The use of modular belts in the production process

Posted by AllmaJess on August 3rd, 2014

Modular belts refer to the type of conveyor belts that are flexible with regards to shifting, maintaining, and transporting cut parts of goods. They are not full fledged long belts, but short and limited. Each component of the belt is removable, especially the belt itself. This makes maintaining easy as damage to a portion of the belt need not require changing of the whole belt, and instead just that part. Industries can also keep a lot of savings with regards to merely making additions and giving extensions to this modular belt, as and when required.          

Modular belts are usually assembled in a briskly pattern, as this facilitates the construction of a belt of any width and length, by merely adding portions. The biggest advantage of these belts is that they are easy to clean, with simple, small, and lightweight portions cleaned and maintained individually. Industries that experience spills and those that require strong grips usually go for these belts. The seafood industry that requires the movement of frozen food that could cause the belt to get wet because of humidity or precipitation, especially go for modular conveyor belts.

These conveyor belts are usually molded out of plastic, but there are rubber belts available too. As they have a solid plastic surface, they are used for bottle and cans and also glass bottles. These plastic belts have the advantages of easy installation and maintenance, high mechanical strength, and wear resistance. There would generally be no gaps between the parallel chains as they are well fitted. The biggest issues faced by traditional conveyor system users are the need to make changes. If not frequently, the production line could require a change in the process after every 5 years or so, and this change is very easy to accommodate in case of modular belts.

With increased need for more conveyor control functionality, quiet operations, and better connectivity, modular belts are the best option. Modules of the belt could be fit in as and when required, and the universal side frame could accommodate all conveyor modules. An alternative to the modular framework would be to go for conveyor belt splicing, for addition to the existing belt, or to repair damaged parts. Splicing is the process of joining two parts of the conveyor belt. Performing a splice is very important to the manufacturing unit, as an incorrect splice could leave the whole unit damaged.

There are two ways that splicing can be performed, mechanical and vulcanization. Mechanical splicing is where a mechanical fastener system and a hammer are used to install the fastener. This method is considered versatile owing to the fact that it can be performed under any circumstances, and any temperature. On the other hand, vulcanization refers to a splice in the conveyor belts created by way of applying heat and chemicals. This is an intricate process as it requires a clean and temperature controlled environment. To summarize, addition of portions to the existing conveyors and replacing parts and cleaning are all easier if one chooses to use modular belts.

Flexible conveyor belts that allow ease of maintenance, and change are called modular belts