Industrial conveyor belts may look simple but are crucial in material handling. Even a tiny problem, such as excessive fugitive material, can quickly escalate into an expensive outage or production delay.
An excellent industrial conveyor belt supplier will tailor the right belt for your needs. It will examine environmental conditions like scorching and cold temperatures and the materials you transport.
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Experience
Industrial belts may look simple, but they’re highly complex equipment that plays a vital role in material handling. Even a minor issue, like excessive fugitive material, can quickly escalate into an expensive outage or production delay.
An experienced industrial belt supplier can work with you to understand your operation’s unique handling challenges. They can then expertly tailor equipment to match your requirements, minimizing the chance of foreign product contamination or other costly issues.
Ask any short-listed industrial belt suppliers for project profiles and references demonstrating their ability to solve your industry’s material handling problems. They should also be able to offer custom fabrications when off-the-shelf solutions just won’t cut it. This is particularly important if your operations require high-performance, specialty belts like those for food processing. These are typically fabricated from rubber, polyurethane, or neoprene to withstand impact and provide superior abrasion resistance.
Reputation
A conveyor belt supplier’s reputation is an essential factor to consider. A track record of positive outcomes, including quantifiable improvements in efficiency and productivity, as well as testimonials from satisfied businesses, are helpful indicators.
In addition to a strong reputation, the best industrial conveyor belt suppliers will also offer high-quality products that meet industry and application standards. You can find these suppliers by asking for project profiles and references that showcase their ability to tailor equipment to specific material handling challenges.
Finally, the best industrial conveyor belt suppliers will provide comprehensive support. They should help you set up your new system and ensure it functions properly. They should also be able to respond quickly to any issues. This will help you reduce the number of unscheduled downtime and maintenance visits and maximize productivity. Moreover, they should be willing to provide in-person training and other technical assistance.
Customization
Industrial belts may look simple — thick bands of black rubber that run around metal conveyor frames — but they are sophisticated pieces of hardware. They are the backbone of production plants, enabling seamless operation and transportation of materials throughout the facility and shipping.
Properly selecting conveyor belts can help avoid problems ranging from unscheduled downtime to lower yields to foreign product contamination. The best industrial belt suppliers can offer customization options to ensure the equipment works well with your material handling needs.
For example, abrasive aggregate materials require belts with high tensile strengths to withstand impact, while fragile products may necessitate softer surfaces to prevent harm. It is also essential to consider factors like belt speed, pulley diameters, and desired top and bottom coefficients of friction. The supplier should also be able to provide solutions for minimizing carryback, which can build up on idlers and rollers, degrading them over time and potentially causing tracking issues.
Flexibility
Industrial belts may seem like simple structures—thick bands of black rubber running around metal conveyor frames—but they’re crucial to a facility’s operations. The slightest mistake can quickly lead to unscheduled downtime, foreign product contamination, or lower yield. That’s why choosing a supplier that can customize equipment to suit your handling requirements is critical.
For instance, if your facility deals with sharp items, you must ensure that your belts have high abrasion resistance. This means choosing materials such as polyurethane or nitrile-butadiene rubber.
Additionally, you must ensure that the industrial belts you select fit seamlessly with your conveyor system. This involves checking and adjusting the industrial belt tension and regularly inspecting them for wear and damage. The best supplier will offer tools to help with this. They’ll also be able to recommend the correct belt type for your operation. Open-hinge belts are ideal for situations where sanitation is essential, while closed-hinge options provide more excellent abrasion resistance and durability.
