Advantages of a Flat Belt Conveyor

Flat belt conveyor has many uses and is a versatile option for transporting materials. It can be used to move plastic boxes or cardboard, mattresses, electrical components, coiled wire and chemicals.

When thermally decomposed or burned, flat conveyor or drive belts emit high concentrations of toxic gases. This includes carbon dioxide (CO2), hydrogen chlorides (HCl) and hydrocarbons (HC).

Safety

As a rule, flat belt conveyors have fewer moving parts than traditional conveyor Flat belt conveyor systems, which minimizes the amount of wear and tear they experience. This translates into lower maintenance needs, downtime, and damage claims. Additionally, the lack of steel guide rails in these types of conveyors eliminates concern that they might damage a customer’s wheels, tires, or rims.

Another safety feature is that these conveyors use a metal wire mesh to contain any items that might be caught in the system. This helps keep employees safe from injury by reducing the risk of snags and catches. Regardless, workers should always follow proper safety protocols when working around conveyor belts. This includes wearing tight-fitting clothing, safety shoes, and goggles in dusty areas. Moreover, all electric fittings should be flameproof and the entire conveyor should be grounded to prevent differences in electrical potential.

While it’s often impossible to completely avoid random snags, it’s important to look for preventable blockages as soon as possible. This will help you catch issues before they grow into bigger problems that require costly repairs and a lengthy shut down period. Typically, the simplest solution to these issues is adjusting the support rollers on your conveyor system. You can also try repositioning the conveyor and adding training idlers as additional precautions. For a more permanent fix, you might want to consider replacing the damaged splice.

Efficiency

Flat belt conveyors provide a higher degree of efficiency than other types of conveyors. Their design allows them to operate more rapidly than other systems, while still providing a consistent flow of product to each station. Additionally, the flat surface allows for more accurate placement of products, which is critical for quality assurance.

Flat-belt conveyors can also be more easily customized to meet specific needs. For example, if a conveyor is used for processing PCBs, it can be programmed to look across or down to ensure that all parts are being processed. This helps reduce gaps between processes and improves production time. In addition, flat-belt conveyors can be fitted with a small roller (nose bar) at the entrance or exit side to reduce the gap between process equipment.

Another area in which flat-belt conveyors can increase efficiency is in the use of space within a carwash tunnel. While standard over/under conveyor systems require a driver’s side cut, a flat-belt system can eliminate the need for this and create additional room for cars to move along the conveyor.

In addition to being able to accommodate more vehicles, flat-belt conveyors can make it safer for newer vehicles with safety features such as auto-braking. In a traditional conveyor, a vehicle’s auto-braking system may perceive movement of the wheels as it moves down the track, leading to a rear-end collision with the wall. However, in a flat-belt conveyor, the vehicle’s wheels are always resting on the surface, preventing the automatic braking from activating.

Durability

Flat conveyor belts are designed to withstand a variety of conditions. They have a smooth, flat surface that accommodates many different types of vehicles and components, and a textured surface for superior gripping power. They are also designed to transmit power efficiently without relying on grooves or specialized channels. This helps to reduce friction and prevent damage caused by overheating or overloading.

They are made with a mixture of rubber and reinforcing fibers, which help to strengthen and stabilize the flat belt. Rubber provides elasticity and resilience for effective power transmission, while the fibers improve tensile strength and prevent stretching. Reinforcing fibers can include polyester, Kevlar, and fiberglass. These materials are more durable than rubber and offer excellent resistance to elongation, heat, moisture, and chemicals.

Another type of flat conveyor is a cleated belt. These are useful for securing heavy items such as tires and other parts, since they have small barriers that prevent them from slipping. Cleated belts are more durable than flat conveyor belts and can handle heavier loads than softer materials.

Modular belt systems are a type of flat conveyor that uses a single loop made of countless interlocked pieces, usually constructed from hard plastics. They are more resistant to sharp and abrasive materials than flat belt conveyors and easier to clean. Geller points out that this makes them a great choice for sanitizing and washdown areas, or for conveying larger, heavier products such as cars.

Maintenance

When something goes wrong with a conveyor belt system, it can have major ramifications throughout the operation. These issues can cost money and cause delays in workflows. That’s why it is important to keep up with regular maintenance and look for any elements that are starting to show signs of wear or might be out of place.

One of the most common issues with conveyors is blockages and buildups, especially along transfer and load points. These can lead to a domino effect that ultimately leads to system failures or shutdowns. These issues can be caused by many different things, including sharp edges on equipment that can snag items as they move along the conveyor, as well as dust and dirt that accumulates over time.

The most effective way to avoid these problems is to perform regular maintenance on your conveyor. Start with a visual inspection of the entire system, paying particular attention to areas that are most likely to be affected by blockages and other unforeseen issues. It’s also important to ensure that your conveyor isn’t running while you Flat Belt Conveyor Manufacturer are performing maintenance on it. Touching the machinery while it’s running can result in a severe injury to an employee or even a full-scale shutdown of the whole conveyor system.

You can also lubricate your conveyor system to reduce friction and improve performance. If your system allows for it, consider using SpanLube silicone oil to greatly reduce chain tension and lower friction between the conveyor belt and side links.