OVERHEAD & INVERTED POWER & FREE FRICTION DRIVE  

Overhead and Inverted Power and Free Friction Drive

The advantage of Friction Wheel Drives includes first, saving motor energy.  DMW friction drives are alternately turned on and off using a power on demand control scheme.  Secondly, friction wheel drives are free from lubricating oil that may present pollutants to the work environment.  Friction drives therefore provide a green conveyance alternative.

DMWCC Friction Drive Systems provide the ultimate in flexibility throughout your manufacturing processes.  Our integrated track design can stand solely as a Friction Drive conveyor or carriers can transfer to and from a traditional power and free system.  It is even possible to later refit an existing power and free conveyor with a friction drive section.  This flexibility allows long systems with short carriers to economize on the number of drives and still take advantage of friction technology through an accumulation area.

These conveyors benefit from the rugged design of our composite conveyor track.  Unlike those systems using soft I-beams for track, our Friction Drive Conveyors use the same proven materials as our overhead and inverted power and free systems allowing our customers to capitalize on proven performance, cost savings and layout flexibility with a multi-more operation.  Load capacity is comparable to our power and free designs with faster travel speeds. 

Operation:

Carriers are propelled from one friction wheel to another by drives that are spaced one carrier length apart.  Drives may exist on horizontal turns or along straight sections of track.  Carriers consist of a set of trolleys connected by a continuous load bar along which the drive wheel rotates.  Options include the ability to "train" or connect carriers together to run batches of them through lengths of conveyor.  This allows a longer spacing between drives once again reducing investment and operational cost.  System float is increased using trained carriers letting once drive do the work of many.  Carriers can then be separated and driven individually through various process operations.  In cases where elevation changes are desired, a secondary chain receives carriers from a friction drive wheel to safely and reliably transport the carrier from one level to another.  The positive holding of the traditional front trolley allows a DMW friction system to climb a third degree incline and use less real estate than a limited "I-beam" design.  Track switches allow splitting and merging of friction conveyors.

 Features:

Continuous flow operation
Power savings through power on demand operation
“Off-the-shelf” gearmotor drives
Standard AC motors or variable frequency drives
Integrated Design allows transfer to and from Power and Free
No moving chain through monoplane
Auxiliary chain driven elevation changes
Layout flexible and expandable
Switchable Track
Soft stop, hard stop, and positioning options 
Lower ambient noise
Safer operation

Friction Drive System Characteristics:

Friction System	Track	Load Capacity, Dual trolley set in monoplane	Speed
3” Overhead	C3 @ 4.1# AISI 1050	1000 lb. (454 kg)	90 fpm @ turns 120 fpm @ straight 180 fpm max.
4” Overhead	C4 @ 5.4# AISI 1050	1500 lbs (680 kg)	90 fpm @ turns 120 fpm @ straight 240 fpm max.
6” Overhead	MC6 @ 12# AISI 1050	6000 lbs (2720 kg)	90 fpm @ turns 120 fpm @ straight 180 fpm max.
4” Inverted	1/4” Formed IPF Track AISI 1050M	1500 lbs (680 kg)	90 fpm @ turns 120 fpm @ straight 240 fpm max.
6” Inverted	3/8” Formed IPF Track   AISI 1050M	6000 lbs. (2720 kg)	90 fpm @ turns 120 fpm @ straight 180 fpm max.