A brief discussion on the design scheme for turns in production line layouts

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The layout of the production line for mass-produced products is often closely related to the size of the manufacturing workshop and the various processing steps involved in producing those products. The arrangement of the production lines is generally quite regular; typically, each line operates independently to carry out one or several processing steps, after which workers transfer the finished semi-finished products to another line for further processing ； Another approach involves multiple production lines that, in accordance with certain processing requirements, form a complex manufacturing system; the products that have completed one processing step are transported by the production lines to the next stage of processing. In more complex processing and production systems, the design of turns is crucial in order to ensure smooth progression of the manufacturing steps between two or more production lines. Below, the editor will introduce three examples from our company’s recent engineering projects to explain the design methods for the turning points of automated conveyor lines. 1. Conveyor belt turning system: In this design, the turning point of the conveyor belt is implemented as a belt conveyor, and this type of turning arrangement enables a smooth transfer of products between conveyors moving in different directions. Moreover, the belt conveyor has strong versatility and can be used for processing products in various forms such as bulk, granular, large-volume, and small-volume items ； 2. Conveyor belt with turning rollers: In this design, the turning section of the conveyor belt is equipped with rollers; due to the large spacing between these rollers, this type of turning design is used for the transfer of already packaged items or larger objects ； 3. Conveyor rotary workbench: Curved belt conveyors and curved roller conveyors are primarily used in the light industry, while rotary workbenches are more commonly used in the heavy industry. Since the products processed in heavy industry are large in size and weigh too much for ordinary belt conveyors or roller conveyors to handle, rotating worktables made of steel are well suited to meet the requirements of heavy industry processing.