Remcon specializes in complete design & fabrication of all aspects of custom conveyors for OEM manufacturers of machinery that require specialized infeed or outfeed conveyors, transition chutes, hoppers, magnetic & eddy current separation, support stands, maintenance catwalks and electrical controls, with complete safety guarding and continuing parts replacement support. To maintain end-user satisfaction for our OEMs, Remcon also pays close attention to all manufacturing details, utilizing an extensive checklist, starting with 309 items for a basic conveyor, to ensure quality.
These conveyors built for OEMs are typically more robust and need special configurations such as bends up, down and articulated, space-saving frames to fit tight spaces, adjustable custom legs, dividers to carry multiple materials, protection from damaging materials, material flow leveling devices, overflow sensors, and other specialized features that improve the efficiency, effectiveness, reliability and safety of the OEM's equipment.
Why OEMs Outsource Their Conveyors
Many OEM companies produce a wide range of equipment that relies on conveyors to feed materials into and out of their systems. Rather than investing time and resources into designing and manufacturing these conveyors themselves, they prefer to remain focused on their core products, rather than the intricacies of conveyor systems. Remcon specializes in designing reliable, high-quality conveyors that seamlessly integrate with the OEM's equipment. We attempt to learn as much as possible about their equipment and its operation by maintaining communication both before and throughout the design and fabrication processes, and to continue to seek further improvements with each subsequent project. Our goal is to maximize the OEM's customers' satisfaction with the equipment by effectively dealing with every one of the design considerations below.
OEM Capability Snapshot
Every OEM conveyor we ship is built to order, so the numbers below are not catalog limits — they are what past Remcon builds have already proven out. Two common starting points are one of two base designs: an infeed conveyor metering material into the machine, or an elbow-up slider bed conveyor lifting material from a low infeed to an elevated discharge where floor space is tight.
| Capability | Proven on Remcon OEM builds |
|---|---|
| Belt width | Up to 96" — the widest quick-change (endless) belt conveyor we have built |
| Belt speed | Up to 1200 FPM — fastest belt built; the 96" optical-sorter conveyor was designed for 500 FPM |
| Incline angle | Up to 50° — steep-incline, 3-lane cleated elbow-up build |
| Divided belts | 3 lanes with corrugated rubber walls, carrying separate material streams on one belt |
| Surge hoppers | 15 cubic feet dumped at once on the articulated feed build — hoppers sized to the application, quoted per job |
| Quality checklist | Starts at 309 items for a basic conveyor |
| Parts support | Replacement parts for the life of the machine |
Minimum Design Considerations for Remcon Conveyors
Remcon's designers take into consideration all of the following aspects of conveyor design for each unique application:
- Characteristics of materials being processed.
- Flow-through rates: both current and possible future increases, both normal and potential overfeed rates.
- Protection from contaminants that can cause jam-ups and belt damage.
- Protection from operator errors, potential damage from forklifts, loaders, etc.
- Operational controls: manual, semi-automatic, programmable controller, integration with other controls, jam-up protection, material level monitoring, jam-up monitoring, etc.
- Safety issues: guarding of all potential pinch points, removal of all sharp corners and edges, power lockout, interlocks, power disconnects, emergency stop switches, ergonomics, etc.
- Ease and safety of installation: components are pre-assembled as much as practical. Legs and supports are easily adjustable for accurate leveling & alignment, and include attachments that provide quick, secure and safe installation of conveyors on supporting structures.
- Maintenance: ease of access, readily available replacement parts, future parts replacement support.
From the Job Files: Three OEM Builds
Three examples of custom conveyors Remcon designed and built for OEM machinery, and the features that made each one work.
Custom Articulated (Adjustable Incline Angle) Feed Conveyor
A portable feed conveyor that handed an experimental wood pressing machine three sizes of shredded wood at a metered depth and an adjustable material width. A 15-degree articulated pivot retuned the incline whenever the density changed, and leveling rollers taken off the tail pulley by v-belt kept two gearmotors off the machine entirely.
Steep-Incline, Elbow-Up (Bend-Up) 3-Lane Conveyor with 2-Way Diverter Chute
Three sorted streams leaving one optical sorting machine, carried unmixed in three lanes on a single belt divided by corrugated rubber walls, then lifted 50 degrees to tote bins in almost no floor space. A manually operated 2-way diverter on the busiest lane lets a full bin be swapped while the belt keeps running.
96″ Wide High-Speed Quick-Change (Endless) Belt Conveyor
An optical sorting sensor sits near the discharge end of this 96-inch belt, the widest quick-change endless belt conveyor Remcon has built. The frame was designed so a factory-spliced endless belt installs from one side: pull the removable walls and spacers and the non-drive side holds itself up, with no forklift or hoist under it.
OEM Conveyor FAQ
Will you build to our spec or design from scratch?
Either — if you already have a specification, Remcon builds to it, and if you have only the machine and the material, we handle the complete design and fabrication from scratch. Either way we learn as much as possible about your equipment and its operation, maintaining communication both before and throughout design and fabrication so the conveyor integrates with the machine it feeds.
Do you offer an OEM discount?
Yes — an OEM discount is available for manufacturers integrating Remcon conveyors into larger systems. Ask about it when you request a quote: call (509) 244-9439 with the material, the rates, and the space you have.
What volumes can you support?
Every Remcon OEM conveyor is built to order, so volume is quoted per order rather than from a stock production schedule. We have built one-off conveyors for experimental machines and supplied OEMs project after project, seeking further improvements with each subsequent build — and every unit goes through the quality checklist that starts at 309 items for a basic conveyor.
Can you private-label or integrate the conveyor with our machinery?
Integration with your machinery is the core of what we build — infeed and outfeed conveyors, transition chutes, hoppers, separation equipment, support stands, catwalks, and electrical controls all designed around your equipment. We learn how your machine operates and stay in communication before and throughout design and fabrication. If the conveyor needs to ship as part of your machine package under your own arrangements, raise it when we quote the job.
What are typical lead times for an OEM conveyor?
Lead times are quoted per job, along with the price. Every conveyor is built to order at our Airway Heights, Washington shop, so the schedule depends on the scope of the build and the shop's current workload. Call (509) 244-9439 and we will include a current lead time with your quote.
Every one of these custom OEM conveyors is designed and fabricated at our Airway Heights (Spokane), Washington shop, then shipped and installed nationwide — and backed with replacement parts support for the life of the machine.
Start your OEM build →Further Reading
Guides from the people who design and weld this equipment:
- How to Buy a Conveyor: Questions to Ask and Quotes to Distrust — questions to ask, and what a too-cheap quote left out