A conveyor belt is one of many types and types of conveyors. Different modules are required for each conveyor system to work properly and perform the jobs assigned by the belts.
The tasks required can vary depending on the weight, speed, and throughput of the products on the conveyor.
A conveyor belt system includes two or more pulleys, also known as drums. The conveyor belt is made up of a continuous loop of material – the conveyor belt – that rotates about them creating a pull effect to the goods it's carrying. One or more pulleys can be powered to move the belt and the material along the system.
Two Major Types Of Conveyor Belts
There are two main types of belt conveyors general material handling and bulk material handling. The purpose of your conveyor belt system will dictate the type and size of the belt you need to transport your goods.
General Material Handling Belt
This allows you to move products, materials, and items over short distances within a building or between buildings and vehicles. These belts are useful for moving small-sized, lighter items like boxes inside a factory.
Bulk Material Handling Belt
Here, the conveyor system will need to be able to handle large quantities of raw goods, hard materials, metals, and dry materials. Bulk materials can include minerals, ores or coal, sands, stone and chemicals.
Bulk material handling conveyors and belts can be useful for industries producing bulk materials like food and drink, tobacco and metals.
Where Can Conveyor Belts Be Used?
Although they can be used in many industries, conveyors are very popular in the warehouse and distribution space, as well as in manufacturing and production. These conveyors are found in Hermes' national sorting hub. They have had great success installing an automated conveyor system into their hub because of the increased throughput they can handle.
Conveyor systems can be used in almost all industries, due to their ability to adapt to different weights, lengths, and the items they can hold.
Belt conveyor technology is used to move people in public places, such as moving between airport terminals, shopping centres, escalators in shopping centres, skiers up a slope or your items at the check-out in your local supermarket.
Why Do People Use Conveyor Belts?
There are many reasons that conveyor systems can be used, but they are mostly used for labour cost-saving and increasing throughput on a particular section of the manufacturing or transportation process. This means that more products can be manufactured or sorted faster and can be sent out to customers more efficiently.
The conveyor systems reduce the labour required to perform the task. They also allow for the use of a smaller space, which allows the process and more workspace to take place.
Belt conveyors are one of the most popular power conveyors. They are versatile, inexpensive, and can transport a wide range of shapes, including large or small objects.
Conveyor belt hire are available for a limited time. They are popular in the landscaping and house building industries, where they are used to time projects in an area that isn't suitable for installing a complete conveyor system.
Variation In Uses
You can make belt conveyors with curved sections. They can use tapered rollers and curved material. Additional pieces, such as guards and gates, convergers and RFID scanners can be added to help ensure that items move around the system correctly. This is why these types of systems are so popular in logistics, postal sorting and warehouse industries.
Belt conveyors can also be used to transport items at high elevations. This is why many companies and industries use belt conveyors. It's common to have your baggage collected at the airport when you arrive. Did you notice how luggage gets in and out of your sight? Sometimes the luggage might come down on a conveyor belt that is at an elevated level.
Another use for elevated conveyors is in handling raw materials. The use of elevated conveyors is useful for moving grain, coal, gold, silver, and many other raw materials. They can be transported along gentle slopes or curvatures, and this is where a toughed conveyor belt would be useful.