One push controls the whole line: linked belt conveyors explained

On a basement dig or a large renovation job, one belt conveyor is rarely enough. Three, four or five SoRoTo® belt conveyors in a line carry soil, rubble or concrete out of the building, around corners and up into the skip. Until now, every conveyor in that line had its own switch.

That means someone has to walk the line to start each conveyor in turn, and walk it again to stop them. If one conveyor stops and the next keeps running, material piles up at the transfer point. Contractors, rental companies and our dealers tell us the same thing again and again: they want the whole line to work as one, at the push of a single button.

That is why we developed Standard Link and Multilink.

Belt conveyors in series: power is not the same as control

All SoRoTo® [LINK: Belt Conveyors collection] belt conveyors can be powered in series. One conveyor passes the power on to the next, with a new power supply for every third conveyor. That saves cables and sockets on site. But each conveyor still has to be started and stopped on its own.

With link control, the conveyors are also connected by a link cable. Now the line is controlled as one unit:

•       One push starts the whole line. All linked conveyors start at the same time.

•       One push stops it. No more walking from conveyor to conveyor.

•       The emergency stop works on every conveyor. Press it anywhere, and the whole line stops.

Standard Link: simple mechanical control, now linked

Standard Link is built on the same proven, mechanical control as our Standard belt conveyor: relays, motor protection and capacitors that any electrician knows and that are easy to replace. The belt runs at our standard speed of 32 cm/sec, and the standard feeder box is included.

The only difference is the link. Plug in the link cable [LINK: link cable accessory], and the conveyors start and stop together and share the emergency stop. Nothing new for the operator to learn, and no expensive electronics to break.

Standard Link is made for contractors, rental fleets and anyone who wants simple, robust conveyors that work as a team. Like all SoRoTo® belt conveyors, they are built in lightweight aluminium with a modular design, so they are quick to set up, move and maintain on site.

Multilink: variable speed and reversible belt conveyors in one line

Multilink is the complete solution for larger belt conveyor setups. Each control box has a frequency converter and a PLC, which gives you full electronic control of the whole line from one control point:

•       Variable speed from 1 to 64 cm/sec, adjusted with the + and – buttons

•       Forward and reverse, selected directly on the control panel

•       Soft start when the conveyors are linked, for safer start-up

•       Start-up alarm that warns everyone before the line starts; it can be switched on or off

Multilink can be extended with options [LINK: conveyor accessories] such as a wireless remote control with emergency stop, a wired start/stop remote with emergency stop, a rotating warning light for noisy sites, and a photocell that stops the line automatically. Further sensors can be added to trigger automatic reactions, so the line responds to what happens on site.

No master unit: link any number of conveyors in any order

Many linked conveyor systems use a master unit that controls the others, the slaves. Only the master can change the speed or the direction. The owner or rental company must keep track of which unit is the master, make sure it stands in the right place in the line, and buy or rent one master plus the right number of slaves. And when power and control run in the same cable, one control can only handle 3–4 conveyors.

SoRoTo® Standard Link and Multilink have no master and no slaves. Every linked conveyor is the same, and the conveyors can be connected in any order. Start, stop, speed and direction can be operated from any conveyor in the line, and all the others follow.

Because power and control run in separate cables, there is no limit to the number of linked conveyors: one push can stop 100 conveyors at the same time. Only the power has a limit – a new power supply for every third conveyor. Take the conveyors off the trailer, link them up the way the site needs, and push start.

Standard, Standard Link or Multilink: comparison

Which belt conveyor control should you choose?

•       Standard [LINK: Standard belt conveyor] is right when a single conveyor does the job, or when it is no problem to start each conveyor by hand.

•       Standard Link [LINK: Standard Link] is right for contractors, landscapers and rental fleets who run several conveyors in a line and want one push to control them all, with the same simple mechanics as Standard.

•       Multilink [LINK: Multilink] is right when you need to adjust the speed to the material, change direction, or add remote control and sensors – for example on large sites, in noisy environments, or in production and industry.

How to link belt conveyors in four steps

1.    Place the conveyors in the order the site needs. With link control, any order works.

2.    Connect the power in series, with a new power supply for every third conveyor.

3.    Connect the link cable from LINK OUT on one conveyor to LINK IN on the next. The ports are on the back of the power box. The link cable is ordered separately.

4.    Check the blue light. When it is on, all linked conveyors are ready to run together. If it is off, check the cables and connectors. Then push start.

Full instructions are in the manual [LINK: Standard Link / Multilink manual].

Want to see it in action?

Ask your SoRoTo® dealer or rental company for a demonstration. Can't find a dealer? [LINK: "Where can I get one?" form] Tell us where you work, and we will help you find the right setup for your fleet or your site.