Vacuum conveyor designed for non woven strips

The brief required cut sections of thin, light non-woven fabric to be transported from one machining station to the next with a system running at a speed of 140m/min. The strips had to be transferred from one conveyor to the next without damage and in a state which permitted them to be cut them again as they passed through the system. The sections were required to remain in position as they passed through the system, and the conveyor itself needed to be integrated into a customer-provided frame. Additionally, mk were tasked with designing a system capable of handling different strips of various formats without the need for retooling.

To meet the objectives, mk used a vacuum conveyor consisting of a belt conveyor with BC lower belt drive. The conveyor frames were manufactured from square, stainless steel tubes, with each of them having a suction nozzle that allowed for maximum flow rate to establish the vacuum. Oblong holes run along the running side of the conveyor frames and a perforated belt allows hair removal strips to be vacuum-gripped so that they can be securely transported, even at high speeds. The conveyors are only 50 mm wide and are configured as eight-line units to allow the customer to switch the vacuum on or off in individual lines and also configure the system for different strip widths. It also ensures an optimal suction pressure too, says mk. 

The conveyors are equipped with ø19 mm rolling knife edges on both sides to achieve short transfer distances and the conveyors are arranged such that the hair removal strips can be transported from one conveyor to the next. The transfer conveyors are positioned upside down with the running side facing downwards, allowing the hair removal strips to be transferred while suspended below the conveyor. They are then transferred to the top side of the next conveyor. In some locations two conveyors are arranged one above the other  so that stacks of hair removal strips can be clamped between the conveyors and then transported and cut without sliding.

Mk Profiles says that the finished system has provided the customer with a fast and reliable way of conveying a small, lightweight product, using a versatile solution which is optimised for maximum flow rate with short transfer distances.