Conveyor systems are widely used in modern manufacturing and processing industries. It is often said that a conveyor system is only as good as the condition of its conveyor components, specifically the belt. Being that there are several types of conveyor belts designed for different applications, it may not be very easy to choose between different types of belts. This article discusses various types of conveyor belts and applications that they're most suited for.

General Purpose Conveyor Belts

These are the most widely used type of conveyor belts. General purpose conveyor belts are often made of Nylon, Polyester, leather, PVC, rubber, and Urethane among others. Various factors affect the best type of material for a general purpose conveyor belt. These include the size and weight of products to be conveyed, the type of material used to make the product and the nature of the belt's working environment. Common applications for which general purpose conveyor belts are used include raw material handling, package handling and handling of small parts. These belts are also used in applications that require an elevation change, whereby products travel on an incline or decline. General purpose conveyor belts are also commonly used on check-out lines in supermarkets and local grocery stores, among many other applications.

Wire Mesh Conveyor Belts

True to their name, these belts are made of wire mesh, which facilitates air ventilation. As such, wire mesh conveyor belts are suitable for transportation of hot products that cannot be placed on general purpose conveyor belts. These belts are placed on rollers and they have a thick plastic cover. Wire mesh conveyor belts are of two types. Woven wire conveyor belts are suited for use in applications where temperatures are extremely high or low. These include heat treating of metals and pasteurization in the food processing industry. Flat wire conveyor belts are mostly used for food handling applications such as food preparation and canning, freezing of food, and baking among others.

Roller Bed Conveyor Belts

The surface of roller bed conveyor belts comprise rollers. The selection of rollers is done based on the required belt speed, the distance between opposite ends of the conveyor, and the load of items to be conveyed. Roller bed conveyor belts are designed for applications that rely on gravity to load products onto the belt. Manual loading of roller bed conveyor belts can potentially cause mechanical shock and subsequent damage to the belt.