What Is a Shafted/Segmented Roller?
A shafted/segmented roller is a shaft in which the periphery of the shaft or the entire shaft is a roller that can be driven and rotated.
Shaft rollers are often used in the field of free rollers called roller conveyors or roller conveyor rollers and in the field of web handling for transporting sheet products.
Shafted/segmented rollers can be used for driven rotation, eliminating the need to drive all the shafts, thus saving space by consolidating the drive transmission units.
Uses of Shafted/Segmented Rollers
Shafted/segmented rollers are mainly used for free rollers that move boxed products horizontally on a platform and for web handling equipment.
Shafted/segmented rollers can be used for free rollers, where the object can be moved with little force by continuously aligning the roller shafts on the ground surface where the object is to be moved or for automatic conveyance of the object by rotating the rollers.
Web handling equipment can set an arbitrary sheet path (the path along which a sheet passes) for long sheets of continuously produced products by supporting them with free rollers while tension is applied. In addition, by clamping the sheet between the driven/segmented roller shafts, it is possible to convey the sheet at a constant speed.
Features of Shafted/Segmented Rollers
Shafted/segmented rollers have two types of structures: one with a built-in bearing between the part supported by the structure at both ends (support part) and the part in contact with the object (peripheral part) that rotates, and one with the support part and the peripheral part fixed together.
The former structure is used as a driven rotating roll and can be used by simply supporting both ends of the shaft with a U-shaped groove or hole.
The latter construction is used for driven as well as driven rolls and requires bearings and pillow blocks at both ends of the shaft. In the case of driven rotation, a mechanism is provided to transmit the motor power to the shaft of the support.
The former structure requires few parts other than the roller shaft and can be easily installed, while the latter structure can be used as a driven roller and has the advantage that a cooling mechanism and sensor can be easily installed inside the roller shaft.
As described above, it is necessary to select an appropriate structure and material for the shafted/segmented roller, depending on the purpose of use and the material of the object. Shafted/segmented rollers can be made of steel, stainless steel, resin, etc.