Belt conveyor gives us great benefits on transferring material or product from one point to another. Belt conveyors are the most common type of conveyor used for production processes. But do you know there are things to consider before choosing the best belt conveyor?
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Each industry must use the right belt conveyor based on the use case and requirements of each production line. For example, production of plastic packaging does not have to use a food-grade belt conveyor because packaging is not a consumable product.
Use the right belt conveyor for material or product handling by understanding the 4 important things before choosing a conveyor belt. Read below
Belt conveyor materials commonly used by most industries are PVC and polyurethane (PU). The choice of material should be based on the requirements of many industries
Some industries requests a thicker belt so that the belt is more durable and can endure longer lifetime. In addition, the choice of conveyor belt thickness is considered based on the application and conveyor design.
Conveyor belt spesifications should also be considered from its electrical capabilities. Classes of electrical capabilities on conveyor belt are anti static and conductive. The intensity of friction between product and the belt becomes the number 1 reason why these things are considered.
Besides its material, you can also consider its physical characteristics as well as its modification capabilities should modifications are required to handle your industry’s material. Be sure to consider the effectiveness of your belt conveyor should you require those.
The surface of conveyor belt can be slippery, textured or oily. Its surface characteristics can affect conveyor’s performance. Here’s some example of how to apply them:
- Textured belts are compatible to transfer products on an incline conveyor. Because the belt surface is textured, it could hold or increase friction enough so that the product don’t slip off during transfer processes. For a high incline conveyor, it is best to use a cleated belt.
Incline Conveyor using Cleated Belt - Connect Automation
- The need to accumulate or group products into one point on a conveyor could be best fulfilled using a conveyor belt with slippery surface
- Sticky products requires anti-sticking conveyor belt surface such as PU belt matte. A PU belt glossy in the other hand is more towards rough surface.
- Moving automotive spare parts require a conveyor belt that is heat-resistant up to 200 degrees, or in some cases even require an oily surface.
The most important factor to consider before choosing a belt conveyor is the product that you wish to transfer. This is mainly because the material and surface of the belt is selected based on the products that would be transferred. Making this point the key on choosing the material and type of surface of belt that is compatible with your product.
The product that you put onto the conveyor greatly affected the type and specifications of your conveyor. There are many specifications to be considered if you want to maximise your production line capacity using a conveyor.
In case you forgot, the dimension of products consists of length x width x height. This product dimension will determine how wide your belt would be. The wider the product, the more wider the belt that you would need.
Besides that, this would also be considered when adding features like side guides which would make sure your product stays on top of the conveyor and not fall over sideways.
Your weight per product is also important to know because it would affect 2 specifications of your belt conveyor.
First of all, this would affect the thickness of the conveyor belt. The heavier the product, the thicker the belt should be for a long lasting usage. Same thing applied to incline conveyor, it would require rougher surface to hold heavier weight products.
Second of all, the weight of the product can also affect the rollers. This is because products dynamic weight (from movement) is not concentrated to just the belt conveyor but to the rollers beneath the belt as well.
This is a more in-depth discussion about belt conveyor. The total weight that would be put on top of belt conveyor determines the body / ladder and leg’s material. The heavier it gets on top of the conveyor, the stronger the material required for ladder and conveyor legs.
AYou can use aluminium for a medium-light duty job. For heavy duty job, you should use a steel-based conveyor.
There are some conditions that requires a special type of belt during material or product handling. These are some of them:
- Sanitary conveyors for food and beverage industries (F&B). Belt conveyors are required to meet the standards of good manufacturing practices (GMP) set by the Industrial Ministry of Indonesia. You must usea food grade belt conveyor such as PU belt or modular conveyor for F&B industry.
- Z belt conveyor frame requires specific belt that have both the best flexibility and stability for this shape of a conveyor.
Z Incline Belt Conveyor - Connect Automation
There are so many conveyor types besides belt conveyor and to know the differences between them is very important.
There are 4 important things to understand before choosing the best belt conveyor and they are the material of belt, the surface type of belt, the product and specially designed belt conveyor.
The most important one before choosing a belt conveyor is to understand fully about the product that would be transferred. After you understand that, it would be a breeze to determine what type of belt conveyor to use.
Talk to us about what you need the most and get a special quote of belt conveyor from Connect Automation along with professional service. Connect Automation is located in Surabaya, Semarang and Jakarta to fulfill your belt conveyor needs.
Connect Automation is a trusted company since 2006 by entreprises both within and outside the country to fulfill their industrial solutions. We have professional teams to produce belt conveyor, roller conveyor, work/inspection tables (QC, assembly, etc), safety guarding, cover machines, work platform and other industrial needs.
Connect Automation also retains its ISO 9001:2015 certificate for Quality Management System and will always commit to providing the best solution for you with the defined delivery duration, budget and needs.
Huaqiang supply professional and honest service.
Have you been thinking about purchasing a conveyor, but don’t know how to decide which type of belt is right for your application? While you can always contact us to discuss your options with our application specialists, here are some of the conveyor belt basics you need to get started.
For a more in depth explanation of the information below, visit our Belt Page.
Conveyor belts are on the front lines of your conveyor system. They come in scores of varieties, from lightweight to heavy duty, and in a range of surface materials and coverings. With such a vast selection, it’s important to find the right belt—and overall conveying system—for your business needs and industry requirements.
Fabric Conveyor Belts
The flexible nature of a fabric conveyor belt allows for small pulley diameters, simplifying integration and product handling. Fabric belts can be used in a range of applications, from lightweight to heavy duty processing, in countless industries such as material handling, automation and FDA food processing applications.
Modular Conveyor Belts
Modular plastic conveyor belts are long-lasting, simple to clean and sanitize as well as easy to maintain and repair. Additionally, the open surface area can be an ideal solution for cooling and draining applications. Our Modular Belt Conveyors come in a variety of types, including flat top and flush grid. You’ll find modular belts in a variety of industries, including bakery, food, industrial and more.
Flexible Chains
Flexible chains, sometimes referred to as table top chain, are ideal for complex layouts and wide ranges of environments. These durable belts are commonly used in bottling, secondary packaging, automation, general manufacturing and more. Dorner offers flexible chains on our FlexMove line and our AquaGard 7100 Series Conveyors.
When choosing your Dorner conveying solutions, the number of belting options may seem overwhelming, but it’s just about finding the best fit for your product and situation. In addition to your intended general application use, you’ll need to consider some other specs when determining which belt you need such as:
Temperature: Are you looking for a cold-use belt or one that can withstand high temperatures? Silicone holds up in extreme environments, making it an ideal material for cooking and baking industries. Polyethylene, however, is well-suited for lower temperatures.
Abrasion resistance: This is an important quality when dealing with items that can cause wear and tear on your belts. For example, the nature of the metalworking industry and other industries that might encounter sharp edges call for a durable belt that can withstand cuts, scrapes and punctures. Polyurethane and nitrile-butadiene rubber are highly rated for abrasion resistance.
Other considerations:
The last bullet point, color preference, might seem insignificant, but it’s not just for aesthetics.
The shade of a conveyor can come into play for many reasons. For one, a black conveyor surface is handy in picking situations where distinguishing colors from one another is important. A dark surface can also conceal runoff from inkjet printing. More importantly, color can correspond with the material type or use: Blue often relates to hygiene and safety and is often used in food-handling processes.
You can see a list of Dorner’s Standard and Specialty Belts and their properties HERE.
A leader in conveyance automation solutions, Dorner offers standard lines and highly customized systems. We’re also one of the few companies of our kind with an in-house belting cell operation. This means we’re able to partner with leading suppliers to offer custom conveyor belts and conveying systems that perform and last.
Dorner conveyor belts stand alone compared with our competition for a variety of reasons. Our in-house belting cell is peerless, carefully cutting, v-guiding, splicing, testing and inspecting all customer conveyor belts. We provide the highest-quality splicing, cleat welding and V-guiding techniques.
Our unique V-guiding enables supreme tracking and accurate product movement. Unlike other companies, we apply the V-guiding before the belt is manufactured so that the V-guide strip maintains its integrity for a seamless guide on the belt.
All vacuum conveyor belts are made at Dorner’s facilities to ensure peak part-holding ability and perforation pattern quality. Our team oversees quality assurance, translating into more-reliable vacuum conveyors and systems for our customers.
Beyond Dorner conveyor belts’ unrivaled quality, it’s important to highlight that our lead times are among the fastest in the industry. This can make all the difference in keeping a production line running in your business.
The Dorner team is happy to help you place your replacement belt order as well as provide information about our Parts Kit program so you have what you need in-house before you need it.
If you’re looking to replace a Dorner fabric or modular belt, your first step is to locate its serial number and model number. You will need these two pieces of information to make your request. Then you can complete and submit this form, and someone from our parts team will be in touch with you.
If you need a non-Dorner replacement fabric or other belt, our aftermarket department might be able to help. Contact us by email or call us at 800–397–8664 to speak with a customer service representative.
Want more information on Conductive Conveyor Belts? Feel free to contact us.