Conveyor Icon
Conveyor nodes represent material transport between process steps. They are used to model movement and travel time within a system, capturing the delay introduced as material flows from one node to another. Conveyors are especially useful when physical distance, elevation, or transit speed plays a meaningful role in overall performance.
Each conveyor is defined by several key properties. Length represents the physical distance material must travel, directly influencing how long it takes to move from input to output. Maximum speed defines how quickly material can traverse that distance, setting an upper limit on transport capacity. Height determines the number of units that can be sent per unit length. Together, these parameters determine transit time and help reflect real-world material handling behavior.
Standard conveyors do not allow material to accumulate—if downstream flow is blocked, upstream material cannot continue onto the conveyor. This makes them well-suited for representing continuous transport where items move only as space becomes available after the conveyor.
When building a model, conveyors should be used where travel time or physical layout matters. If accumulation or buffering is required, an accumulating conveyor or buffer may be more appropriate. As with other node types, it’s best to start with simple values and refine parameters as needed once the overall structure of the model is established.