Although line shaft conveyors are considered old school technology in the conveyor business, it doesn’t mean it won’t get the job done. One of the biggest hassles with line shaft conveyor is that they can get very loud over the life of product as parts continue to wear down. Line shaft conveyor is very easy to work on, which is one of its primary benefits. Maintenance workers can find line shaft conveyor parts and fix the problem themselves. However, if you are facing old line shaft conveyor you may reach a fork in the road where the decision needs to be made; is it best to update or upgrade?

Update

The first option can take on various forms of updating line shaft conveyor. An update is defined as making something more modern. This is a vague answer to updating line shaft conveyor, but it speaks truth about the number of options available. A full update could be to drop out all the rollers and replace every line shaft assembly in the entire system. By starting from scratch, the only thing left standing are the original frames of the conveyor. Once the replacing begins all rollers can be updated and will have modern bearings that are more efficient and quieter. Next are the line shaft assemblies, which will lead to better performance on the line. While this option may be cheaper in parts, depending on the location of the conveyor could cost more in system down time. It is best to discuss these options with one of our conveyor experts to see if an update will cost more in the long run.

Upgrade

More times that not, a full upgrade of line shaft conveyor to a more modern design can be the better route to go. By upgrading line shaft to DC Power Rollers companies can introduce upgrades that can make production lines more efficient. Upgrades also present the opportunity to redesign layouts, improve workflows, and introduce new automations. Conveyor systems are an investment in production, capability and help companies achieve long term visions.

While updating conveyors may be the band aid you are looking for, a full system upgrade can allow companies to grow and expand without worries of being incapable of fulfilling goals or breaking down. While companies are looking to expand and labor continues to crunch, upgrades allow workers to be more efficient and reduce the small tasks to allow for more meaningful work. Conveyor systems should be built with the future in mind and Conveyor Concepts is ready to help make these difficult decisions easier to see.