Overhead conveyors have been and will continue to be the industrial workhorses of our time. Going high up into the rafters of our plants and utilizing hither to unusable space, these conveyors move heavy products, provide a buffer of products and in the case of many operations provide drying or cooling time for paint, glue and other wet or hot materials before they get to the next step in the operation. They can carry individual parts or racks full of parts, meandering through our plants, dipping down when needed to deliver or pick up their load and then retreating back up, working unnoticed above our heads.
 Chain and TrolleyThe I-Beam chain and conveyor system was the first type of overhead conveyor developed. It is, by far the simplest system. An I-Beam is hung from building supports making sure to keep the bottom of the "I" clear of all obstacles. A trolley is designed with roller bearing wheels that ride on each side of the beam. This trolley can have more than the two pictured wheels. Also, there can be wheels mounted perpendicular to the "I" that touch the upper or lower cross member of the "I", for stability. The I-Beam chain and trolley is a very simple type of conveyor that is conceptually easy to install and can handle large amounts of weight per trolley, typically several thousand pounds.  Enclosed Track
The enclosed track overhead conveyor system was developed later than the I-Beam system shown above. The trolley wheels are actually mounted inside the track, with the outer track protecting the chain and wheels from the surrounding environment. Dust, dirt, paint and other debris all accumulate on the outer track instead of the area where the wheels roll. Unlike the chain and trolley system shown above, the enclosed track system does not pick up these contaminants and pass them on to whatever part it is transporting. This can be extremely important in the case of a hot or wet part, where there is dirt or paint in the surroundings. The enclosed track system has a bend radius of approximately 2 feet, so it can more easily negotiate obstacles within the plant than the chain and trolley system, whose bend radius is closer to 4 feet. Also, while the track is slightly more expensive than the I-Beam used above, this cost is more than offset by the relative ease of installation and savings that this brings in installation labor costs. The enclosed track system is not usually used with extremely heavy loads though, typically a few hundred pounds per trolley is the limit. Source:http://www.material--handling--system.com/overhead-conveyor.htm
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