Connecting two rollers together

[thoain14]

Hi there,
I have two conveyor rollers that are on the same plane about 2 ft apart. How can I connect their axles together while keeping that 2 ft distance? I was thinking of just getting a metal shaft and welding it together

 

[Baluncore]

Welcome to PF.

Are the rollers on the same axis ?
Free running conveyor rollers usually have a fixed shaft with bearings at each end to support the roller.
How are your rollers arranged?
Do they have internal bearings or are the bearings attached to the support frame.

 

[thoain14]

Yes the rollers are on the same axis. I need to line them up side by side. The bearings will be at the outer ends of both rollers but not the inner ones. I need to somehow connect the two rollers together. From the top view, the order or parts will be Frame, Bearing, Roller, Something that connects the two, Roller, Bearing, Frame.

 

[Baluncore]

Replace the two rollers with a single length of the same size tube, to make one long roller. Keep the end bearings from one of the original rollers.

Yes the rollers are on the same axis. I need to line them up side by side.

That seems to contradict itself. Side by side on the same axis, or end to end ?
Post a diagram or drawing of the roller positions and the bearing assembly.

 

[thoain14]

It would be something along the lines of this. I did not want to use one roller because it would be so long. I was wondering if I was able to not use a bearing on the inside ends and figure out a way to connect them.

 

[Baluncore]

The simplest way to transfer torque between the two rollers is with a large diameter, thin wall, “torque tube”. When transferring torque, the material nearest the neutral axis is not helpful.

Your picture shows only a thin rod, which has only the material closest to the neutral axis. That is exactly the wrong way to do it. A thin rod would be a twist or torque spring and could easily fail. The rollers will need to slip against the belt to protect the connection rod from damage.

There are many other mechanical solutions. For example a stepped pulley on each roller, connected by a stepped belt, that passes around diagonal rollers, to turn the belt through 90° at each end.

There are also electrical solutions. For example, you could mount a shaft-encoder on the master roller, then drive the other roller with a servo motor as the slave.

Why do you need a connection?
Does the connection drive one of the belts from the other?
How much torque do you need to transfer between the rollers?
What are the length, diameter, and separation dimensions of the rollers?