More about Conveyor Belting

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Conveyor belting is the process of using a mechanized movement to transport various bulky, dangerous, heavy, and everyday materials from one location to another. The belt is extended in a continuous loop between two end-pulleys. Usually, one or both ends have a roll underneath. The conveyor belting is supported by either a metal slider pan for light loads where no friction would be applied to the belt causing drag, or on rollers. Power is provided by motors that use either variable -, or constant -speed reduction gears. Conveyor belting is considered a labor and time saving technique that allows large, and often time heavy, loads to be transported more efficiently.

Conveyor belting has a diversity of use in today’s society. Agricultural industries commonly use conveyer belting to transport goods, pulp, and products. Factories commonly use conveyor belting in production lines. Elevators belts commonly use vertical conveyor belting, with addition safety measures, to transport people or products from one place to another. Construction companies use conveyor belting to easily transfer such materials as roofing shingles, cement, plywood, and tools at an inclination to the desired location. Escalators are a good example of human conveyor belting transport. As can be seen, when something needs to be moved with greater ease from one location to another, conveyor belting is often called into play.

In 1924, conveyor belts were introduced and successfully used in an open-pit anthracite mine. The conveyor belt transported coal from the various rooms to a line of cars at the mine entrance. By the 1960s conveyor belts had almost completely replaced railcars, because conveyor belting greatly increased production time.

The belts themselves can be made from numerous materials, which should correspond to the conditions the belt will be operating under. Common conveyor belting material includes rubber, plastic, leather, fabric, and metal. The heavier the load being transported will mean the thicker and stronger the requirements in construction of the conveyer belting material.

Conveyor belting has increased production time, saved companies money, saved peoples’ lives, and improved everyone’s quality of life by moving bulky, heavy, and sometimes dangerous materials long distances with the minimal of human intervention.