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IJMERR 2023 Vol.12(2): 107-112
DOI: 10.18178/ijmerr.12.2.107-112

Improving the Efficiency of a Conveyor System in an Automated Manufacturing Environment Using a Model-Based Approach

Ganiyat Salawu* and Bright Glen
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
*Correspondence: ganiatsoliu@gmail.com

Manuscript received July 13, 2022; revised September 7, 2022; accepted October 23, 2022.

Abstract—Material handling using a conveyor system has numerous advantages, such as proper material handling. It handles loads of varying heights and weights conveniently within a shorter period. Improved efficiency can be achieved during the manufacturing process if the operating parameters of a conveyor system are within the best service range. This paper studied and modeled the design parameters of a belt conveyor system to determine the best design parameters that can yield an efficient manufacturing system. The machine's efficiency was studied, and the operating parameters of the conveyor system that gave an efficient production system were achieved using MATLAB to simulate the parameters. It was observed that when the power rating of the conveyor was set at 8.9x10-4 watts, a higher throughput rate was obtained. Also, the cost of production increases as more power is utilized under varying load conditions.

Keywords—material handling systems, belts, conveyors, simulation

Cite: Ganiyat Salawu and Bright Glen, "Improving the Efficiency of a Conveyor System in an Automated Manufacturing Environment Using a Model-Based Approach," International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics Research, Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 107-112, March 2023. 

Copyright © 2023 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided that the article is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.