The difference between “conveyor roller” and “conveyor idler”？

We all know that in the belt conveyor system, the conveyor idler and conveyor roller is used to support the conveyor belt and the load, and is the main support device for the conveyor belt. The conveyor idler roller is a cylindrical part installed on the upper part of the conveyor frame to support the conveyor belt and facilitate the material or the movement of goods.

Then we often see two names of conveyor idler and conveyor roller on the Internet, so do these two names have the same meaning? If different, what kind do they represent?

Generally speaking, a conveyor roller refers to a lightweight roller with a diameter of less than 80mm (commonly used diameters are 76mm, 60mm, 50mm), also called “Gravity roller” or” light roller”, etc. The surface of the conveyor roller is often made of stainless steel, galvanized coating or PVC/PU rubber, and the transmission mode generally adopts sprocket or O-belt. The conveyor line of this conveyor roller is used to convey light-weight items such as bag packaging and box packaging. It is generally used in the food and beverage industry, manufacturing and packaging industry, airports, postal services, distribution centers and warehouses, etc., the following pictures are conveyor rollers and corresponding conveyor lines

The conveyor idler generally refers to the idler with a diameter greater than 76mm, and the commonly used diameters are (76mm/89mm/108mm/127mm/133mm/159mm). Conveyor idler is usually used for long-distance transportation of bulk materials. The materials transported are mostly coal mines, sand and gravel, cement clinker, etc. The conveyor idler supports the rubber conveyor belt and conveys materials to prevent the conveyor belt from stretching and sagging. Conveyor idlers usually need to operate in harsh environments such as dirty, dusty, high humidity, and extreme high or low temperatures, such as coal mines, cement plants, sand and gravel plants, steel plants, etc.

It can be seen that conveyor roller and conveyor idler still have different meanings, but in actual communication, the boundaries between the two are not so clear. Take mining conveyor rollers as an example, conveyor idler and conveyor roller are very commonly used all over the world , generally speaking, customers from America and Australia are more accustomed to using “conveyor idle”r, and the diameter of the conveyor idler is also expressed in inches, such as 3”/3.5”/4”/5” and so on, but for short-distance light-duty idlers ,generally speaking, few people use the term "conveyor idler", but more people use the term "conveyor roller", so there is no conflict between conveyor idler and conveyor roller. In practical applications, it still depends on the specific model, size, technical parameters and application site.

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