Conveyor belts are used in the Pharma industry for conveying items of varying sizes from one location to another (machine, area, or department). Mainly used in the packaging department, they provide an effective way for the pharma industry to move items of varying sizes without using machinery or humans.
Without a conveying system, it is impossible to carry out routine operations in relevant departments such as packaging, manufacturing, and warehousing. They help maintain a steady stream of operations by helping in a smooth product flow, and pharma personnel are relieved of transferring items from machine to machine and from department to department.
What is a conveyor belt?
A conveyor belt is stretched across two ends of a mechanical frame. Driven by a driver, it rotates linearly from one end to another. At the two ends of the belts, pulleys are installed. One pulley installed at one end is the primary driver and gets power from the motor. Another pulley installed at the other end is powerless and supports the belt's rotation and moves by the force of the belt.
The belt is wrapped around these pulleys that hold the belt and tighten it with appropriate force. Because if the belt loses with this pulley, there will be difficulty in rotating the belt, and it will fail to achieve its function.
The pulley–belt mechanism rests on a mechanical frame, supporting the entire belt. A conveyor belt also consists of support rollers installed at various locations on the conveyor beneath the belt. Their primary function is to support the belt across the length.
Commonly, belts are constructed to move in a straight direction. However, for some applications, it can move in various formats, such as zig-zag or an inclined manner.
The conveyor belt's speed can be increased or decreased according to the process requirement, and it is done by changing the speed of the motor. If the speed of the motor is increased, the speed of the conveyor also increases. Similarly, if the speed of the motor is decreased, the speed of the conveyor also decreases.
Like other industries, in pharma, there are two configurations of conveyor belts – with machine and standalone.
In conveyors with machine configuration, the conveyor belt is attached to the machine and becomes part of it, and it will move with the machine. In this configuration, the conveyor is used to transfer objects or items between different sections and stages of equipment. The conveyor cannot be independently controlled and can only be controlled by the machine's control panel, like other machine functions.
For example, in blister packing machines, small conveyors are attached to the machine to transfer the item from the cutter station to the outfeed station.
In a standalone configuration, the conveyor belt is not attached to any machine and can be used at different locations as per the requirement, independently of the machine. Additionally, the conveyor is separately controlled from the machine, and its operational parameters are not linked to machine parameters.
For example, conveyor belts transfer containers from the blower machine to the filling machine.
Applications of conveyor belt in Pharma industry
Let's discuss some common applications of conveyor belt in Pharma history.
Packaging department
The most common use of conveyor belts in the pharma industry is the packaging department. The conveyor belt transfers pharma items such as sachets, catch covers, small cartons, and containers between machines. It enables Pharma organizations to safely transfer various items between different machines or areas.
Conveyor belts are also used to Transfer packaging material, such as catch cover, into the machine so that Pharma products can be packed. Secondly, the conveyor is also used to transfer filled containers to the next stage for further processing.
Filling area
In the filling area, conveyors transfer empty containers for preprocessing before filling or, in some cases, directly for filling operations. Conveyors are also used to transfer filled containers for the next stage, s...
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