What is a conveyor belt?

How are conveyor belts classified? And the differences between various conveyor belts?

We all know that conveyor belts mainly play a role in transportation. In a conveying system, in addition to the conveying power system, a good conveying medium is also required. The conveyor belt is responsible for carrying the target during the conveying process. Conveyor belts have a long history. It is the product of the development of an era and a witness to the development of human civilization. A long time ago, with the development of industry, the productivity of various industries increased rapidly, so the concept of transmission appeared. It used to rely on manpower. Later, we found that it was too slow to keep up with the needs of productivity, so the conveyor belt transport tool appeared.

HONGSBELT Modular Belt
HONGSBELT Modular Belt
Iconvey Intelligent Convey System Solutions
For The Express & Logistics Industry
Iconvey Intelligent Convey System Solutions
For The Express & Logistics Industry

Let’s talk about The development history of conveyor belt. Review several important time nodes in the development of conveyor belts.

Corrugated Cardboard conveyors
ICONVEY Corrugated Cardboard conveyors

In the middle of the 17th century, the United States began to use overhead ropeways to transport bulk materials; in the middle of the 19th century, belt conveyors of various modern structures appeared one after another. In 1868, belt conveyors appeared in the United Kingdom; in 1887, screw conveyors appeared in the United States; in 1905, steel belt conveyors appeared in Switzerland; in 1906, inertial conveyors appeared in the United Kingdom and Germany. In 2005, with the global popularity of Made-in-China, HONG’S BELT Modular Belt and Conveyor Company was established, marking the advent of the era of modular industrial production and conveying in developing countries.Since then, the conveyor belt conveyor has been continuously improved due to the influence of technological progress in machinery manufacturing, electrical machinery, chemical industry and metallurgical industry. It has gradually developed from the completion of transmission within the workshop to the completion of material handling within enterprises, between enterprises and even between cities, An integral part of the mechanization and automation of material handling systems.


Classification of conveyor belts

ICONVEY CONVEYOR PRODUCT

Layered conveyor belts, whole core conveyor belts, steel cord conveyor belts, steel cable conveyor belts, tubular conveyor belts, patterned conveyor belts, edge conveyor belts, and layer-reduced conveyor belts.

Distinguish the conveyor belt according to the structure


HONGS’BELT® MODULAR BELT


Comparison of advantages and disadvantages of various conveyor belts

The mainstream way of distinguishing conveyor belts is by material, and conveyor belts of various material types each have different advantages, disadvantages and application fields.
  1. PVC conveyor belt: 
  2. The rubber surface of PVC conveyor belt is made of polyvinylchloride (PVC), which is composed of polyester fiber cloth and polyvinyl chloride glue. Its working temperature is generally -10℃ to 80℃, and its joint mode is generally international toothed joint.

Advantage: cheap price is its biggest advantage. High tensile strength, light weight, thinness, good toughness, mild corrosion resistance and cold resistance.

Disadvantages: easy track deviation, easy to slip, not wear-resistant and damaged, high maintenance cost in the event of failure, poor oil resistance of the material, not environmentally friendly and prone to irritating odor. Not suitable for use in the food industry nowadays.

  1. PU conveyor belt: 
  2. Conveyor belt with polyurethane (PU) as raw material. The polyurethane (PU) conveyor belt uses a specially treated high-strength synthetic polyurethane fabric as the bearing frame, and the coating layer is made of polyurethane (PU) resin.

Advantages: It belongs to the fabric conveyor belt as the PVC conveyor belt, so its physical properties are similar, but its wear resistance is better than that of PVC

Disadvantages: expensive, and its acid and alkali resistance is weak.

  1. PE Conveyor Belt:
  2. Conveyor belt made of polyethylene and polyester.

Advantage:

1. Food-grade materials, non-toxic and easy to clean, and the combustion produces water and CO2, which is more environmentally friendly.

2. And more durable. Acid and alkali resistance, corrosion resistance, cutting resistance.

Disadvantage:

1. Poor resistance to oil and acid and alkali, it is best not to use it on equipment with edible oil and mechanical oil.

2. Low hardness and no wear resistance, PE belts are mostly used in the food industry and pharmaceutical industry, and should not be used in other industries.


Modular Conveyor Belt

This is a new type of conveyor belt, also called modular belt. It refers to a conveyor belt that is formed by thermoplastic thermoplastics into semi-finished modules, and then assembled from modules as required, and installed on a conveyor to carry and transport materials. The module can select different materials according to the needs of the application scene. Compared with traditional conveyor belts, it has many advantages: it has the characteristics of high strength, acid, alkali, salt water, etc., wide temperature range, good anti-sticking, can be added with baffle plates, large lifting angle, easy cleaning and simple maintenance. Can be used for conveying in various environments. Such as pharmaceutical industry, food industry, packaging industry, daily chemical industry, automobile industry, logistics industry, entertainment facilities, transmission conveyor belt, conveyor equipment, etc.

Advantage:

1. Stable operation requires almost no maintenance, and production can be quickly resumed just by replacing damaged modules.

2. Wide range of applications, by choosing different materials and structures, it can be applied to food in all walks of life, such as logistics sorting, automobiles, corrugated paper, tire production, etc.

3. Light weight and durable material, the load capacity can reach 1.5t/㎡

4. With strong maneuverability, it can form a turning module belt and be used in turning conveyors and can be used in various angles.

5. The service life is very long, which is more than 10 times that of traditional belts and more than 5 times that of metal belts

6. Without any lubricant, the surface is smooth and easy to clean, and it is not easy to breed bacteria

7. The friction of the surface is moderate, the protection of the conveyed object is high, and it is not easy to stack and the conveyed object will not be damaged due to friction. Baffles can be added when used for climbing or transporting slippery or rolling objects.

8. The development space is large, and your modular belt conveyor system is not easy to be eliminated by the market. Because the characteristics of the modular belt depend on the characteristics of the polymer material that constitutes it, its development space is huge. For example, transmission solutions in industries with strong radiation and highly corrosive batteries such as radio frequency drying and microwave industries need to be realized through it.

Disadvantage:

1. Inability to deliver powder

2. The price is higher than the traditional conveyor belt

3. At present, there is no cost-effective plastic material to make the module belt in the high temperature field above 260℃

W (width), transverse unit of modular conveyor belt

L (length), longitudinal unit of modular conveyor belt

1, the loading surface of the modular conveyor belt

2, The small end of the side block is assembled on the side of the modular conveyor belt

3, the middle block, assembled in the middle of the modular conveyor belt

4, The big end of the side block is assembled on the side of the modular conveyor belt

5. String strip, installed in the through hole after the module AB row crossed, used to connect the AB row modules in series

6, Plug, installed in the slot of the side block, used to fix the string

P (pitch), the center-to-center distance of the 2 through holes of the module

Through hole, the two through holes of the module are used to install the string in the hole when the AB row is assembled to form a belt in series

H (thickness), the thickness of the module

When assembled into a belt: usually consists of 2 side blocks small end, 3 middle block, 4 side block big end, 5 strings, 6 plugs, etc.; the module has 2 through holes for 5 strings; side blocks There is a slot on the side for installing 6 plugs, the purpose is to fix the string in the through hole of the block; when assembling: A row: 2+3*N+4; B row: 4+3*N+2 ; The reciprocating cycle of rows A and B is increased to the required L (length).

Note: N means that multiple blocks “3” (he middle block) meet the needs of W (width).


Plastic chain plate conveyor belt

It is also a new type of conveyor belt. The properties of this conveyor belt depend on the material of the modular belt, including plastic steel ACETAL, polypropylene, PP, polyethylene, PE, nylon, PA, and the most commonly used material is POM. In fact, international general models have been formed, and the matching is very simple. It is similar to the modular belt introduced above, the difference is that its width is fixed, it cannot be spliced horizontally, and the structure is simpler.

PLASTIC CHAIN
PLASTIC CHAIN

Advantage:

  1. The structure is simple and the width is uniform.
  2. At present, there are international common widths and models, which are very convenient for selection and replacement of parts during maintenance. Currently the best choice for the beverage and many bulk single commodity production and delivery industries.

3. Under the premise of meeting the conveying requirements of a single specification, the structure is simple and easy to maintain, and the space is small.

Disadvantage:

1. The width is fixed

2. Uneasy to install baffles and skirts

3. Also unable to transport powder


Other Conveyor Belts

  1. PP conveyor belt:
  2. polypropylene material conveyor belt, high tensile force, good wear resistance, corrosion resistance, acid and alkali resistance. Common in the pharmaceutical industry, food industry

Advantages: The material has excellent performance and quality such as acid and alkali corrosion resistance, good wear resistance, high mechanical strength and self-lubricating.

Disadvantage:

  1. The product has poor cold resistance and low impact strength at low temperature;

Products are susceptible to aging due to the action of light, heat and oxygen during use;

poor coloration;

easy to burn;

  • Poor toughness, high static, poor dyeing, printing and adhesion.
  1. NN conveyor belt: refers to the conveyor belt with the interlayer canvas made of nylon.

Advantages: It has the characteristics of thin belt body, high strength, impact resistance, good groove forming ability, large interlayer adhesion, excellent flexibility and long service life. It is commonly used in medium and long distance, high load and high speed conditions. Conveying materials, it is widely used in mining, coal yard, chemical industry, metallurgy, construction, port and other scenarios.

Disadvantages: Not resistant to corrosion, it will be damaged when encountering objects with spikes.

  1. PTFE conveyor belt: a conveyor belt made of glass fiber cloth coated with Teflon resin.

Advantages: chemical corrosion resistance, strong acid, strong alkali, aqua regia and various organic solvents, suitable for low temperature -70 ℃, high temperature between 260 ℃. Therefore, its biggest feature is that it can adapt to harsh environments.

Disadvantages: material strength is relatively low, easy to tear and damage.

  • Stainless steel conveyor belt: mesh conveyor belt made of stainless steel.

Advantages: high temperature resistance, burning resistance, tear resistance, so it is generally used in glass products, cement, metallurgy, casting and other industries.

Disadvantages: The biggest disadvantage is that it is too bulky. Metal belts are prone to creep, and the small parts inside are easy to break, etc. If the transported items are relatively large, it will cause deformation and cannot be repaired. In addition, some Stainless steel conveyor belts are not easy to clean after oxidation and corrosion, and there are certain health risks.

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