Business

If it wasn’t for industrial conveyor belt systems, life as we know it would come to a standstill, because without them, manufacturing and production industries would not be able to keep up with today’s rate of consumer demand for food, drinks and most other products we use in our day-to-day lives.

Yes, without industrial conveyor belts, our industrial sector would not be able to meet the production demands placed on it, nor would they be able to transport its materials from the production area to the delivery trucks to stores for us to buy, which means simply popping into a supermarket or mall to purchase the things we need wouldn’t be possible anymore, because there simply wouldn’t be enough stock. For top quality conveyor belts South Africa, visit Belting Edge Conveyor Supplies.

No-where is the conveyor system more important than in the modern factory. Even in the largest mechanized industry, goods can be easily transported from one part of the building to another, without having to be carried by workers or fork-lift trucks. The conveyor system concept usually consists of a stand, a machine to rotate on of the two or more pulleys or drums that have an endless looped conveying medium that rotates around them. This conveying medium is called the conveyor belt and is available in an array of materials, such as modular plastic, PVC, rubber, Urethane, Nitrile, Neoprene, metal, Polyester and leather, among others.

Industries of today will often have several belt conveyors working simultaneously to perform different functions. For example, in a food manufacturing industry, each of the manufactured foods are conveyed on a separate belt, alongside which the workers stand and perform their individual tasks. At the end of this process, the food is packaged and loaded onto another conveyor that carries the food to the delivery area. In some factories, all food preparation is automated. The food is conveyed along various sections of the factory floor and machines move the items from one belt to the next until it is packaged and stored or placed onto delivery trucks, depending on their design.

The belt conveyor is essential for the maintenance of our production lines, our transport systems, and even our supermarket cash registers. From automotive industries to food manufacturers, from mining to airports – every manufacturing and production company uses industrial conveyor belt systems to handle their processes, because if they don’t, life as we know it will come to a standstill.

The introduction of modern plastic modular belts about 40 years ago, greatly revolutionized conveyance systems and their popularity continues to soar. Made up of hinge rods and injection-moulded plastic modules that are positively driven, they have been transforming the conveyance process.

Users find modular plastic belts more convenient and superior when compared to the conventional belt conveyors. This is especially the case for sectors with heavier loads and high volumes to be handled.

Here are a few factors that contribute to the popularity of plastic modular belts:

They are ideal for areas that require a high standard sterilization and cleanliness, like pharmaceuticals and the food industry. They are easier to clean and sanitize than many other alternatives and are also perfect for reducing bacteria retention and standing liquids. Plastic is cheaper than other materials like fiberglass and stainless steel which offer the same benefits when used for the conveyor systems.

Modular plastic belts are more durable than the fabric conveyor belts, are capable of handling larger load capacities and work better under harsh conditions.

The tracking drive using hinge rods, plastic belts, and sprockets make it ideal to handle heavier loads with speed. The positive drive and the tracking ensure that there is no slippage, minimizing damage to the edge of the belt.

The injection-molded modules feature many different surface structures, the most common 3 types being PE (polyethylene), PP (polypropylene) and the POM (Acetal). These plastic types are readily available, and each has its own unique characteristics suitable for the smooth function of the conveyor belt. They have the strength, temperature resistance, hardness, density and are friction coefficient.

The design for modular belting is either open hinged or closed hinged. Your requirements and product type will determine your choice. The open hinged is specifically designed for cases where sanitation is critical, while closed hinged is ideal for handling materials and other highly loaded applications other than food.

You need only to replace the damaged plastic segments of the plastic modular belt, unlike the belt conveyors that require full replacement.

Areas of application

Plastic modular belts are best suited to industries that handle high volumes, heavy loads and/or sensitive products requiring high standards of cleanliness and sanitation. These include food processing, construction, automotive, agricultural, forestry (wood movement), industrial, pharmaceuticals, packaging and material handling, shipping and clearing, as well as recycling sectors.

Gone are the days where manual labour was used to move items from one place to the next within production, manufacturing and mining industries. Not only did human handling of the products risk the quality of the product, it also put the workers’ safety at risk.

Since it was first introduced in the late 19^th century, the use of conveyor belts has expanded into many different sectors throughout the world, and today most industries could not survive without them.

Nowadays, conveyor system technology is far more sophisticated than it used to be, to the point of some systems being fully automated. In the same token, the variety of ranges available to suit various applications has grown immensely, to keep up with the escalating number of market niches needing conveyors to keep up with their ever-increasing consumer demands. With so many different components, types and belt materials used in belting conveyors however, knowing which one is right for your specific needs may be daunting.

When it comes to selecting a conveyor belt, there are certain factors to consider, which include the layout and size of your facility, the environment in which it will perform, the speed at which you need products moved and of course, what the product is, among others. Given that there are so many factors to consider, the best option is to talk to your belting supplier to establish which type of belt conveyor system will be the safest and most effective option to meet with your productivity requirements.

While it may seem a bit pricey initially, you’ll soon come to realise the benefits of a belt conveyor. Minimal human labour is required where a conveyor system is used, reducing production costs while increasing the output. Conveyor belts improve work efficiency by ensuring that goods are moved at a specific speed to meet required timeframes set for the production process. Unlike the wavering output speeds and quality of manual labour, conveyors consistently operate at the optimal speed and quality, so production is never slowed down and the quality remains the same. Less human interaction also means less damage and contamination to the product, resulting in the reduction of losses and a boost in sales.

Conveyors are able to work consistently for longer hours than humans, guaranteeing continuous quality production, even in the odd hours. They can easily move heavy, bulky loads across several floors – something that would be strenuous for humans to do.

Overall, conveyors provide manufacturers and distributors with long hours of quality performance at optimum speeds, consistently yielding superior products with ease, warranting maximum profits with minimal effort, but only if they’re carefully designed according to the company’s specific needs.