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F A Q
Belt Conveyors
FAQ
Q. Belts can often stick to the deck section after a clean
down causing the motor to burn out. can this problem be designed out?
A. Belt conveyors can
be fitted with a quick release unit which takes all of the tension off the belt during a clean down situation. The quick release
unit is the levered back in position prior to the new shift beginning, the tracking and tension of the belt will stay the
same.
Q. Can I stop my belts from tracking off as this often scuffs the sides of the
belts?
A. Belts often track off due to a number of reasons namely.
Have your drums
been crowned? This helps the belt to position itself over the terminal drums.
Is the frame work that the belt is running
on square and level?
If it is not then the belt will wonder on the deck section.
Are the end, tension and drive
drums all square to each other?
Make sure that all drums are square to each other.
Q.
Can I transport raw food on a belt conveyor?
A. Yes in fact there are very few products that
can not be transported on a belt conveyor. Selection of the belt material is vital to ensure the correct handling of a product.
Q. Can I accumulate on a belt conveyor?
A. Yes there are many
different types of material available from very low friction to extremely high grip. Once again it is vital to select the
correct belt for your product.
Q. Can I run a belt conveyor at any speed?
A. Within reason the typical ends of the spectrum are 2metres per minute up to 50metres per min, it will however
depend on the product being handled.
Q. What widths of belt can I have?
A. Any width at all, our standard range starts at 100mm wide and goes up to 800mm wide, but any width can be
made. We have supplied a customer with a 2metre wide conveyor.
Q. Can I vary the speed
of a belts conveyor?
A. Yes you can, by either adding an invertor which gives you a speed
control varied by means of a dial the speed is increased by increasing the cylces electronically or by fitting a mechanical
variator which is varied by turning a hand wheel on the gearbox.
Q. What angle can I
run a belt conveyor at?
A. This depends on the product but it is possible to incline up at
an angle of 39 degrees without the need for flights.
Q. Can belt conveyors be made to
a food quality standard?
A. Yes in fact the vast majority of the conveyors that we supply
are food quality.
Q. Is it easy to replace a belt?
A.
Yes, very easy. A new belt can either be fitted as an endless length or a single length can be joined by means of vulcanising
the two ends together.
Q. Can I get close transfers from one conveyor to another?
A. Yes, you can. We use 50mm dia end drums which are fixed. The tensioning of the belt is done
in the middle of our conveyors, thereby ensuring that the length of the conveyor remains the same no mater how much the belt
stretches.
Q. Do belts stretch?
A. Yes after an initial
bedding in period the belt will need to be re tensioned. It is quite possible that a belt could stretch 10% of its original
length once again this will depend on the product being handled.
Q. Can I get a closer
transfer than the two 50mm end drums previously mentioned?
A. Yes you can, we offer a mini
range of conveyors for the lighter duty applications, these belts travel around 32mm dia drums. If this is still to large
a gap, you can travel around a knife edge give an approximate gap of 4mm however care should be taken with the belt selection
for this type of transfer.
Q. Can I fit flights to a belt to elevate a product?
A. Yes you can. The flights can be as small as 20mm or as tall as 150mm, they can be pitched at
any distance over 80mm.
Q. Can I have side walls fitted to the belt?
A. Yes you can they start at 20mm high. Although this will effect the diameter of the drums being used.
Modular Belt Conveyors FAQ
Q. Do modular belts need
to be tracked?
A. No modular belts do not need to be tracked.
Q.
Can I transport raw food on a modular belt conveyor?
A. Yes in fact there are very few products
that can not be transported on a modular belt conveyor. Selection of the belt material is vital to ensure the correct handling
of a product.
Q. Can I accumulate on a modular belt conveyor?
A.
Yes there are many different types of material available from very low friction to extremely high grip. Once again it is vital
to select the correct belt for your product.
Q. Can I run a modular belt conveyor at
any speed?
A. Within reason the typical ends of the spectrum are 1metres per minute up to
100metres per min, it will however depend on the product being handled.
Q. What widths
of belt can I have?
A. Any width at all, our standard range starts at 100mm wide and goes
up to 800mm wide, but any width can be made. We have supplied a customer with a 2metre wide conveyor.
Q. Can I vary the speed of a modular belt conveyor?
A. Yes you can, by either
adding an invertor which gives you a speed control varied by means of a dial the speed is increased by increasing the cylces
electronically or by fitting a mechanical variator which is varied by turning a hand wheel on the gearbox.
Q. What angle can I run a modular belt conveyor at?
A. This depends on the product
but it is possible to incline up at an angle of 45 degrees without the need for flights but the belt would need the rubber
inserts fitted for up to 45 degrees. Any angle above 45 degree would need flights fitted.
Q.
Can modular belt conveyors be made to a food quality standard?
A. Yes in fact the vast majority
of the conveyors that we supply are food quality.
Q. Is it easy to replace a modular
belt?
A. Yes, very easy. A new belt can be fitted in minutes .
Q.
Can I get close transfers from one conveyor to another?
A. Yes, you can. We use 50mm dia
end drums which are fixed. The tensioning of the belt is done in the middle of our conveyors or we rely on catenary sag, thereby
ensuring that the length of the conveyor remains the same no mater how much the belt stretches.
Q.
Do modular belts stretch?
A. Yes after an initial bedding in period the belt will need to
be re tensioned. It is quite possible that a belt could stretch 10% of its original length once again this will depend on
the product being handled.
Q. Can I get a closer transfer than the two 50mm end drums
previously mentioned?
A. Yes you can, we can supply a belt that will travel around a 20mm
dia fixed nose.
Q. Can I fit flights to a modular belt to elevate a product?
A. Yes you can. The flights can be as small as 20mm or as tall as 150mm, they can be pitched at any distance
in multiples of the belt pitch.
Q. Can I have side walls fitted to the belt?
A. Yes you can they start at 40mm high.
Q. Can a modular belt travel around
corner bends?
A. Yes they can, the general rule is that the belt can turn around an inner
radius of 2 x the belt width.
Q. Can I still elevate with a modular belt that travels
around corners?
A. Yes you can, although you can not fit flights to a radiused belt. It is
possible to fit the rubber inserts.
Q. Is a modular belt flat on the top surface?
A. Well it can be, but it can also be supplied in various forms of open mesh, this makes it very
easy to clean.
Q. Are modular belts more expensive than the traditional belts?
A. Initially they are by about 5 to 10% but the modular belt would expect to out last a traditional
belt by 4 or 5 to 1. It is also easier to clean, easier to replace, you can just replace one link rather than the whole belt
and there are no tracking problems.
Rotary Tables
Q. What diameters are they available in?
A. 1m – 1.2m –
1.5m as standard specials on request.
Q. Can I transport raw food on a rotary table?
A. Yes in fact there are very few products that can not be transported on a rotary table. Tops
are available in plastic or stainless steel.
Q. Can I accumulate on a rotary table?
A. Yes it is possible to accumulate on a rotary table.
Q.
Can I run a rotary table at any speed?
A. Within reason the typical ends of the spectrum
are 4.7 revs per minute up to 15 revs per minute. One should be careful of the speed at the outside diameter of the top disc.
Q. What thickness is the table top?
A. There are two different
sizes, the stainless steel top is 3mm thick and the plastic is 25mm thick.
Q. Can I vary
the speed of a rotary table?
A. Yes you can, by either adding an invertor which gives you
a speed control varied by means of a dial the speed is increased by increasing the cylces electronically or by fitting a mechanical
variator which is varied by turning a hand wheel on the gearbox.
Q. Does the table top
run true?
A. Yes it will run true to + or – 0.75mm
Q.
Can a rotary table be made to a food quality standard?
A. Yes in fact the vast majority of
the tables that we supply are food quality.
Q. Is it easy to replace a table top.
A. Yes, very easy. A new top can be fitted in minutes.
Q.
Can I get close transfers from a table to another conveyor?
A. Yes, you can. The gap is normally
2 to 3mm.
Slat Conveyers
Q. Do slats need to be tracked?
A. No slat chains do not need to be tracked.
Q. Can I transport raw food on a slat conveyor
A. Yes in fact
there are very few products that can not be transported on a slat conveyor. Slats are available in plastic or stainless steel.
Q. Can I accumulate on a slat conveyor?
A. Yes there are many
different types of material available from very low friction to extremely high grip. Once again it is vital to select the
correct slat chain for your product.
Q. Can I run a slat conveyor at any speed?
A. Within reason the typical ends of the spectrum are 1metres per minute up to 50 metres per min,
it will however depend on the product being handled.
Q. What widths of slat chain can
I have?
A. Our standard range starts at 3 ¼” wide and goes up to 12” wide.
Q. Can I vary the speed of a slat chain conveyor?
A. Yes you can,
by either adding an invertor which gives you a speed control varied by means of a dial the speed is increased by increasing
the cylces electronically or by fitting a mechanical variator which is varied by turning a hand wheel on the gearbox.
Q. What angle can I run a slat conveyor at?
A. This depends on
the product but it is possible to incline up at an angle of 20 degrees without the need for flights but the slat would need
the rubber inserts fitted for up to 45 degrees.
Q. Can a slat chain conveyors be made
to a food quality standard?
A. Yes in fact the vast majority of the conveyors that we supply
are food quality.
Q. Is it easy to replace a slat chain.
A.
Yes, very easy. A new chain can be fitted in minutes.
Q. Can I get close transfers from
one conveyor to another?
A. Yes, you can. This is done by a side transfer with two slats
running along side each other with a 3mm gap between the chains, the guide rails then angle across the two chains to help
the transfer.
Q. Do slat chains stretch?
A. Yes after
an initial bedding in period the slat will have stretched, a link would need to be taken out after this period.
Q. Can I remove a link easily?
A. Yes you can, the link is removed
in seconds by pushing a pin through the hinge of the chain.
Q. Can I fit flights to a
slat chain conveyor to elevate a product?
A. No it is not really possible.
Q. Can a slat conveyor travel around corner bends?
A. Yes they can, the general
rule is that the chain can turn around a centre line radius of 610mm although some chains can be supplied with a radius of
254mm.
Q. Can I still elevate with a slat conveyor that travels around corners?
A. Yes you can, although you can not fit flights to a radiused slat chain. It is possible to fit
the rubber inserts.
Q. Is a slat chain flat on the top surface?
A.
Yes it is, although it can be supplied with wheels on the top surface.
Q. Are slat chain
conveyors more expensive than the traditional belts?
A. Initially they are by about 10 to
15% but the slat would expect to out last a traditional belt by 8 or 10 to 1. It is also easier to clean, easier to replace,
you can just replace one link rather than the whole belt and there are no tracking problems.
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