When selecting a conveyor belt, it’s essential to consider the nature of the products being conveyed, as well as the conditions of use.
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Specifications of transported products:
- Weight: Product weight is one of the major aspects to consider when choosing a suitable belt, as excessively heavy products can lead to deformation or even failure of the conveyor.
- Size: The dimensions of your product must fit the surface of the belt because a product that is too large can get stuck in the conveyor. That’s why it’s essential to carefully check the length and width of the belt and compare them with those of your product before making a decision.
- Type: The type of belt you choose must be appropriate for the product transported. For example, if you plan to transport items with sharp edges, corrosive products, powders, or chemicals, you’ll need a belt adapted to these types of products to ensure belt durability. In the food industry, in particular, it’s essential to choose belts that comply with strict hygiene standards.
- Temperature: Products at extremely high or low temperatures can damage your belt if it is not adapted.
Conditions of use: The conditions under which the conveyor belt will be used must be taken into account in your choice:
- Incline: The movement of the conveyor belt is important. If the belt moves up or down, the product placed on it may shift, slip, or even fall off. To avoid this, the belt should be fitted with cleats to hold your product in place.
- Environmental conditions: The type of environment in which your conveyor belt will be placed must be taken into account before purchasing. Some belts made from certain materials may not withstand extremely high or low temperatures. Similarly, if your business requires your product to be baked in an oven, you need to choose a belt adapted to these particular conditions.
The conveyor belt material you choose is crucial to ensure optimum performance and durability in a given environment. Your choice will depend on your specific application, working environment, the nature of the materials transported, and economic constraints. The materials used for conveyor belts vary widely, and each offers distinct advantages and limitations.
Rubber is one of the most commonly used materials for conveyor belts, thanks to its versatility and durability. It resists abrasions, cuts, and tears, making it ideal for transporting heavy or sharp materials. Rubber can also be formulated to withstand extreme temperatures, chemicals, and oils, making it suitable for industries such as mining, construction, and waste treatment.
PVC (polyvinyl chloride) is another material frequently used for conveyor belts, particularly in the food industry, where hygiene is a major concern. PVC belts are easy to clean and resistant to chemicals and moisture. They are also less expensive than other materials, making them an economical choice for many applications.
Polyurethane (PU) is preferred for applications where durability and flexibility are required. It is particularly resistant to wear, cuts, oil and grease. PU belts are often used in the food and pharmaceutical industries and in the processing of bulk materials where contamination must be avoided.
Fabrics such as nylon, polyester, and cotton are also used to manufacture conveyor belts. These materials offer good tensile strength and are suitable for transporting light to medium loads. Fabric belts are often used in the paper, printing, and textile industries.
Metals, such as steel or stainless steel, are used in applications requiring high resistance to heat or corrosion. They are often used in foundries, industrial bakeries, or for transporting hot materials.
For more information, please visit Nylon Conveyor Belt.
Composite materials such as glass- or Kevlar-reinforced belts, are used in applications requiring exceptional tensile strength and low elongation. These lightweight belts can withstand very heavy loads, making them ideal for the aerospace industry.
Conveyor belts come in a variety of shapes and specifications to suit the transport of particular products.
Herringbone belts: Designed for conveying products up or downhill.
Trough conveyor belts: These are rubber belts supported by curved rollers that give them a hollow shape. This type of belt is used for conveying bulk products such as grain, cereals, fertilizers, etc. These belts are often used in the agricultural and food-processing industries and in the processing of bulk materials. Troughed belts with cleats are also available.
Plastic modular belts are another special shape that offer great flexibility and ease of maintenance. These belts are made up of interconnected plastic modules that can be easily replaced in the event of damage or wear. This modularity is particularly advantageous in industries where hygiene is a priority, such as food processing, as they can be dismantled and cleaned with great ease.
Capacity: Expressed in tonnes/hour, this is calculated by taking into account the material to be conveyed, belt width and speed, and conveyor inclination.
Pulley diameter: Be sure to measure the diameter of the pulley around which the belt runs.
Tensile strength: Calculating the tensile strength takes into account transport length, speed, possible inclinations, etc.
Belt rigidity: The belt should not be too rigid because the center might not touch the center roller and be impossible to guide. On the other hand, it shouldn’t be too flexible either, as it could get damaged in the troughs between the rollers.
Conveyors are machines that are used to carry and move objects from one point to another. Conveyors are heavily used in industrial area or factories because conveyors can carry light or heavy objects across long distances with ease. Conveyors can also carry different shapes of object ranging from tiny to huge, dull to sharp, soft to hard, and many other.
Wanting a conveyor is easy but determining which specifications you need can be confusing especially if you’re new to the whole conveyor thing. Lucky for you we have just the guide that you can use to build your conveyor specification. Our guide comprised of 10 key points that are easily understood by anyone.
Here are 10 things to know before buying a conveyor!
1. What would you use the conveyor for?
Know your conveyor usage. This should be the easiest question because you wouldn’t be here if you don’t know what you want to do with your conveyor. A conveyor specification can differ a lot from what it is used for.
Example: Conveyor that runs into packaging line would rather have speed control than a conveyor that only transport products from point A to point B without any human interaction.
2. What would you put onto the conveyor?
Different type of products may require a specific material for the conveyor.
Example: Oily or hot products may require specific kind of belt that support liquid or high temperature.
3. How big would the conveyor be?
The dimension of your products will be the number one factor in determining your conveyor size. Of course we don’t want to put a box with mm in width onto a conveyor that only have 600mm belt width. It will not fit.
Example: Products shaped as a ball require a side guide to help them stay on the conveyor belt. The conveyor width may vary based on whether you want your side guide width to be the same as your belt, narrower or wider.
4. How fast should it run?
How fast do you want your conveyor to be? You may also want to opt in on a speed controller so you can adjust your conveyor’s speed.
Example: A conveyor that runs into a packaging line would typically have lower speed to match the human capacity that picks the products off the conveyor and does the packaging.
5. Who’s your supplier?
Of course we don’t want a newbie conveyor manufacturer to be your supplier! Do some research on who the closest supplier is, how long have they been manufacturing conveyor, see their customer reviews on Google, whether they are ISO certified or not and so much more. Make sure that the supplier of your choice is super reliable.
Example: Connect Automation have been manufacturing conveyors since , is ISO certified and huge companies chose us. How's about that for reliability?
6. What are they offering?
Your supplier may offer you a standard conveyor that already match your need, in this case go for it because standard conveyor will be easier and faster to manufacture (with less risk). Supplier may also offer you custom designed conveyor which may have a bit higher risk than standard but if it suits your need more than go for it.
Example: A Conveyor that separates box shaped products from round shaped products may have different specification and require customised design.
7. What type of conveyor would it be?
Suppliers may have range of conveyors such as Belt Conveyor, Roller Conveyor, Chain Conveyor, Modular Conveyor and more. You should know what type it will be and more importantly, is it future proof?
Example: A conveyor that uses aluminium profile as its frame typically will be the easiest to modify in the future as it have slots that you can use to add more features.
8. What is the installation process?
Another thing to keep in mind is the installation process. Ask your supplier on how they would install the conveyor at your site and how long would it take. Take all of these into accounts and ask yourself what would the installation process cost you.
Example: Would supplier ship the conveyor to your site pre-assembled or would they make the final assembly at your site?
9. Would it be easy to maintain or repair?
When a maintenance / breakdown happen, what are the tools and parts required to fix the conveyor. If a part get damaged and needed replacement, where would you get the replacement parts? How long would it take until the replacement parts arrive and what are the cost for part replacements?
Example: Replacing a belt in belt conveyor is far harder and time consuming than replacing a damaged modular conveyor belt.
10. How reliable are they?
Check with your supplier about their past experience handling projects such as your conveyor. Besides that, look your supplier up on the internet to find reviews from other customers. Ask them for similar projects that they did in the past so you could use it to study how they did it.
Example: Read through their website for their company’s history. You might also find their customer’s reviews displayed on their website. Do a background check so that you get the quality conveyor that you deserve.
TLDR
10 Things to Know Before Buying a Conveyor
If you have an amazing conveyor idea for your company but you don’t want to risk it using unreliable supplier then get in touch with our sales team via , call, or even visit us at our office! We would be thrilled to get to know you and every brilliant ideas that you have.
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