Conveyors in the food industry are presented with unique challenges due to the abrasiveness of the materials they carry. A few of the major issues in this application are electrical standards and motor application matching the intended task, salt or grit getting inside of the switch and eventually causing failure, conveyor efficiency and belt issues in applications where product alignment is critical.

Namco’s SNAP_LOCK® Technology ensures accurate position indication, user safety and reliable start and stop. SNAP-LOCK® solutions have a “snap” action which enables a quick action from one position to another, effectively eliminating dead band. The contacts are forced to be in one position or the other and cannot dwell in between open or closed. Instead of relying on spring or magnetic force, each switch has a locking mechanism that mechanically forces the contacts to stay closed until released by the trip lever. This eliminates any possible contact chatter due to vibration or seismic events. There is no need to replace NAMCO’s limit switches as often as a standard, low-quality model. They require less downtime, giving the user more production time.

It is particularly important to incorporate a NAMCO limit switch to any conveyor belt system because they can withstand the heavy duty, safety and hazardous location applications. NAMCO limit switches send a signal to the system controls to indicate the position of materials, count individual items travelling on the conveyor, and ensures that each one is in the right position and correctly aligned. They are also used to immediately stop a belt moving by the yank of a pull cable. This makes them the perfect tool as a manual switch for backup safety. Noncorrosive materials are used for a bronze housing and stainless-steel shaft to completely protect against external damage to the switch from salt spray or other corrosive elements.