Slat Conveyors (sometimes called Table-top chain conveyors)

Typical Industries: General purpose medium duty, but particularly useful where bends and loops are required.

A somewhat blurred slat conveyor (it was running at speed when the photograph was taken)

slat conveyor curve

Straight slat conveyor, showing details of the hinge link between slats

Description: Slat conveyors are superficially similar to Plate Link conveyors, in that they resemble a tanks caterpillar-tracks. However, the design is somewhat different and this gives them different capabilities. In particular, Slat Conveyors are much smaller and lighter-duty than a typical platelink conveyor, being limited to around 800mm in width.

A major benefit of a slat conveyor over a platelink conveyor lies in the ability of the platelets of a Slat conveyor to 'flex', and hence turn corners, complex loops, and even spirals. This makes them very popular in continous manufacturing processes, bottling plants, etc.

Whereas a platelink conveyor drives each platelet by means of a pair of chains, the Slat conveyor adopts a different approach. Each platelet is bonded to the next by a hinge, making the entire belt length a chain in and off itself. Regularly spaced sprockets both support - and drive - the chain. The concept is similar to a cog-and-pinion railway. (but with the locomotive remaining stationary, and the track being moved).

Because the platelets are joined at the centre of their span, rather than at both edges, they have the potential to rotate around the joint, hence producing the ability to flex.

As with Platelink Conveyors, the platelets can be metal, or composite plastic. The latter tend to be lumped in with Plastic Modular conveyors. This can lead to some confusion, as the term "plastic modular" can cover a range of sins, and not all plastic modular conveyors are slat conveyors !

Don't you just love industrial jargon ? Speaking of which....

Table-top chain conveyors

No, it does NOT mean that they go on top of a table ! This alternative term for a slat conveyor is probably an americanisation, arising from the fact that the carrying surface is flat, like a table-top. (?? does your table look like this ??)

I suppose we where lucky; using that logic they might have ended up calling them pancake chain conveyors, which would be even more confusing !