Belt Conveyors

A guide to the types of belt edge

Published

9 months ago

30 August 2022

Used in rubber conveyor belts

Because of advances in technology and the types of materials used to manufacture rubber multi-ply conveyor belting there is often confusion concerning belt edge types.

This information bulletin is designed to provide up-to-date guidance and clarification. There are basically three types of edges available: moulded edge, (cut and) sealed edge and (plain) cut edge.

Moulded Edge

Many years ago, moulded edges were the norm because cotton was used as the reinforcing fabric in multi-ply belts.

A moulded edge was necessary in order to prevent moisture penetrating the cotton fabric and causing it to rot.

However, since the inception of synthetic ply belt carcasses using polyester and polyamide, this problem effectively no longer exists. As a consequence, belts without moulded edges are now the most commonly used.

Moulded edges can only be created when a belt is manufactured (assembled and vulcanised) to an exact width, usually a specific width required by the end-user. A small strip of non-reinforced rubber is attached to the side of the carcass during the calendaring of the belt. The strip is formed as an integral part of the belt during the vulcanizing process. This typically provides 5 to 15 mm of rubber on the belt edge without fabric reinforcement.

Moulded edges do not provide any structural advantage and can be susceptible to damage if the belt wanders off-track.

Non-reinforced rubber can easily be cut off so when a belt with moulded edges gets damaged, large pieces of rubber are often torn off.

Most ‘non-stock’ belting in special grades (fire resistant for example) and/or non-standard sizes are made to order at the specific width requested by the customer. These will therefore naturally have moulded edges unless the widths and length combinations requested by the customer allow belts to be slit (cut) from a wider, more cost-efficient production width.

Sealed Edges

To maximise efficiency of production, standard productionbelts are usually made as wide as the production machinerywill allow and are then subsequently cut to narrower widths.At Dunlop we automatically create belts with sealed edgesusing a special cutting process involving cutting knives thatrotate at very high speed. The heat created by the friction ofthe rotating knives melts the carcass fibres and the rubberon the edge of the belt, effectively creating a seal. This isreferred to as a ‘cut & sealed edge’ or simply ‘sealed edge’.Apart from a better visual aspect, the sealed edge means thatthe belt is not sensitive to moisture penetration and cantherefore be used in wet conditions and is better suited tolonger-term storage outdoors.

Cut Edge

Belts with cut edges are produced in the same way asdescribed previously but are cut (slit) using conventionalrotating knives. A ‘cut edge’ is therefore not sealed.At Dunlop we do not recommend the use of unsealed (raw)cut belt edges as wet conditions and outdoor storageconditions can cause water to enter the carcass from theedge due to capillary forces. Although the carcass fibres arehardly affected, moisture can cause vulcanising problemswhen making splice joints.

Steelcord Construction Belts

All steelcord belts are manufactured to a specific set ofspecifications which fully embed the steel cords and aretherefore only available with moulded edges. In the caseof steelcord and steel reinforced fabric ply beltingit is necessary to use moulded edges in order to preventmoisture from causing the steel to corrode over time.

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Belt Conveyors

Compact belt conveyor without any interfering contours – fits in the smallest gaps

Published

2 months ago

31 March 2023

tasarim

Belt conveyor GUF-P 2000 CA, compact belt conveyor without any interfering contours

For most conveying applications, a compact conveyor frame on the belt conveyor is crucial. Obstructing contours, such as the drive, may protrude and be a little larger, and will mostly be outside the relevant area of the machine. If the entire conveyor is to be installed inside a machine, however, it will usually need to have few or no obstructing contours. In such cases, an internal motor is recommended

The GUF-P 2000 belt conveyor, the most versatile belt conveyor series produced by the mk Technology Group, is now available with a compact and powerful 24 V drum motor. Called the GUF-P 2000 CA, it is absolutely ideal for integrating into systems without much installation space. The ø 53 mm drive roller combined with the 50 mm tall conveyor frame profile produces a conveyor that is extremely flat without any obstructing edges. Along with start/stop control, the control module enables you to set multiple speeds and change the conveying direction.

With a permissible total load of up to 15 kg, the GUF-P 2000 CA is ideal for the majority of conveying tasks in the packaging or plastics industry. The 24 V DC drive also allows for a battery power supply. As a result, the conveyor is also perfect for use as driven load handling equipment for automated guided vehicle (AGV) systems. Furthermore, its compactness and lack of interfering contours means it can be installed on tables in workshops, schools, laboratories and elsewhere. In such environments, the GUF-P 2000 CA can also fulfil technical cleanliness requirements thanks to its clean contours.

Technical data:

Height: conveyor frame: 50 mm (ø 53 mm driving roll)

Lengths: 380 to 5000 mm

Widths: 300 to 600 mm

Load: max. 15 kg

Speed: up to 60 m/min.

Drive: 24 V DC, reversing

Accessories: side rails, stand systems, and so on, as is standard with the GUF-P 2000

The GUF-P 2000 belt conveyor with the larger ø 81.5 mm drum motor remains available under the name GUF-P 2000 CB.

Source: www.mk-group.com/

Belt Conveyors

Ammeraal Beltech introduces Duraclean – a revolutionary synthetic non-stick belt

Published

2 months ago

31 March 2023

tasarim

Ammeraal Beltech is a world leader in providing complex conveying solutions. The history of the company began with the development of a groundbreaking belt for the Bakery Industry. Today, the company’s products are available in over 150 countries around the globe and new launches are scheduled throughout the year. This time, it conquers the market with Duraclean – a synthetic belt perfect for processing sticky foods in the Bakery & Confectionery Industry and not only.

Bakery and Confectionery Industry: major challenges

Some products require specific treatment, and the whole industry poses particular challenges. Energy bars, snacks, and even ready-to-eat meals need delicate handling as the products are prone to damage. The integrity and quality of goods need to be secured.

Baked foodstuffs are often dense or feature ingredients that leave a residue, such as fillings, fruit, and jams, which may lead to stickiness. If a sticky component gets trapped in the production line, extra time is needed to remove it and clean the conveyor. Not to mention the waste of the product itself. The whole production process is thus slowed down, and most manufacturers in this field value efficiency. They need to process large volumes of goods at a fast pace. However, it’s important to balance speed with quality, ensuring size, taste and presentation are uniform across the batch.

Duraclean – a new level in non-stick belting

Ammeraal Beltech understands Bakery and Confectionery pain points and has created a solution to address them all: Duraclean, a synthetic belt for sticky products.

Its thermoplastic compound blended cover ensures excellent mechanical properties and is suitable for use with belt scrapers and knife edge transfer applications.

Duraclean – major advantages for your business

Duraclean offers a number of improvements for the bakery and confectionery manufacturers. Excellent product release properties, high abrasion resistance, leading to longer service life, wide working temperature range …just to name a few.

The design of the belt grants users longer belt life and improved hygiene standards. The solution significantly reduces the risk of cross-contamination, is easy to sanitise and compliant with EC 1935/2004 and FDA food safety standards.

Contact Ammeraal Beltech experts

If you are willing to discover the whole potential of Duraclean, please contact Ammeraal Beltech experts. The team will help you optimise your processing line and enhance satisfaction of your customers. For more information about product portfolio dedicated to the bakery and confectionary industry, visit Ammeraal Beltech website

Belt Conveyors

Improved Reliability & Shipping Accuracy

Published

2 months ago

31 March 2023

tasarim

With ever changing customer behaviours, new digital communication challenges and the rapid increase in eCommerce business means the UK’s leading consumer delivery specialist and long-term customer to L.A.C, is continually looking to improve its efficiency and innovation.

The distribution hub based up in the Northwest required an upgrade to current operations. With any upgrade or new system implementation, L.A.C are always mindful to ensure that its solutions can be easily and efficiently scaled up and down upon demand, whilst being equipped with the necessary infrastructure to cope with growing volumes during longer periods of intense activity.

Project “Flyer Van Automation” required an automated transport and sortation solution to accommodate 120 van loads per day, processing the traffic via a scanning tower and automated sortation, directly onto 38 existing outfeed boom conveyors which would provide a consistent flow of around 5,000 parcels per hour.

L.A.C’s new range of belt conveyors

The current operation required a lot of human intervention with vans being offloaded from outside the building into cages, which were then manually hauled into the hub for sortation and then transferred to the appropriate 38 outfeed doors. The introduction of an automated system would reduce the manual labour currently associated with the process therefore reducing/eliminating the number of “mis sorts” due to human error. The new system would also offer increased throughputs while providing full traceability of parcels, polybags and irregular shaped traffic.

The solution utilised circa 350 metres of L.A.C manufactured, Post and Parcel conveyor, designed specifically to meet the exacting standards of the hugely demanding Post and Parcel handling industry. L.A.C’s new range of belt conveyors and multi-functioning switch sorter units provide the robust, efficient, and precise product movement this industry sector insists upon. Ideal for the variety of shapes, sizes and loads required, offering up to 80Kg/metre, this high performance, reliable range of equipment is modular in design, providing easy installation and integration across the range of products.

Infeed conveyor modules (located outside the hub) consisted of a 14-meter-long, one sided, belt conveyors, hot dipped galvanized finish providing weather protection. Operators load products onto the high-speed two-tier conveyor from a dedicated loading point. The belts on infeed utilised gauge strips at 600mm pitch to provide initial gapping of product with additional gapping created on belt conveyors inside the hub prior to the induct conveyors.

Once the parcel is on the in-feeding conveyor it automatically travels into the hub and inclines up to a 5-sided camera scanning tower (with volumizing functionality) via suitably located gapping belts. If the parcel is oversized, then the system will reject the parcel (either using the sorter, if the parcels can be processed on the machine or by stopping the infeed and waiting for an operator to remove it if the parcel is over-sized). The control system identified the barcode (either 1D or 2D) and called an API to ensure the parcel is transferred to the correct destination or will revert to a local lookup table to make the routing decision.

Once the scanning system has obtained the identity and volume of the parcel, the system indexed the parcel onto the automatic sorter with the parcel then, diverted to one of the multiple destinations dependent on barcode etc. The system offered provision for rejecting parcels and the sorter continuously monitored the fill level of the destinations and reject area to ensure a continuous flow is maintained.

System Overview

Objectives

To remove the manual labour currently associated with the flyer van traffic sortation process

To provide unloading station for up to 6 vans

To provide conveyor lines to feed Beumer sorter inducts at a rate of 5000 parcels per hour

Improve sorter throughput

Ensure product separation

Reduction in product handling cost per item

to be compatible with current customer host/business systems and to be able to interface with the customer APL

To reduce manual handling of product.

Key services & Technologies

Galvanised Conveyors for use outside the main building