Conveyor Belt For Your Manufacturing Business

Conveying products through your manufacturing factory by an efficient system will save your time and money in the long run. So, Conveyor Belt and the conveyor system have become must-have equipment today. We will cover many topics in this article from choosing the right Conveyor Belt type to its maintenance. Hope you will enjoy reading this all-in-one article. Let’s get started!

Conveyor Belt types

A belt type is available for whatever the product you convey in your manufacturing company. Each belt type is designed for a purpose. For example, wire belts are widely used in the food industry for baking and drying. Heavy-duty rubber belts are being used for conveying high loads such as coal. Modern Conveyor Belt manufacturers have introduced a belt type for every application. So, you should choose the right type depending on your application. Using the wrong belt can lead to product and system failures.

If you are not sure about the right type to use for your application, talk to an expert in the industry. Or, talk to a Conveyor Belt manufacturer in your city. They can guide you through the selecting process. What should you consider when choosing the belt type? OK, let’s get to know about it a bit better now. The followings are the factor to consider here:

* The weight and size of the product.

* The material of the belt.

* The condition in which the belt is being operated.

* The speed of the conveyor system.

* Will the product travel along incline or decline planes.

* Products’ orientation:

Now, you know all the factors to consider when choosing the right Conveyor Belt type for your conveyor system. General purpose belts, plastic belting, woven wire belting, hinged metal belts, and flat wire belts are the main types available on the market today. OK, let’s understand the applications of each belt type a bit better now:

* General purpose belts

These Conveyor Belt types can be used for high-temperature, electrically conductive, cut resistant, oil resistant, low/high friction, and bulk handling applications.

* Plastic belts

Widely used for food production, pharmaceuticals, packaging, and manufacturing applications. These belts are light-weight, wear resistant, and durable.

* Hinged metal belt

Well, from the name, you can understand its applications. Used for high-temperature operations. Packaging, stamping, wet/dry operation, die-cast operation, inspection, parts-handling, and heavy-duty operation are the common application of this robust Conveyor Belt type.

* Woven wire belts

Ideal for low and high-temperature applications. Widely being used in the food industry for baking and drying. Freezing, dewatering, cooking, blanching, washing, and pasteurizing are the common applications of woven wire belts. Also, this belt type is a top choice in the glass/ceramic, electronics, and metalworking industries.

* Flat wire belting

Another top belt selection in the food industry. More economical than woven wire belt types. So, widely being used for parts cleaning, canning and food preparation, parts transfer, parts drying, packaging, and baking/freezing foods.

Solid metal Conveyor Belt

This belt type is gaining popularity in the food industry as a much safer option for meat handling. Why? Well, wire belts come with a risk of collecting food particles and bacteria between the joining parts. When you look closer at a wire belt, you will notice thousands of areas where food particles can go and stay hidden for a long time. Yes, belts used in the food industry should be cleaned daily for food safety. Still, food items such as meat can get into the gaps leading to bacteria growth.

The solid metal Conveyor Belt doesn’t have any joining parts along the entire length. So, meat or other food particles can be transferred safely along the belt. Also, you can clean the solid metal belt easily than woven or flat wire belt types. It saves your time and money in the long run so.

Material choice for belts

Stainless steel is the top metallic material choice for many Conveyor Belt types today. Well, you can understand why it is the best metallic material choice for belts. Corrosion-resistant — the unique property of stainless steel, which makes it the ideal material choice for many commercial and industrial applications. Stainless steel is strong, can resist high-temperature, stain-free, easy-to-clean, and looks good on the conveyor system. Also, foods don’t get stuck on stainless steel belts. Using of rubber belt types is not so common in the food industry. Anyway, Rubber Conveyor Belts are there to use for heavy-duty applications as you can make composite materials with rubber.

Conveyor Belt maintenance

Proper maintenance is essential for the long-life of the belt and the conveyor system. Well, we would like to give you a tip on maintaining the conveyor system and the belt properly. Most conveyor system owners wait until they come across an issue in the system to call a technician’s service. Why don’t you hire a technician as an employee for daily maintenance? He can fix small issues daily before they become big ones that lead to complete failure of the entire system. Can you afford to get the whole system stop from functioning, or pay a monthly salary for a technician who will perform daily maintenance to prevent total failure of the system? The second option is a thing to consider by all conveyor system owners.

Daily cleaning is essential for food safety and of the system. As mentioned, food particles can go into the gaps and joined parts of the wire belt that leads to bacteria growth. Bacteria can cause a disaster in the food industry, and you should take it very seriously as a food manufacturer.

Wrapping up

Conveyor Belt and the conveyor system are two of the main systems in your manufacturing company. Choosing the right belt type is essential for safety and efficiency. Many Conveyor Belt types are there so a belt type is available for all your applications. If you are not sure of which type to use; talk to an engineer or an expert in the industry. Wire belts and solid metal belts are widely being used in the food industry as rubber cannot be used for food-handling.

Our blog has articles on Conveyor Belt types and uses. You will benefit from reading them as well. Daily maintenance and cleaning will ensure the long life of the belt and the whole system. Talk to us today if you have any questions and concerns on belt types. We are ready to help you and guide you to find the right belt type for all your applications.