Flat Belt Conveyor
Flat belt conveyor is a great option for carwash customers who don’t want to blow tires, bend wheels or knock front ends out of alignment. Plus, this equipment offers added employee safety since limbs can’t get caught in the system.
This type of conveyor uses a gravity take-up assembly with two bend rollers and one counterweight to routinely manage belt tension.
Benefits
While chain or roller conveyor systems have long been the standard for car wash tunnels, flat belt conveyors are gaining traction for a variety of reasons. They reduce car damage, increase operating speed, and make maintenance simpler. With less moving parts, flat belt systems also offer better longevity and are less susceptible to malfunctions or failures. This minimizes repair expenses and downtime, increasing profitability and delivering a quick return on investment (ROI).
A flat belt conveyor’s frame is constructed from either aluminum or stainless steel. This Flat belt conveyor allows for the conveyor to withstand the harsh environments of a commercial car wash. These frames can also accommodate multiple conveyor belts for a high-speed, multi-lane configuration. The flat belt itself can be constructed from a polypropylene anti-static acetal flame retardant material or a rubber conveyor belt, depending on the application. The belt can be custom-sized for a wide range of vehicle heights and widths.
Flat belts also feature a lower profile, which helps eliminate the concern of vehicles hitting or bumping on the conveyor system and damaging the vehicle’s front end. Additionally, flat belts are more durable than traditional roller or chain conveyors and provide a smoother ride for the car to keep it intact throughout the entire wash. This is especially important in a car wash, where a damaged vehicle can affect the customer’s brand loyalty and sales.
Installation
Flat belt conveyors come in a variety of lengths, widths and thicknesses depending on the material to be transported. A flat belt conveyor is able to transport a wide variety of materials, including plastics and other polymers, as well as paper, wood chips, grains and other bulk solids.
Like other belt conveyor systems, a flat belt system uses a series of pulleys that are driven by the motor. The drive pulley, also known as the head pulley, will be located at the discharge end of the conveyor and usually has the largest diameter in the system.
Often, the head pulley will have a wing shape that allows it to clean the belt by letting loose any debris. The other pulleys in the system, called take up or tail pulleys, are usually spaced apart to allow for proper tensioning of the belt.
A flat belt conveyor may be equipped with a gravity take up (GTU), which is self-tensioning and does not require a screw or any other type of tensioning device. The GTU can be mounted on guides that are slotted, which allows operators to see roughly where the take up falls in its allotted travel distance, and it can be removed easily when maintenance is needed.
A flat conveyor is easier to maintain than a flexible belt system, because the system does not need to be re-sewn after any damage or wear. Modular flat belt conveyors, in particular, can be configured to move around corners, straight lines, inclines and declines.
Maintenance
Regardless of what type of flat belt conveyor you choose, proper maintenance techniques are essential to the longevity of the equipment. A well-planned maintenance process ensures that all components and the belt are operating at peak efficiency.
Regularly checking the state of your conveyor belt system and its components is key to catching problems when they’re small, rather than waiting until the problem gets out of hand. For example, if your belt rips in one spot, that can have major repercussions throughout the entire conveyor system and lead to it malfunctioning or shutting down completely. The best way to prevent this is to regularly check the condition of your conveyor frame and snub rollers, keeping them clean as necessary.
Your conveyor’s return idlers can also become dirty, frozen or misaligned due to poor installation or natural wear and tear. These issues can have various ramifications, such as making it more difficult to maintain your desired belt tension and reducing the amount of surface contact between the belt and your idlers. If you find your return idlers are unable to maintain the appropriate level of friction, you may need to consider cold curing.
You should also make sure your conveyor belt’s take-up is working correctly and absorbing the correct amount of tension from the snub rollers. If you have too much or too little tension, it can cause the belt to slip in one direction or another and create tracking errors.
Safety
While not as dangerous as some other pieces of equipment, conveyor belts can still cause significant damage if they aren’t kept working Flat Belt Conveyor Manufacturer precisely how they’re supposed to. Keeping up with regular maintenance and watching out for small problems can prevent them from turning into huge complications that take time and money to fix.
For example, a belt that’s misaligned with the frame can cause material to slip back into the tunnel and create blockages in the system. This can be a safety hazard to your employees, as well as a financial problem since it can result in the loss of valuable materials and goods that are being transported along your conveyor system.
In addition, a head pulley that goes bad can create uneven tension in the system and lead to belt slippage. This can create loud, grating noises as the belt moves and requires time-consuming maintenance to resolve.
Another issue is sharp edges, surfaces and corners that can snag the underside of vehicles as they move on the conveyor. This can damage the vehicles, create a hazard for workers, and ultimately result in costly repairs or even shutdowns of your entire carwash. Performing regular maintenance checks can prevent these issues by making sure that your conveyor frame is square, and that all of the pulleys are properly aligned.