The history of conveyors is ancient. In ancient China, the high-rotating water wheel and the scoop wheel for water-lifting were the prototypes of modern bucket elevators and scraper conveyors. Conveyors are material handling machines that continuously transport materials along a fixed route, also known as continuous conveyors. They can perform horizontal, inclined, and even spatial transportation, with generally fixed transportation routes. Conveyors are characterized by their large conveying capacity, long transportation distance, and the ability to perform several process operations simultaneously during material handling. As a result, they have a wide range of applications.

In recent years, with the advancement of industrial technology, conveyor equipment has made significant progress, showing the following trends:

1. Continued Development Towards Larger Sizes
   Larger sizes include increased conveying capacity, longer single-machine lengths, and steeper conveying angles. For example, the length of hydraulic conveying installations has exceeded 440 kilometers. The single-machine length of belt conveyors has approached 15 kilometers, and there are already "belt conveyor corridors" composed of several units connecting two locations. Many countries are exploring more perfect conveyor structures for long-distance, high-capacity continuous material transportation.
2. Expansion of Conveyor Applications
   There is a growing focus on developing conveyors that can operate in extreme conditions, such as high and low temperatures, corrosive, radioactive, or flammable environments, as well as those capable of handling hot, explosive, sticky, or clumping materials.
3. Meeting the Requirements of Automated Material Handling Systems
   Conveyor designs are increasingly tailored to meet the demands of automated control systems. For example, the small cart conveyors used in post offices for automatic parcel sorting must meet the requirements of the sorting process.
4. Energy Conservation
   Reducing energy consumption has become a crucial research focus in the field of conveyor technology. The energy consumed to transport 1 ton of material over a distance of 1 kilometer is now considered an important criterion for selecting conveyor systems.
5. Environmental Considerations
   Efforts are being made to minimize dust, noise, and exhaust emissions generated during conveyor operations, in line with increasing environmental awareness.

The continuous evolution of conveyor systems reflects the ongoing adaptation to modern industrial demands, emphasizing efficiency, versatility, and sustainability.