Conveyor Belt And It's Various Industrial Uses

Conveyor Belt And It’s Various Industrial Uses

Steel is a material that is used to make many things. These include tools, equipment, machines, and so many others. There are so many types of steel. These types perform in an optimum manner when used in specific ways. To meet the needs of the users, different elements are added to the steel to give it its notable strength, durability, and resistance against oxidation, corrosion, and so on. One of the most important cases where steel is used is to make conveyor belts. Though conveyor belts are made of different materials, the use of steel to produce them is quite common. likewise, A conveyor belt is a part of a belt conveyor system.

What Is the Conveyer Belt?

A conveyor belt is used in an industrial application and also part of a belt conveyor system. In this system, two or more pulleys are combined together, and then, they are joined with a belt. The belt is often referred to as the carrying medium, as it moves around the pulleys in a loop, and carries things. A conveyor belt or a belt conveyor system is used in numerous areas to transport things from one place to another.

The pulley used in the system is also known as drums. Either one or multiple pulleys used are powered, and the others just move in motion. The pulleys that are powered are called drive pulleys, and the ones that are not are called idler pulleys. The movement of the pulleys makes the conveyor belt move.

History Of Conveyor Belt

Conveyor belts have been used for over a century now. The earlier records show it being used ever since 1892. Needless to say, these were quite primitive and were used to transport materials like coals, ores of different minerals, and so on. The credit for the invention of Conveyor belts goes to Thomas Robins, an American inventor.

In 1901, an inventor who went by the name Sandvik AB, a Swedish multinational engineering company, produced the first steel conveyor belt. Richard Sutcliffe, an Irish engineer, made the first conveyor belt to be effectively used in coal mines in 1905. This invention is said to have revolutionized the industry. Then, again in 1913, the world witnessed yet another impressive use of conveyor belts. Henry Ford, who started Ford Motors, initiated assembly lines that used conveyor belts in his company.

Different experiments were conducted to make conveyor belts stronger and more effective. In 1957, Mobius Stip was invented, which was a kind of conveyor belt that introduced a half twist. The credit for this idea is given to B. F. Goodrich Company. Later, people went back to using traditional conveyor belts. However, to improve its strength, layers of different materials started being used to manufacture them.

Two Main Types Of Conveyor Belt

There are so many types of conveyor belts that are used these days. Quite like steel rebar, these are also made to meet specific purposes. The build of conveyor belts depends on the things that they are meant to carry. The type of conveyor belt used in a system also depends highly on the conveyor system itself. The two main types of conveyor belts are general material handling belts and bulk material handling belts. There are several sub-types of conveyor belts that come under these two mains. These conveyor belts are used in different industries as per their properties.

General Material Handling Belt

One of the conveyor belts categorized under general material handlings belts is grid belts. Look wise, they resemble a spiral cage. These are considered the best for general material handling, as quite a lot of items can be transferred at any given time using grid belts. There is a variation of grid belts available, which is known as small radius grid belts. In the same way, the balanced belt curve is another popular general material handling belt type.

It has a larger surface than traditional conveyor belts. Rubber Belting is also a widely used conveyor belt falling in this type. One of the best uses of Grid belts and balanced belts can be noticed in the food industry.

Bulk Material Handling Belt

As the name suggests, bulk material handling belts are used to transfer heavy objects. This type of conveyor belt is stronger and more durable. A flat wire belt is probably the most popular type that falls under this category. There are variations to flat wire belts like small radius flat wire belts with big open, flat wire belt-durable edge, small radius flat wire belts, flat wire belts with ture and high speed, special flat wire belts, and so on.

One of the best features of a flat wire belt is that it can be customized to handle standard or heavy materials. Look wise, it resembles a number of open sockets layered together. The belt is flat and it has an extraordinary ratio of strength to weight.

Where Are Conveyor Belts Used?

Conveyor belts have a wide range of applications. They are used in industries, mines, warehouses, or any other sector where things need to be transferred from one place to another in a continuous manner. As mentioned above, one of the best uses of conveyor belts can be noticed in the food industry. Apart from that, conveyor belts are widely used in houses where there is an assembly line, for instance, the electronics industry, the motor industry, and so on. Areas like cosmetics and pharmaceuticals also rely on conveyor belts for a speedy workflow.

Conveyor belts are used not just to transport things, but also people. Escalators and moving sidewalks are the perfect examples of this. At airports, conveyor belts are used to transport bags to specific travelers. The longest conveyor belt system in the world is in Western Sahara. The belt connects the mines at Bu Craa with the coast of El-Aaiun that are 61 miles apart. Needless to say, the conveyor belt here is used to transport minerals such as phosphate. Conveyor belts are also used in cement factories and the ones that produce materials used in construction projects. When it comes to conveyor belts the uses are limitless in number.

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