Conveyor belts have various applications in different industrial settings. They are employed in packaging and assembling units in various sectors.
They ease the transportation of various items which would otherwise be difficult to move from one point to another. Remember how your luggage is transported at the airport using those conveyor belts? The conveyor belts can take the items horizontally or in inclined manner.
The conveyor belt mechanism is simple. The belt rests on a metal bed or conveyor rollers which are responsible for moving the belt.
There are different kinds of conveyor belts, each of them having different and unique characteristics. Some of the most common types of conveyor belts are:
Roller bed
This type of conveyor belt comprises of conveyor rollers
. The number of conveyor rollers which are employed in the conveyor belt depend on the distance between the two ends of the belt. The greater the distance, more is the number of conveyor rollers that are used. These belt conveyors are most suitable in places where the items are loaded under gravity instead of being placed manually since manual loading can damage the belt.
Horizontal conveyor belt This type of belt conveyor typically uses two pulleys at its ends. The entire belt system has floor support in horizontal belt.
Slider bed The surface of the slider bed is generally made from steel. The belt is fixed to this surface which helps in moving the items placed on it.
Incline or decline belt This belt employs similar techniques as that of horizontal belt except that it has an additional component which is its feeder portion. The surface of this conveyor belt is rough which helps in providing friction and keeps the items from slipping forwards or backwards.
Wire Mesh Belt Conveyor The wire mesh facilitates air ventilation hence allowing it to be used in transportation of cold and hot items which are otherwise difficult to transport using other belts. This belt also uses pulleys which helps in clasping the items. These belts are most popular in the food and beverage industry.
Portable conveyor This type of conveyor comes with caster wheels which make it portable. This kind of conveyor has many useful applications in various industries and can also be customised depending on the requirement. For example, you can easily get the portable conveyor extended if you need to transport a large number of items.
Brake and meter belt conveyor This type of belt is formed of two parts: the brake belt and the meter belt. While the brake belt is responsible for the accumulation of items, the meter belt is used for separation.
Metal Piano Hinge conveyor Made from steel, this hinged type belt conveyor is most useful in transporting hot and oily materials. The belt used in this conveyor can either be horizontal or inclined into an S shape.
Further Note Conveyor belts are often the driving elements of various industries. Since there is a wide variety of options available, the customer can choose the one that fits their requirements. They find applications in industries like food and beverage, transport, automobile, manufacturing etc. Considering the plethora of industries that utilise these belts, they attain a significant importance.
Also, regular maintenance of these belts is essential. Any fault in the conveyor belt system can put the operations of the industry on a halt. Hence they should be inspected every now and then once they are installed.
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