Selection guide
Which conveyor do I need?
Three decisions, in this order: the chain width, the material, and the chain style. Get those right and the rest of the system follows.
Decision one
Start with what you are moving.
The product decides the chain width. Everything else — beams, bends, drives — is built around it. If your product sits between two widths, the heavier or less stable one usually wins.
| Series | Chain width | Typically used for | Material |
|---|---|---|---|
| S380 | 38 mm | Small products, electronics, optical trays and puck handling where the footprint has to disappear. | Aluminum |
| S620 | 62 mm | General purpose. Cartons, bottles and small packaged goods — the most common starting point. | Aluminum |
| S830 | 83 mm | The most common spiral duty width. Minimum spiral centerline diameter 2.62 ft. | Aluminum |
| S140 | 140 mm | Wide. Cases, trays and heavier packaged goods. Also spiral duty, 2.62 ft centerline. | Aluminum |
| S220 | 220 mm | The widest standard chain. Wide cases, multi-lane running and pallet transfer. 3.9 ft centerline. | Aluminum |
| S530 | 83 mm | Hygienic 83 mm. Food-grade, distillery, dairy, bakery and pharmaceutical duty. | Stainless |
| S540 | 140 mm | Hygienic 140 mm, for cases and trays in wet processes. | Stainless |
| S560 | 220 mm | The widest stainless chain, for wide cases and multi-lane hygienic transfer. | Stainless |
Minimum spiral centerline diameters matter if you are changing level: 2.62 ft on S830 and S140, 3.9 ft on S220.
Decision two
Then the environment.
This is the decision that changes the price most, because it changes the beam, the chain and the gearmotor together.
- Dry factory — anodized aluminum beams. The standard, and the most cost-effective. Covers most packaged goods, components and general handling.
- Wash-down & food grade — the stainless range: beams with a drainage channel, stainless fasteners and shafts, built to survive frequent aggressive cleaning.
- Clean room — low-particulate execution, closed beams and covered drives.
- High temperature — chain and slide rail selected for the duty; tell us the sustained and peak temperatures.
- ESD sensitive — conductive chain and rail for electronics and optical handling.
Then the chain style.
Plain top chain is the default and suits most products. A friction top adds grip for inclines and declines. Cleated and pusher chains carry product up a slope. Roller top lets product accumulate without back pressure, and side-grip or top-grip execution carries bottles and containers by their neck or their top surface.
If you are not sure, say what the product does at the end of the conveyor — accumulate, transfer, climb, or turn — and the chain style follows from that.
Not sure? Answer six questions instead.
About a minute, and it gets us what we need to turn a range into a real number.