Material Handling Equipment and Conveyor Design
Conveyors, lifting devices, pick-and-place and feeders.
Moving material safely is the quiet heart of every plant. We design conveyors, lifts and handling units that match the product, the rate and the site.
Where We Help
- Conveyors and transfer units
- Lifting and tilting devices
- Pick-and-place and feeder systems
- Cable reels and drive trains for moving equipment
- Handling of long, heavy or awkward items
- Safe access and guarding
Typical Equipment
- Roller and belt conveyors
- Lifting tables and hoists
- Auto-feed systems
- Stoppers and pushers
- Turning and tilting equipment
Moving material reliably between processes
Material handling equipment rarely gets attention until it stops a line. Conveyors that slip or track off, transfer units that jam and lifters that drift all cost production time. LTM designs material handling equipment with drives, structures and wear parts sized from the real load and duty, so the equipment runs for years with routine maintenance.
Material handling equipment we design
- Belt, roller, chain and slat conveyors, including inclined and accumulating conveyors
- Transfer units, turntables, diverters and right-angle transfers
- Lift tables, hoists, tilters and turning equipment
- Stoppers, pushers and positioning units for production lanes
- Automatic feeders and pick and place units
- Motorised cable reels and drive trains for mobile equipment
Common conveyor problems and their causes
- Belt slip at start-up: insufficient wrap angle or take-up tension for the starting torque.
- Belt tracking off: frame not square, pulleys not crowned or idlers misaligned.
- Motor overheating: drive sized for running power without allowing for start-up, incline or secondary resistances.
- Shaft or bearing failure: overhung loads from belt tension not included in shaft and bearing sizing.
- Product damage at transfers: height differences, gaps or stopper impact forces not designed for.
Each of these is avoided with straightforward calculation and detailing at the design stage, and each can usually be corrected on an existing conveyor with targeted changes.
For new installations, the same checks are built into the design from the start: drive and take-up sized for starting conditions including incline and loaded start, shafts and bearings sized with belt tension overhung loads, and transfers designed with matched heights, small gaps and controlled impact. A short design review of an existing conveyor usually finds the root cause of a recurring breakdown, and the fix is often a targeted part change rather than a new conveyor.
What we calculate
Conveyor drives: resistance, pulley power and motor size using the DIN 22101 / ISO 5048 method for bulk conveyors, or rolling resistance for unit-load conveyors. Shafts and bearings: drive and tail shafts by fatigue criteria, bearings to ISO 281 life. Structure: conveyor frames and supports for deflection and stability. Stoppers and pushers: impact energy and decelerating force so parts and the stopper survive. Lifting: lift tables and hoists with safety factors on every load-bearing component.
Long and heavy items
Handling long or heavy items such as pipes, beams, blades and panels needs particular care with support spacing, deflection, synchronised drives and guarding. LTM has designed handling equipment for long components in wind energy manufacturing and belt conveyors for general industry, with guarding and access planned alongside the layout.
Free conveyor tools
Estimate drive power with our belt conveyor power calculator, check drive shafts with the shaft diameter calculator and roller bearings with the bearing life calculator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you design a conveyor system for my plant layout?
Yes. Send the layout, product size and weight, required throughput and transfer heights. We design the conveyor layout, drives, structures and guarding.
Do you design for unit loads as well as bulk material?
Yes. Unit-load roller and chain conveyors use different calculations from bulk belt conveyors, and both are covered.
Can you upgrade an existing conveyor for a higher load?
Yes. Existing drives, shafts, bearings and structure are checked for the new duty, and upgrades are specified where margins are insufficient.
Do you supply the conveyor?
LTM provides the design and drawings and supports your fabricator or conveyor supplier during manufacture and installation.
Do you design conveyors for heavy unit loads such as coils or pallets?
Yes. Heavy unit-load conveyors, turntables and transfer cars are designed with roller, chain and shaft sizes checked for the load and the impact at loading.
How an Engagement Works
Brief
You share the function, loads, space, cycle time and any drawings you already have.
Concept
We propose a concept with a layout sketch and the key calculations, so you can approve direction early.
Detail design
3D model, calculations, GD&T drawings and BOM, reviewed with you at agreed checkpoints.
Release and support
Native files and PDFs handed over, with support during fabrication and assembly.
Have a project in mind?
Send a short brief with sketches or specifications. You get a clear scope and a fixed quote, usually within one business day.