Keep the following in mind when selecting a belt for your conveyor:
- Conveyor type: flat idler, sider bed, and roller chain conveyors are compatible with different belts.
- Conveyor dimensions: basic measurements include width, length, and pulley sizes.
- Material requirements: hot, oily, chemical, and abrasive materials require special belt compounds and additional plies.
- Environmental factors: some environments require food-grade, antistatic, or chemical-resistant belts. If heavy materials will be falling, impact-resistant plies are necessary.
- Operating speed and belt tension: these factors affect belt strength requirements.
- Additional features: cleats for inclines, perforations for screens, and sidewalls for saturated materials, improve functionality.
The conveyor determines the belt measurements. The conveyed material and operating environment determine the belt material and thickness. A belt that matches your requirements maintains energy efficiency, prevents premature wear, and improves the production process.
Let’s take a look at how understanding these factors can help you choose the best belt for your conveyor.
Conveyors and belt options
Belt conveyors fall into two broad categories: pulley-driven and roller chain conveyors.
Pulley-driven conveyors are fitted with a spliced rubber belt. The belt forms a continuous surface that is pulled by a drive pulley. Slider bed, flat idler, and trough idler conveyors are pulley-driven and fitted with rubber belts.
Roller chain conveyors are sprocket-driven. Sprockets transfer power to heavy-duty roller chains that run the length of the conveyor. A modular steel belt is mounted to the roller chains, forming a sturdy conveying surface. A continuous rubber combination belt can also attach to roller chains for lighter-duty applications.
Conveyed materials and belt options
Conveyor belts should match their material application. Some of the key factors to assess include:
- Size: fine dusty materials benefit from troughed belts, while packages are best handled with smooth, flat belts.
- Consistency: belts with sidewalls or cleats best contain wet or powder materials.
- Characteristics: sharp, hot, chemical, or oily materials require industrial belts made from special compounds or metal belts.
- Throughput: Steel belts, impact-resistant belts, ripstop belts, and other heavy-duty options maintain functionality while handling large volumes of material.
If you’d like to learn more about the best belts for different materials, check out some of our other articles:
Environmental factors and belt options
Conveyor belts must maintain performance in challenging environments. Some examples include:
- Mines, construction sites, and scrap metal recycling operations, where belts must withstand the constant impact of falling abrasive materials.
- Recycling, waste management, and organic waste processing facilities require belts that withstand exposure to chemicals and oils.
- Foundries and power plants need belts that withstand extreme heat and hot materials.
- Food processing plants use food-grade belts and oil-resistant belts.
Environmental factors will determine whether you need a belt with antistatic, fire-resistant, heat-resistant, or impact-resistant properties.
If you’d like to learn more about the best belts for different environments, check out some of our other articles:
Our belt options
We supply replacement belts to satisfy all application requirements. Our belting options include:
- Cleated belts in numerous cleat patterns to present spillage and rollback
- Corrugated sidewall belts material containment on steep inclines or containing saturated materials
- Integrally molded belts with cleats molded directly into the carcass for heavy-duty applications
- Industrial belts with static, heat, fire, chemical, oil, and abrasion-resistant compounds
- Pipe belts for long-distance pipe conveyors
- Ripstop belts with additional fortified plies to prevent rips and tears
- Roller chain belts, including apron pan, hinged steel, rubber combination, and Z-pan belts
- Slider bed belts, including smooth top slider bed belts for gentle, precision handling
Our partnerships with leading belt manufacturers guarantee we can find a belt that meets your needs. Talk to our engineering team and we’ll help you with the selection process.
