Important Factors to Consider While Selecting a Conveyor Belt
Important Factors to Consider While Selecting a Conveyor Belt
Important Factors to Consider While Selecting a Conveyor Belt
A conveyor belt is one important parts of the conveyor system which contributes to the progress of the industrial sector. It is widely used for distribution, transportation, and handling of materials in warehouse, assembly lines and many other places such as airports. Conveying various types of materials including sand, coal, and grains have become easy because of this efficient device. The conveyor belt is used in various industries such as manufacturing and packaging industries, food producing industries, power plants, textiles industries, and more.
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The conveyor system won’t function well if your conveyor belt is weak or stiff. To keep your system running effortlessly, you need to choose an appropriate conveyor belt. With so many choices out there, how you are going to select the right belt for your system? Here are some important tips that will help you to make an easy decision.
Factors to Consider While Selecting a Conveyor Belt
Various things come into consideration while choosing a conveyor belt for a project or system. The first key point to consider is the type of material used to construct the belt. The conveyor belt is made from various materials such as rubber, polyester, leather, nylon and more. Several key considerations are:
Dimensions: There’s a lot that goes into selecting an appropriate conveyor belt for your system, but some of the most important considerations are the length and width of the belt. Taking care of the accurate dimensions for your belt is imperative to the best belt selection. The process of gathering dimensions enables your belting representative to rule out some belt constructions.
Product Specifications: Listing the type of products being conveyed on the conveyor belt is a critical step in selecting the best belting option for your application. Significant details include the weight, size, and type of the products being conveyed.
Weight: The weight of the product is one of the important considerations while selecting an appropriate belt because heavy materials can bend or wrap the belt. To keep the system running properly you will need to determine the weight of your product.
Size: The size of the product should be the next consideration when you purchase a belt. Your product should fit comfortably on the belt surface. If not, it can get entangled in the conveying machine.
Type: The type of conveyor belt you choose should be as per the product you need to transport. For example, if you are planning to transport metal products then you need something that withstands with sharp edges and filings.
Decline or Incline Requirements: You need to consider the movement of the conveyor when you choose the best for your applications. If the belt moves in an upward or downward direction, there might be a chance that the product sitting on it would slip or shift. To avoid this, the belt should have a stopper that will keep your product in place.
Environmental Conditions: Environmental conditions must be considered before you purchase a belt. It is important to understand the type of environment in which your conveyor will be placed. Some belts made of certain materials may not be able to withstand extreme hot or cold temperatures. Also, the material transported is important. For instance, if oil cans are transported, and by any chance, the oil spills onto the container, it may hamper the working.
There are various factors you should keep in mind when selecting a conveyor belt, here are some of the more essential ones:
Material: Your conveyor belt should be constructed from materials suitable to its application. These materials have different properties such as durability, flexibility and resistance to chemicals, heat and abrasion.
Dimension of Conveyor Belt Width and Length:For optimal results, conveyor belt size should match both its width and length as well as any products being transported on it.
Load Capacity: For optimal operation, conveyor systems should have enough weight capacity to safely move all products being transported on them, including their weight and dimensions.
Speed: Your conveyor belt should operate at an optimal speed for your application while simultaneously protecting both workers and products in transit.
Maintainability: Conveyor Belts should be easy to keep up and repair, with readily available parts and services for repairs or maintenance needs.
All the above-mentioned points are just some of the important considerations when selecting a conveyor belt for your application. Without the proper selection of conveyor belt, your products, systems and workers would be at risk of injury or damage. Read about belt conveyor MAINTENANCE TIPS EXPLAINED
If you have still confusion over how to select a conveyor belt or you need an expert opinion there are many reliable manufacturers and suppliers of conveyor belts who provide assistance in this regard. JM Industrial is a well-known reseller of used conveyors in USA. The company offers wide ranges of belt conveyors at competitive prices.
Choosing the Right Conveyor Belt
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.
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.
How to Choose a Mining Conveyor Belt
Conveyor belt systems play a crucial role in the mining industry, making operations more efficient and less costly. A mining conveyor belt transports mined materials from the site to loading areas or processing facilities. Choosing the right mining conveyor belt depends on the needs of your business.
Understanding Mining Conveyor Belts
At the heart of a conveyor system lies the mining conveyor belt, essential for moving ore and various materials from the mining site to processing units or loading zones. These belts, powered by motors running on electricity or alternative sources, come in various compositions, including plastic or rubber compounds, fabric materials, and steel cables. Supported by rollers, these belts move materials efficiently and safely at a set speed.
Composition of Conveyor Belts
Typically, a conventional conveyor belt comprises three layers:
The top layer or cover supports the product during transit.
The middle layer, also known as the carcass, provides additional support, often made of metal or woven fabric.
The bottom cover completes the belt’s structure.
types of conveyor belts
Selecting the correct conveyor belt system type is vital for ensuring safe and efficient operations, as using the wrong type can lead to detrimental consequences and unplanned downtime. The various conveyor belt types include:
Straight-warp: Ideal for tunnelling, used in rock quarries and crushers. They feature impact and tear resistance, with yarns and polyamide on both sides.
Multi-ply: Characterized by multiple fabric layers separated by rubber, these belts are durable and suitable for underground applications.
Steel-cord: Employing steel cables along the belt’s length, these are designed for underground applications.
Solid woven belts: More common in Europe and Asia, less so in the U.S.
Heat-resistant: Built to withstand high temperatures.
Choosing the Right Mining Conveyor Belt
Application and environment are top considerations when selecting a mining conveyor belt. Consider tensile strength requirements, cover thickness, and type based on the material transported and loading method. For example, conveyors in temperature-controlled warehouses transporting light materials have different demands than those moving heavy products in underground mines.
Differentiate between above-ground and underground belts. Above-ground belts, typically made of highly flammable petrochemicals, pose a safety hazard if used underground. In contrast, underground mining belts incorporate flame-resistant materials and special agents to reduce friction and increase fire resistance.
For surface or above-ground belts, consider the properties of transported materials, including humidity levels, granularity, and abrasion characteristics. The nature of transported materials significantly affects belt lifespan; abrasive materials can damage the belt more quickly.
Additional Considerations
Service Life: Consider durability based on your environment; belts in mines and quarries have different demands than factory lines.
Temperature: High-temperature materials can damage belts; select a belt with appropriate thermal properties.
Fireproofing: For underground conveyors, ensure compliance with fire resistance requirements like MSHA Part 14.
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Pulley Diameter: The recommended diameter varies depending on the belt fabric thickness.
Corrosion-Resistance: Important in fluctuating environments, mainly underground.
Belt Width & Length: Know your sizing requirements, as belts vary significantly in width and size based on application.
Luff Industries Quality Engineering and Expertise
While numerous components power a conveyor system, the belt is a critical part that warrants careful consideration. Understanding the types, compositions, and application-specific requirements of conveyor belts is essential in selecting the right one for your system, ensuring safety, efficiency, and operation longevity.
Leveraging our deep industry expertise and insights, we recognize the unique demands of various conveyor belt applications. Our dedicated team works hand-in-hand with every client, meticulously evaluating their specific needs and obstacles. Based on this, we craft and engineer conveyor belt system solutions that suit their distinct needs, guaranteeing superior performance, efficiency, and longevity.
Partnering with Luff Industries means you’ll get a custom conveyor belt system designed not just to meet but exceed expectations, enabling your operations to function smoothly and effectively.
Heavy-Duty Spotlight: Important Questions for Steel Cord Belt Systems
The heavy-duty mining industry has belt conveyor systems that operate under extremely harsh conditions. Because of this, they are constantly susceptible to damage, leading to site downtime, excess repair costs, and potential profit loss.
One such conveyor belt type that consistently needs rapid repair is steel cord.
Simply put, they are strong and can often handle the tough application needs that their operators require. However, when they break down, many sites are often unprepared to spring into action.
I think this warrants some time to delve into important information on steel cord belts that can make your operation run smoother and keep you from feeling the pain that arises with downtime.
Why Steel Cord Belts Are Beneficial
Steel cord belting is useful for many heavy-duty mines.
The steel strands that are embedded in the rubber of the belt allow for an incredibly tough conveying process, providing a high level of tensile strength that is tremendously resistant to excess wear and damage.
Additionally, steel cord belts often boast an increased troughing ability, giving operators the chance to more easily carry material and allowing them to move their belt from flat to trough over a shorter distance than other conventional methods.
Steel cord belts are also increasingly being adopted into mining belt lines across the globe. At this point, it would be wise to familiarize yourself with the technology and be prepared for the challenges that can arise when using them. This is particularly true for three belt types: port load-out belts, mainline belts, and select feeder belts.
Overall, steel cord belts are convenient for these applications because they can take on heavy, abrasive loads, and do so with little to no worry of elongation. In turn, they will maintain the proper stretch and length required for conveying and avoid excess wear at a better rate than other belt types.
Why Keeping Steel Cord Belts Healthy is Crucial
Maintaining a high standard of belt health is always important, but it is especially so for operators using steel cord belts.
There are real, major financial consequences when they are left uncared for. In an industry like coal mining, downtime is costly and is only amplified when dealing with more large-scale belt conveyors.
The actual cost to re-splice a damaged steel cord belt can be massive. For solutions like vulcanization, this is particularly true. Sites must often utilize a third-party to vulcanize their belt. This process can take quite a bit of time, as these service providers often have their calendars booked out in advance. In an emergency downtime scenario, this can force operators to wait days, hurting their overall profit margin.
How can you help to limit the negative financial impact that comes with downtime? By investing in a specialized steel cord conveyor belt splicing solution.
What to Ask Before Choosing a Steel Cord Belt Splicing Solution
The material you are not moving during conveyor downtime costs a lot of money. That figure is only amplified as time goes on.
The best way to prepare for a downtime incident is to think through what measures you can take before one happens. The following are questions that you and your maintenance team should be asking to bolster your downtime reaction response for your steel cord belts.
How much time do I have to get the belt up and running?
Steel cord belts are often used in time-sensitive jobs where crews have a strict deadline. If a belt goes down, your whole production can come to a screeching halt. Unless there is a thorough, structured maintenance plan in place, your team can be left scrambling.
To determine the most effective method for splicing, sites should ask themselves when they need the belt back up and running.
Typically, steel cord belts are central to the success of an operation. For example, if a shipment of coal is needed ASAP and financial concerns start mounting the longer you wait, a fast-acting solution will need to be found quickly.
However, some sites may consider waiting for vulcanization due to their application needs.
What splice methods are available and how long will they take?
For belts that need to be back into operation quickly, sites should consider utilizing the FXC™ Steel Cord Belt Fastening System.
The FXC gives operators the ability to get their downed conveyor belt up and running quickly. On a 72 in. (mm) wide belt, it would take four workers approximately five hours to install the FXC and fully seal the splice with a liquid urethane compound, enabling the belt to get back in operation.
Conveniently, the FXC can be “prespliced” before use. In turn, operators can prepare FXC kits to meet their belt specifications before a downtime incident occurs, allowing them to splice more efficiently as needed.
The ability to quickly react to downtime is crucial. Just like you would have a fire extinguisher on hand for emergency situations, the same could be said for the FXC. We strongly advise our partners with steel cord belts to keep a few FXC splice kits on hand for future splices, especially for those in more remote locations as they may have to wait an extended period of time for other splice methods. Doing so gives maintenance crews the power to get their belts back up and running much more efficiently on their own terms.
As mentioned previously, an alternative option for steel cord belt splicing is to use vulcanization.
Vulcanization is a strong splice that, when done properly, can last a long time. By melting the belt ends together, operators can create a strong seamless splice. However, vulcanization may require more belting material, thus more belt prep work, to successfully splice. The amount of belt and time to strip cords to install an FXC splice is comparatively lower.
What is the severity of my downtime and how long can I wait for a splicing solution?
Another major factor in determining what solution works for your downtime incident is by determining what level of damage has been done.
If a belt is down and a site wants to take some time to evaluate long-term solutions, something like the FXC is the perfect choice. By installing FXC fasteners on their damaged belt, facilities can continue production while they determine their long-term splice needs.
If the right decision is to schedule vulcanization, their maintenance team can install fasteners as a stopgap measure while they wait.
Make the Right Steel Cord Belt Splicing Choice
Investing in an effective steel cord belt splicing solution is of prime importance for all mining facilities.
Having a plan in place allows you to react quickly to downtime, saving you from negative financial implications and impacting customer relationships when material is not delivered.
Don’t panic, be prepared. Build your FXC inventory today.
Stop Downtime
Authored by: Russ Heintz, Senior Training and Technical Specialist
Russ Heintz has been with Flexco since , working in various roles within the company before becoming Senior Training and Technical Specialist. In this role, Heintz focuses on the efficiency of our products through in-house and field testing. Heintz also regularly conducts classroom and hands-on, internal or on-site training with Flexco employees, distributors, and customers.
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