What are conveyor belts?

Posted by SharonEvans on August 3rd, 2014

For the layman, conveyor belts can be defined as the mode of transporting heavy goods in a limited area. It is generally seen in airport baggage collection and supermarkets where they are used as a means to quicken things in the checkout counter. In today's age, the most popular form of belts is the rubber conveyor belting. It is used to convey items with irregular surfaces, or different shaped goods. Usually, there is a long metal frame on two sides of the metal bed, around which the rubber belt is wrapped. At the ends, there are two rollers, which help in the rolling of the rubber, across the metal bed. The rollers help in conveying weight, as it reduces friction.

Rubber conveyor belting has several advantages. For starters, they are anti-slip. Products that could slip during transport must use rubber belting extensively. It is an extremely strong and durable material that is easy to clean and is very comfortable. Industrial grade rubber matting is generally highly versatile, and the strength almost always goes unmatched. Broadly, rubber has several physical properties like hardness, tensile strength, elongation, tear resistance, abrasion resistance, compression set, and resilience. These properties make it the most preferred form of conveyor belts.

Hardness is one of the main factors for using rubber as a material for transporting goods, or as conveyor belts. There could be sharp and pointy products like stones or rocks that are to be transported. The hardness quality of rubber helps to keep the belt for a long time, without much wear and tear. Secondly, tensile strength, which means the amount of force required to break the rubber specimen, is very high. Tear resistance and abrasion resistance is the resistance to the growth of a nick or cut when tension is applied, and also its ability to resist wear. Resilience is the ability of the rubber to regain its size and shape after temporary changes.  

Generally rubber conveyor belting is used for many purposes like package and material handling, food handling, light duty and heavy duty handling of goods. Various good are conveyed using these belts, like grain handling, crushed stone, coal, wood chips, and more lightweight goods like airport baggage, grocery goods, post etc. The grade and thickness of the rubber will depend from industry to industry, upon the kind of goods it is required to hold. Heavy duty goods like forest logs would require really thick and strong belts, while light good would require less thick rubber.

With all the advantages of using rubber in conveyor belts, it is the most preferable material of choice for conveying. The longest conveyor system in an airport is at the Dubai International Airport baggage handling, where the total length is up to 63 km.

The conveyor belt technology is such that it has made moving goods easier, saving time and energy. There will always be a demand for these rubber belts, considering all the properties that it contains. In summary, conveyor belts are the technology of today, and strengthening this industry is most essential in today's age.

There is a lot of importance for the Conveyor belts and an increased demand for rubber conveyor belting.