Conveyor belts

What is a conveyor belt?

A conveyor belt is by definition a mechanical device that transports/moves something from a to b. In other words, their purpose is to ensure that an item is transported safely from one place to another. It is mainly manufacturing companies that manufacture goods themselves that use conveyor belts - but other industries such as airports also use conveyor belts.

There are several advantages to using conveyor belts, including:

High efficiency: Conveyor belts can move large amounts of materials in a short time, making them very effective for handling various piece and bulk goods.

Low maintenance: Conveyor belts require minimal maintenance, making them very cost-effective for longer periods.

Increased safety: Conveyor belts can reduce the risk of injury and improve workplace safety.

Great flexibility: Conveyor belts can be used to transport a wide variety of materials and can be adapted to different applications and industries.

Which conveyor belt should I choose?

Conveyor belts play a crucial role for many companies and are used in various industries and environments - both outdoors and indoors. There are many different solutions, and although sometimes you have to think creatively and outside the box, it is central for a company to implement the right conveyor belt in their production. Before investing in a conveyor belt, you should always consider what you need to transport, how many items you need to transport, and where the belt will be implemented. Before investing in a conveyor belt, you can ask yourself the following questions:

- How and where will the belt be used? Should the belt be implemented indoors or outdoors? Is the transport ascending, descending or horizontal?

- What items need to be transported? Do you need to transport bulk materials or molded goods? How much do they weigh, what do they look like and how big are the items?

How and where to use the belts

Outdoor and indoor conveyor belts have different purposes and characteristics that suit specific environments and industries. It is useful to consider how and where the conveyor belt will be implemented, as well as what items will be transported.

Rubber conveyor belts - for outdoor use:

Advantages:

High wear resistance and service life: Rubber conveyor belts are characterized by high traction and wear resistance, and are particularly suitable for transporting heavy bulk goods, such as gravel, stone, sand, coal, concrete and tiles.

Resistant: Rubber conveyor belts withstand outdoor environments, harsh weather conditions and heavy loads and are used, for example, in gravel pits/quarries, mining, agriculture and on construction sites, where items must be moved over longer distances and in varying weather conditions.

Disadvantages:

Limited post-processing options: Compared to a plastic belt, it is less durable to post-process a rubber belt with additional equipment such as carriers and corrugated edges. This is because on a rubber belt, the equipment is heat-vulcanized, whereas on a plastic belt it is melted, which is a much more durable solution. In addition, the range of surface structures available for rubber belts is also more limited

More frequent repar: Rubber belts often require more maintenance and servicing, compared to a plastic belt, as they are more often exposed to wind and weather - at the same time as rubber belts are more often exposed to sharp objects, which can lead to more frequent repar and replacement of the conveyor belt.

Need for professional installation: Rubber conveyor belts can be large and heavy, and extend over large areas, e.g. in a quarry or gravel pit. Rubber belts can therefore be more difficult to install yourself, and often require splice and service at start-up. Large and heavy rubber belts also require larger rollers.

Plastic conveyor belt - for indoor use:

Advantages:

Chemical resistance: Plastic-based conveyor belts are known for their high resistance to chemicals (such as aggressive cleaning agents), making them well-suited for industries with stricter hygiene and food safety requirements, such as the pharmaceutical and food industries.

Easy-to-clean splice: A more uniform joint is achieved on a plastic belt, without beads, as it is welded together - whereas a rubber belt is heat-vulcanized with glue. On a plastic belt, there will be no beads at the joint that could potentially contaminate items during transport.

Wide range of applications: Plastic belts are used in a wide range of industries, including food production, packaging, automated warehouse facilities and distribution centers. Plastic belts are easy to automate, making them well-suited for integration into advanced production processes.

What do you need to transport?

After deciding whether the conveyor belt will be used indoors or outdoors, you should then consider which items will be transported. For example, if you need to push, move or divide an item on the belt, you can advantageously equip the conveyor belt with carriers, corrugated edges, v-guide or a surface coating of your choice, so that you achieve specific properties in the belt during transport. You can also consider whether you need to transport dimensionally stable goods or loose bulk material:

Cleats: When transporting on an incline, a conveyor belt can be advantageously equipped with carriers, which are intended to push or secure an item on the belt. Carriers can also be used as room dividers on a conveyor belt with wavy edges. PVC carriers are available as standard in oil and grease-resistant materials, in the colors white, green, black and petroleum green. Other colors and designs can be offered on request. Please note that the diameter of the roller has an impact on which design you should choose. The larger the roller, the smaller the base of the carrier should be.

Wave edges: Our range of corrugated edges is available in durable PU and PVC, which are easy to clean and maintain. Our corrugated edges allow transport under both extremely low and high temperature conditions, and are also resistant to chemicals, making them suitable for use in almost all industries and environments. By using a combination of corrugated edges and carriers, minimal damage and waste of a transported item is achieved.

Quality control and food safety: We have a clear goal to offer high-quality conveyor belts, which we guarantee through targeted product development and strict quality control of all our products. In this context, we have long worked to minimize the use of chemicals in our conveyor belts, and as part of achieving this goal, we have introduced strict requirements for our suppliers regarding the use of chemicals in our food-approved products. This should help ensure that the belt cannot release chemicals into a food product in an amount that could pose a health risk to humans, animals or the environment - or that could cause a deterioration in the taste, smell or composition of a food product.

Surface structure: We have the option of equipping your conveyor belt with a surface structure of your choice. We offer a large selection of surfaces, each with different properties with regard to friction, wear resistance, chemical resistance, shock absorption properties. Our surface structures are developed to cover different transport tasks, and can be adapted based on the needs of our customers. We offer several colors, structures and materials from our large standard product range, and we are always ready to help you find the solution that meets your needs and wishes.

Steering profile: A conveyor belt can be advantageously equipped with one or more v-guides, which are intended to guide the conveyor belt in the longitudinal direction, so that a more precise and efficient belt movement is achieved. We offer a large selection of PU and PVC v-guides, where the profile can be supplied both smooth and serrated. Our thermoplastic profiles can be welded directly to the belt and can be welded on both the top and bottom of the belt, using our specially manufactured welding equipment. PVC profiles are available in white, green, blue and black, and PU profiles in white, transparent, green and blue. All of our v-guides in the colors blue and white are food approved. It is possible to mount one or more v-guides on the belt, which can be welded on both the bottom and top of the belt, and which carry where our standard range is not sufficient.

Jointing method: We offer various welded and mechanical joints on a conveyor belt. A welded joint, e.g. a finger joint, is a stronger joining method than if the belt is joined mechanically. For applications that do not allow the installation of a welded belt, a belt with a mechanical joint can be used to advantage. A unique feature of our conveyor belts is the possibility of mechanical joining. This makes it possible to mount the conveyor belt directly on the machine without first unscrewing the entire machine, which for many customers provides an additional degree of flexibility and safety in their production.

Vacuum holes: We offer various processing of the belt, including processing of vacuum holes, which are a series of perforated holes in the surface of the belt, which can, for example, be used to hold and secure a workpiece to the belt. We are able to punch all types of holes in the surface of the belt, in sizes from Ø 2-10 mm as standard. Other sizes and patterns can be perforated and produced on request.