets
Related Blog Posts
Different Types of Idler Rollers
Idler rollers, or sometimes simply known as conveyor rollers, are cylindrical-shaped bars that run along and underneath a conveyor belt. There are many different types of idler rollers with varying…
Steel vs Plastic Conveyor Rollers
Conveyor rollers, or idler rollers, are a fundamental component of any conveyor system. They run along underneath the belt to assist with material weight support and impact, amongst other functions….
Common Causes of Belt Damage
Conveyor belts are a viable component in a conveyor system. It is important to maintain them correctly and minimise any potential stoppages or damage to maintain the maximum up time and service life…