Flat Belt Conveyor Systems
Flat belt conveyor systems are gaining popularity within car wash tunnels. Martin Geller, owner of Vehicle Wash Systems explains, “They are easy to maintain and are very visually appealing.”
A flat belt conveyor moves materials efficiently from one point to another. They are available in a variety of lengths and styles.
Conveyor Speed
The speed at which a flat belt conveyor moves objects or materials along a path depends on the size of the rollers and their number of revolutions per minute. To calculate the speed of a conveyor, simply measure the roller diameter and count the number of revolutions it makes in one minute. Then, multiply the circumference of the rollers by the number of revolutions per minute to find how many linear inches the conveyor travels in an hour.
When designing a conveyor, engineers usually set a conveyor belt speed specification to ensure that the conveyor can safely transport goods over a certain distance. They also take into account the volume flow rate of bulk material and the conveyor’s capacity to carry a specific amount of cargo at high speeds.
Conveyor belts are made from a wide variety of materials ranging from fabrics and polymers to natural rubbers. They are typically used to convey products and raw materials within a facility. There are two main industrial classes of conveyors; general material handling such as those that move boxes along inside a factory and those that transport bulk raw materials.
Flat belt conveyors are a popular option for moving electronics and other ESD-sensitive products between manufacturing processes. They can be equipped with sophisticated controls, cooling fan banks and guide rails to improve efficiency and safety. They are also available with an electrostatic dissipative surface to prevent static buildup.
Conveyor Stability
A Flat belt conveyor is a transport equipment designed to move items efficiently from one point to another. These conveyors use cylindrical rollers to carry products over a flat surface and can be powered by gravity, manual pushing, or motorized drives. They are commonly used in a variety of manufacturing, assembly, and packaging applications.
The stability of a flat belt conveyor depends on how it is constructed. For example, if the conveyor has no tracking measures, it would be in a state of unstable equilibrium and could run off immediately. Common tracking measures are located on the cylindrical Flat belt conveyor pulleys of a conveyor. They are ideally suited for offsetting localized transverse forces, such as those exerted on the belt during lateral feeding or diverting.
If a conveyor has no tracking measures, the belt will stretch in its length and width, and this stretching will create slack. The amount of slack will depend on how long the conveyor is, but in general, it is acceptable to allow 2 percent of the conveyor’s original length to stretch.
To avoid this, the conveyor is equipped with return or tail pulleys that have internal bearings to support the belt when it’s moving back to the driving pulleys. These return pulleys also reduce the amount of power that’s needed to drive the belt.
Conveyor Maintenance
In any manufacturing system, problems with equipment can quickly have ramifications that spread throughout the production line. Whether it’s a robot, linear indexer, rotary table or conveyor, the malfunction of one component can cause entire operations to halt, costing manufacturers both time and money.
Luckily, these complications can usually be prevented with some proactive maintenance. While different components require varying maintenance techniques and schedules, it is crucial to keep a close eye on these parts. When a single component begins to break down, it can put a strain on other parts of the conveyor that must work overtime. This can lead to those other parts breaking down faster or malfunctioning entirely.
As such, it is important to check the conveyor system regularly for a number of issues. During these checks, the conveyor should Flat Belt Conveyor Manufacturer be cleaned thoroughly to avoid buildups of dirt, dust or any other residue that could cause mistracking. In addition, a regular inspection should also be done of the conveyor frame to ensure it is straight and level.
Finally, it is a good idea to check the motor current draw, which is essentially how much power the conveyor system is pulling. It is important to monitor this to make sure it stays within the tolerances specified on the conveyor’s nameplate. Otherwise, it can slowly degrade the motor.
Conveyor Safety
A conveyor, like any machine, is only as safe as the people who operate it. This means that employees should be trained in the proper use of the conveyor system, including safety best practices. The manual should also be accessible to workers, and warning labels for particular hazards should be prominently displayed, especially on motors and rollers.
Performing maintenance on a conveyor while it is running poses serious risks, and is therefore never recommended. An employee could get their fingers caught in the machinery, or they may be pulled into an in-running nip point and injured. This is especially dangerous for workers using flat blades to clean the conveyor, or who are wearing loose clothing or long hair that could become entangled in moving parts.
Regular checks of a conveyor belt should include looking for sharp edges, corners or surfaces that could snag the car tires as they drive over them. Such a situation could have major repercussions throughout the entire conveyor system, and may result in a lengthy shut-down period while the system is repaired.
If you notice that the belt is slipping, consider installing impact beds or skirt clamps to reduce material spillage and keep the conveyor straight. This will decrease wasted materials and labor costs, and improve your profitability and return on investment. Also, if your conveyor is regularly experiencing blockages, check for buildups of dirt, debris or residue that may be contributing to the problem.