What is a conveyor belt?

Have you ever wondered what a conveyor belt is? Well, in this article we will give you an answer to that question. If you need a conveyor belt or a conveyor system that includes conveyor belts, IAS Components offers consultation with an experienced team member who will listen to your business needs and design a suitable solution for you.

If you want to know the ways that conveyors can be used, there is a great article titled '3 Ways A Conveyor is Used Today' that we recommend checking out to see how you could use a conveyor belt for your business.

Now let's help get an answer to the question "what is a conveyor belt?"

What is a conveyor belt?

A conveyor belt is the means of transport for a conveyor system, one of many types of conveyor systems available today. Each conveyor system requires different modules to function properly and perform the tasks required by the belts.

The different tasks may vary depending on the required weight, the required speed and the performance of the products in the conveyor system.

A conveyor belt system consists of two or more pulleys (called drums), with an endless loop of means of transport, the conveyor belt, which rotates around them creating a pulling effect for the goods it transports. One or more of the pulleys will be driven by moving the belt and belt material forward and through the system.

What is a conveyor belt?

Structure of a conveyor belt

Belts consist of one or more layers of material. It is common for belts to have three layers: a top cover, a carcass, and a bottom cover. However, there are situations where more layers are needed depending on the goods moving through the transportation system.

The purpose of the carcass is to provide strength and shape to the conveying system and is often a woven or metallic fabric that has a warp and a weft.

The warp refers to the longitudinal cords and defines the performance properties of the belt because it is responsible for the level of strength and elasticity of the belt.

The weft represents the complete set of cross cables that allow the strap to be resistant to cuts, tears and impacts, as well as being highly flexible to ensure that the system does not break easily.

The most common casing materials used are steel, polyester, nylon, cotton, and aramid, while the covers are typically various rubber or plastic compounds specified by the use of the strap.

If the conveyor system carries heavy goods, steel conveyor belts can be used due to its high strength and longer durability. Steel conveyor belts are made of steel cables compared to lower strength conveyor belts that use polyester, nylon and cotton.

The lower resistance of the material used or the conveying system installed will reduce the amount of energy consumed for the operation and, at the same time, increase the useful life of the product and improve productivity.

A critical part of a conveyor system to ensure smooth operation is a drive arrangement, comprising gear boxes, drive motors, and associated couplings.

In addition to this, there are several parts that can be used or are necessary for a functioning transport system.

Scrapers are used to clean the belt, the ducts control the discharge direction and the skirts are to contain the discharge on the receiving belt, the collection set to "tension" the belt, and technological structures such as spar, short post, racks. Drive and Pulley Frames Compose the balance elements to give you a fully operational belt transport system.

Within the food industry, you will see conveyors in a blue material. This means they are washable, also known as washable, to comply with food hygiene laws.

Stainless Steel Belt Conveyors

History of conveyor belts

Conveyor belts have been used since the 19th century. It was in 1892 that Thomas Robins began a series of inventions that led to the development of a conveyor belt that was used to transport coal, minerals, and other products.

Henry Ford introduced conveyor assembly lines at the Ford Motor Company factory, introducing the possibility of mass production and batch production.

We've covered the history of conveyors in more detail in our post 'Three Ways It's Used

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