4 Conveyor Parts to Optimize Your Operations

At its core, a conveyor requires a belt, belt support, pullies, and drive unit. However, this basic setup could prevent you from reaching peak performance with your conveyance system. This is especially true depending on the specific requirements of your industry and operations.

While a conveyor belt does not require every available accessory to run efficiently, several conveyor parts can optimize your system's performance and correct common belt maintenance errors. Below, we detail four conveyance parts that can help improve the overall performance of your existing conveyance system.

Skirting

Loading bulk material onto a conveyor belt can be a messy operation. Especially if you’re working in an industry like coal mining or sugar processing, you’re likely losing large amounts of material as it travels through transfer points. This spillage and dust not only results in lost product revenue but contributes to a messy operational site overall. One conveyor part that can assist with this problem is conveyor belt skirting.

Skirting is a conveyor part designed to help create seamless loading zones and transfer points for your conveyance system. Making light contact near the top edges of the conveyor belt loading zone, skirting creates a seal to help prevent both large materials and small particles from escaping the conveyance system. Skirting is available in various materials to meet your specific application needs. Common materials include soft rubber, hard rubber, polyurethane, and fire-resistant anti-static (FRAS) rubber.

Cleats

Materials will naturally shift and move as they travel through your conveyance system. However, depending on the inclines, the types of materials moved, and the overall goal of your conveyance system, your operations might require a conveyor part to counteract this. To help, we recommend utilizing cleats. Hot vulcanized rubber cleats specifically designed for the larger material moved on steeper incline angle troughing systems, stopping the slapping and spillage of sand.

Cleats, also referred to as flights, lugs, and profiles, are conveyor parts that can help prevent product rollback and create separation between conveyor belt materials. Cleats attach directly to the conveyor belt and are available in various styles and materials. Some belts come premade with cleats attached, while some can bond as modifications to your existing belting. Utilizing cleats in your conveyance system can allow for faster conveyor belt speeds, greater belt inclines, less floor space used, and more efficient work overall.

Sidewalls

When your conveyance system travels steep inclines and declines materials are at a greater risk of falling off. While cleats can help prevent this, the sides of your conveyor belt are still vulnerable. To help ensure that materials stay on your conveyor belt, we recommend incorporating sidewalls.

Sidewalls prevent materials from falling off the side of your conveyor belt by providing a continuous barrier to both sides. Depending on your industry and applications, sidewalls are available in several materials, including polyurethane and rubber. Sidewalls are also available in different designs and can be custom-made for your system, ensuring maximum product output.

Belt Cleaners

Some particles will likely stick around as materials travel throughout your conveyance system. These fugitive materials can eventually adhere to return rolls and accumulate below the conveyor belt. As these materials build over time, they can lead to belt-tracking issues that could halt your operations. A belt cleaner is a conveyor part that can help prevent this fugitive buildup.

Belt cleaners, also called belt scrapers or pre-cleaners, are designed to scrape fugitive materials off conveyor belts. Most belt cleaners consist of a blade and a mechanism to keep the blade in place. Blades interact with the belting at an angle that allows the blade to peel away anything left on the belt. A secondary cleaner is also installed on the return side of the belt after it leaves the discharge pulley. Blades come in various materials, which are measured in durometer hardness levels. For some industries, such as food and beverage, non-scraping belt cleaner options are available as well.

What Conveyor Parts Are Best for My System?

Motion Conveyance Solutions is ready to support you with conveyor parts for your belting system. Our team is ready to evaluate your operations, identifying key areas for improvement and implementing them accordingly. Whether you need thermoplastic cleats bonded to your lightweight conveyor belt or custom sidewalls fabricated for heavyweight belting, we are ready to serve you today.

 To learn more about our conveyance capabilities, head to our website or contact our team today.