Glossary of Automation & Conveyor System Terms

The field of automation and conveyor systems encompasses a wide range of technical terms and industry-specific language. To support clarity and informed decision-making, CSL Automation has compiled this comprehensive glossary, providing precise definitions of key terms related to material handling, warehouse automation, and conveyor technology.

Accumulating Conveyor
A conveyor system designed to allow a product to queue (accumulation). Can be done with either lineshaft conveyor, belt under roller conveyor, motorised roller conveyor, gravity conveyor. Additional devices may be required to complete this function
Aluminium Conveyor
Lightweight and strong the aluminium range includes Belt, lineshaft, motorised roller, belt under roller and gravity.

Ball Table
A combination of roller ball units fitted onto a workstation at a workable height allows products to be easily manoeuvred in multiple directions. These are usually part of a gravity-based system.
Belt/bands
A flexible band/belt placed around two or more rollers / lineshaft to transmit motion or power is often seen between motorised rollers or to connect lineshaft rollers with the lineshaft itself.
Belt Conveyors
Similar to what is found in many supermarkets, products are conveyed using a PVC/PU belt driven by either a motorised drum or a geared motor. Belt conveyors can be horizontal or used for inter-floor conveying, such as decline/inclines. More specialist belt conveyors, such as belt bends and strip belt merges, are available.
Belt Under Roller Conveyor
A roller system based on gravity rollers gaining drive from a narrow belt beneath which is in contact with the underside of the rollers. Belt under roller is ideal for medium-weight totes/cartons/boxes at high speeds or over long lengths with a single drive unit.
Brake Motor
A safety device used on incline/decline belts which engages when power is shut off to stop the belt moving under the weight of products being carried. It is usually fitted on a motor shaft between the motor and a reducer.
BZP
Bright Zinc plate – the standard finish on the majority of rollers giving a hard-wearing finish for longevity.

Chain/Belt Transfer Unit
Used for transferring a product (box/tote bin) from one conveyor off at 90 degrees to another. The belts/chains lift between the roller pitches, raising the product just above the running surface of the roller and then driving the product off to another waiting conveyor. The drive motion is engaged via the drive motor and the lift motion is either by pneumatics or electrically operated. Heavy duty chain transfers can accommodate pallets / stillages and IBC’s.
Chain Conveyor
The product is moved on chains instead of rollers or a belt, often used for pallet/stillage handling.
Chain Drive
The drive power is transmitted to each roller using chains and sprockets. Ideal for heavy products.
Chain Guard
A protective safety cover for drive or conveyor chains
Chain Roller Conveyor
A variant of roller conveyors, the rollers are powered via attached sprockets driven by a single / duplex chain and motor gearbox. Ideal for heavy products.
Conveyor Rollers
Either bright zinc-plated steel, stainless steel, Nickel/Chrome plated or rigid PVC manufactured in a range of sizes

DARB – Double Activated Roller Belt
Designed and manufactured by Intralox. The system is based on a modular plastic belt conveyor which features multiple small free-spinning angled rollers, beneath a transfer point a powered roller unit lifts and contacts the underside of the free-spinning rollers giving them the drive to divert the product off the belt.

Decline Conveyor
An inter-floor belt conveyor is used for transporting products up or down between two levels. It can be reversible as a standard.
Degree of Incline
The angle of slope in degrees that an incline conveyor is installed.
Discharge End
Location on the conveyor system at which objects are removed
Divert Unit
Pneumatically or electronically operated using diverting wheels which pivot 45/90° in devices such as a switch sorter.
DOL – (Direct online)
The motor turns on at full speed instantly
Drive Unit
Mostly motor gearbox units, fitted to lineshaft conveyors, belt conveyors, chain conveyors, pallet conveyors, spiral elevators, vertical elevators

Emergency Stop Switch or E-stop
A high visibility switch is used to stop the conveyor in an emergency.
Expandable Conveyor
Belt, roller or wheel conveyor that can be extended or shortened to suit operating requirements.

FAT – Factory Acceptance Test
Testing of machinery while still at the manufacturers facility prior to shipping, this can eliminate issues once installed.
FDS – Functional Design Specification
A document that specifies the operational function and controls architecture that the conveyor system must perform to meet the clients’ specific requirements. The FDS is a technical document and contains at a minimum a list of requirements that can be used for development, testing, and client sign-off. The FDS forms the brief the controls software/hardware are designed to.
Filter regulator
Controls the flow of air into a solenoid valve which in turn operates pneumatic devices.
Flexible Conveyor
Powered or gravity roller or gravity skatewheel. These can be easily compacted to one third of their expanded length and wheeled either in or out of position.
Floor Supports
Adjustable floor mounted support at which the conveyor sits on top to get the optimum operating height.
FPM – Feet per minute
One of the Standard measures for conveyor speed
Front line spares
List of critical spare parts based on high wear or parts more susceptible to damage. These parts will often be detrimental to the conveyor operating correctly and at the optimum safteyl and efficiency levels.

Gate (lift gate)
A section of conveyor equipped with a hinge mechanism and gas struts to provide an opening for an occasional walkway / emergency exit. Available in both powered roller conveyor and Gravity roller conveyor.
Gravity Roller Conveyor
Gravity Roller is a non-powered conveyor which can be used to transit products by either a manual push or by placing the conveyor on a decline.
Gravity Rollers
Rollers fitted into the Gravity conveyor framework as listed above.
Guard Rail
60mm angle or 150mm channel mounted on top of the conveyor side frame. Used to prevent products from falling or being pushed off the conveyor.
Guide Rail
Rail mounted on adjustable post to guide products towards a datum point such as a labeller / printer or packaging machine.

HMI – Human Machine Interface
Commonly a touch sensitive screen mounted on a control panel.

IAT- Initial Acceptance Test
Once the system is installed an IAT will be carried out to ensure the system hardware and software are working as per the FDS. Once this is completed, more detailed commissioning testing can commence.
Incline
An inter-floor belt conveyor is used for transporting products up or down an incline between two levels. It can be reversible as a standard
Intermediate Roller
25mm free-running roller fitted between 50mm dia. rollers at 75mm pitch resulting in 37.5mm pitch to support smaller, loads.

Limit Switch
Electrical devices used to limit travel on certain pieces of equipment such as elevators.
Lineshaft
A 25mm dia. rotating steel bar is used to transmit power from a motor gearbox to multiple rollers on a lineshaft conveyor.
Lineshaft Conveyor (powered conveyor)
A series of rollers driven via individual small polyurethane belts connected to a steel shaft fitted with accumulating spools to allow easy product accumulation. The shaft is connected and driven by a geared motor.
Long Edge leading
Describes the orientation of which the product travels down the conveyor, long edge leading travels widest side first.

Manual Start Switch
A simple one-direction switch is used to turn the conveyors on or off.
MCB – (Motor Circuit Breaker)
Protects the motor from overload
Motor inverter
Used to provide a gradual start and shut down of motor
Micro V-Belt
A belt with a ‘V’ shape cross section for operating in specially grooved pulleys.
Micro V-Belt Conveyor (Poly V)
Using Micro-V belts fitted to specially designed rollers allows the conveyor to transit heavier products. Also ideal for dustier more arduous environments.
Motorised Roller
A roller fitted with its own internal 24-volt DC motor used for zero line pressure and high-speed applications.
Motorised Roller Conveyor
Using the motorised roller listed above. Controlled from side-mounted drive control cards allows for cost-effective zero line pressure (Non contact products) with individual speed adjustment and single product or slug release.

Narrow Edge leading
Describes the orientation of which the product travels down the conveyor, narrow edge leading travels shortest side first.
Noseover
A section of a belt conveyor to provide transition from an incline to horizontal.

Pallet Conveyor
Heavy duty roller or chain conveyor to handle a variety of pallet sizes and weight including stillages, IBC, CHEP, EURO etc. Can be inegrated with turntables, transfers, bends, elevators, wrappers, palletisers etc.
Pallet Turntable
A rotary conveyor mechanism used for changing pallet direction of travel.
PLC – Programmable Logic Controller
An industrial digital computer integrated into a main control panel.
Pop-Out Roller
A non-driven roller placed at the ends of a belt conveyor, used to help product transfer between the infeed or outfeed of the belt and reduce the risk of trapping fingers between the end of the belt and the framework.
Powered Belt Bend
A belt bend conveyor which uses a belt driven by tapered rollers.
Powered Conveyor
Any type of conveyor which requires electrical power instead of gravity to move products along.
Powered Feeder
A driven length of belt conveyor, used to move product onto an incline/decline belt conveyor or controlling the rate of throughput onto the next section of conveyor. Sometimes known as a change of direction unit.
Photo Electric Cell (PEC)
Electrical device mounted on the conveyor and is used to sense product location.
Product Footprint
The surface of the product that is in contact with the belt or rollers
Pusher Unit
A pneumatically operated device using a pusher arm to automatically divert products 90 degrees from one conveyor to another.
PX – Proximity Sensor
A sensor which can detect the presence of a nearby object, commonly used with lift up gates to determine the open/closed status to trigger controls action.

RAMS – Risk Assessment and Method Statement
Documents produced by CSL and provided to the customer prior to installation commencing. The documents outline recognised risks and how these can be controlled.
Reversible
A conveyor that can move product in either direction
RFID – Radio Frequency IDentification
Used for product or tote identification, often for either sortation or tracking.
Roller Conveyor
A series of rollers supported in a frame at a set pitch which totes/cartons/cases etc are transported manually by gravity or driven by motors.
Roller Pitch
The distance measured from the centre of one roller to the centre of another. Larger products typically have a larger roller pitch and smaller products have a smaller pitch.

SAT – Site Acceptance Test
System testing is carried once the installation is complete to verify that the system is functioning correctly and to the customers requirements. A number of CSL customers provide the SAT criteria at the start of the project.
SCADA – Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition
Control system architecture that uses computers, networked data communications and graphical user interfaces for high-level process management. Also using other peripheral devices such as programmable logic controllers (PLC) to interface with the process plant or machinery. The operator interfaces which enable monitoring and the issuing of process commands, such as controller set point changes.
SDS – System Design Specification
Is a document to outline how the functional and non-functional requirements recorded in the Requirements Document, the preliminary user-oriented functional design recorded in the High Level Technical Design
Side Mounted Drive Unit
The geared motor is mounted on the side of the conveyor as opposed to underneath it.
Skatewheel Conveyor
Steel or plastic wheels mounted on an shaft or axle, these are unpowered gravity conveyors
Slave Driven
A conveyor section powered from another conveyor section instead of having its own power.
Slug Mode
Allows all packages to be released together as one.
Spur
A conveyor section fitted at an angle to switch products to and from the mainline conveyor. Also known as a mitre section.
Support Stand / Frames
Stands or frames used maintain the elevation or alignment of the conveyors. Supports can take the form of hangers, floor supports or brackets.
SV – Solenoid Valve
Used with pneumatic systems to control the air movement to conveyor devices
Switch Sorter
A sortation conveyor which can divert different totes/cases/cartons to specific take-away lines. The switch sorter uses a series of powered wheels which can switch direction.
SY Cable type
Steel armoured cable with clear PVC jacket, used for voltage between 300-500v. The clear jacket means signs of deterioration, damage or corrosion can be detected easier.

Tapered Roller Bend
A curved section of roller conveyor fitted with tapered rollers.
Terminal Roller
A roller mounted at the tail end of a belt conveyor, its purpose is to return the belt and keep it tensioned.
Throughput
The amount of product moved on a conveyor at a given time.
Total Load
Maximum weight (Kg.) distributed over the entire length of a conveyor.
Tracking
Keeping the belt on the centre line of the conveyor.
Transfers
A device or series of devices, which uses belts, chains, rollers, skate wheels or diverting wheels, to move products from one conveyor to another.
Truetrack
Conveyor belt with a central or outer fitted strip mounted to the underside to improve belt tracking and guiding for belt conveyors. Used especially where products are removed regularly from the side of the conveyor
Tread Plates
Chequer plate steel filler plates used to fill the gaps between rollers on roller conveyor for walk overs or to eliminate gaps.
Turntable
A rotary mechanism used for transferring objects between conveyors or turning the product’s leading edge. Mostly used on pallet conveyor systems.
Turning Wheel
Wheel mounted horizontally to turn products through 90 degrees prior to a further process such as labelling or printing.

Underguard
Either sheet metal or plastic and used to cover the underside of a conveyor section for safety.
URS – User Requirement Specification
A document provided by the customer with their expectations of the conveyor system, mainly focusing on the controls and software.

Variable Speed Motor
A drive or power transmission mechanism which can have the speed adjusted

WCS- Warehouse Control System
Software applications that direct the real-time activities within warehouses and distribution centres
Wide Edge leading
Describes the orientation by which the product travels down the conveyor, wide edge leading travels longest side first.
WMS – Warehouse Management System
A software based system designed to support and optimise warehouse management. The systems are used to manage resources and product movement.

YY Cable type
YY is very similar to SY but without the mechanical protection provided by the steel armour but instead in a grey PVC jacket.

Zero Line Pressure Accumulating Conveyor (ZLP)
A type of conveyor designed to have zero pressure / contact with product on product, ideal for handling a wide range of product sizes and weights. See motorised roller conveyor and micro-V belt conveyor.