Belt conveyors can be used to transport large-area, dimensionally stable, heavy, bulky and long goods with the same width gently, with high accuracy and speed and without slippage. They are suitable for the transport of e.g. workpiece carriers, sensitive conveyed goods, refrigerator housings, wire mesh frames, doors, furniture parts, plastic boxes, shaped sheet metal parts, shafts etc.
The design varies, depending on the material being conveyed, in two-strand or multi-strand belt conveyors with different belt designs. An overlap of the strands when using several belt conveyors in a row guarantees a continuous contact surface. This means that even very wide conveyor sections can be realised. The drive for several strands is usually provided by a drive shaft. Alternatively, each strand can be equipped with its own gear motor. Transport can be either continuous or intermittent. It is also possible to use the belt conveyors in reversing mode.
Due to the free space between the conveyor strands, the conveyed material is accessible from below and there is sufficient space between the strands for the installation of stoppers, fixing units and processing stations. The material to be conveyed can be moved along the conveyor line with pushers, linear units or gantry systems, or lifted and removed.
Belt conveyors are available in a wide variety of forms, such as flat belt conveyors, toothed belt conveyors, suspension belt conveyors or round belt conveyors in a wide variety of dimensions. The belt design is selected individually to suit the material to be conveyed or the specific application. In the case of sensitive goods, for example, belts with good damping properties and a suitable surface finish are used.
Depending on the requirements, different profiles can be applied to the belts, such as gentle rubber cleats, welded cams, splines or keyways. In addition, there are belts with different surface coatings such as rubber, hard coatings, soft coatings or coatings for accumulating. This makes belt conveyors very different from chain conveyors. They are also clean, maintenance-free and free of lubricants.
