Product information | Product information

1. How is a textile conveyor belt constructed?

It is not always visible at a first glance what is in a conveyor belt but there is something more than only that black rubber mass:
A rubber conveyor belt has got a cover plate made of caoutchouk in different thickness depending on the area of use and on the material transported. The cover plate is exposed to more wear than the bottom plate as sharp objects and heavy bulk steadily fall down on it.
Generally, chevron belts are taken for special conditions such as transport with inclines over 20° to avoid slipping of the material. In this case, cleats are vulcanized on the cover plate of the conveyor belt, which are available in differentheights and shapes. Sidewall belts can even be taken for steep inclines up to 90°.
Below the cover plate, there is the first carcass or textile layer. It is an important component as it gives the conveyor belt the necessary tensilestrength. Ambelt offers textile layers in different tensile strength.
Between the single textile layers, which vary depending on the demand, there is an intermediate rubber. It gives further stability andavoids abrasion of the individual textile layers.
The bottom plate or running side consists of another rubber layer which is thinner than the cover plate as there is less impact on it. With this layer, the conveyor belt generally lays on rollers. Where there are no rollers, the conveyor belt directly slides on tables. In this case, you need sliding belts without the bottom plate in order to minimize the friction.

2. When do I need an oil resistant conveyor belt?

If you have oily or greasy materials to transport, the rubber may swell due to its chemical properties. This leads to a change of the shape andstability of the conveyor belt and finally to a damage. Therefore, there are used oil resistant conveyor belts for such applications which are resistant to vegetable oils, mineral oils and solvents thanks to its cover plate quality and to the nitrile butadiene caoutchouk

3. When do I need a chevron belt?

Chevron belts are used for inclines being that steep that the bulk cannot be transported any longer with a plain conveyor belt. That is at approximately 20° incline.
Ambelt^® offers an abundant portfolio of open and closed tread patterns suitable for the different areas of use and operational specifications. For individual demands regarding the profile height and pattern, Ambelt^® can offer customized solutions. Our service team is looking forward to advise you on the suitable profile for your demand.

4. What does MOR mean?

MOR means moderate oil resistant conveyor belts which are suitable for the recycling or wood industry. When transporting aggressive or excessively oily products it is recommended to take an oil resistant (OR) conveyor belt which is oil resistant to the core.

5. What’s the weight of a conveyor belt?

1mm of rubber weighs about 1.12kg/m², the carcass depending on its tensile strength and the number of textile layers for common conveyor belts weigh among 4.2kg/m² and 5.5kg/m². There are many possibilities to calculatethe weight of a conveyor belt, therefore the customer only needs an approximate estimation which may be calculated by using the following simple formula:
Thickness (mm) x Width (m) x Length (m) x 1,45

6. What does EP-textile mean?

The EP textiles are the primary reinforcing materials of a conveyor belt. The strength of the textile you want to choose depends on the area of use. The longer the conveyor installation, the wider the conveyor belt and the higher the weight to transport, the stronger the textile has to be. The EP textile is a synthetically created product. Lengthwise, it consists of polyester, crosswise of polyamide. Polyamides show excellent strength, tenacity and elongation characteristics which are essential for the troughability of the conveyorbelt. Polyester, on the contrary, is a synthetic material barely elastic but highly weather resistant where the take-up path of the longitudinal direction can be held short.
Among EP textiles, P-belts are used, primarily in the regions of the former Soviet Union where the longitudinal and the cross direction are made of polyamide. The disadvantage is a stronger elongation.

7. When do I need cross-stable conveyor belts?

On a belt conveyor (S- or Z-conveyor) with direction changes, the demands on the conveyor belts are crucial. The cross-rigid conveyor belt is exposed to particular physical challenges when travelling reverse (return on stub rolls) as it is mostly equipped with tapped profiles and / or sidewalls to guarantee a vertical or horizontal transport of materials. The higher the sidewalls and cleats need to be, themore important is the installation of a cross-rigid belt body. The Ambelt^® cross-rigid conveyor belt isable to safely carry back the belt body including sidewalls up to 260mm in the return travel thanks to its two cross-rigid layers. Ambelt^® offers crossrigid conveyor belts in normal, oil resistant and heat resistant quality.

8. How do we manufacture sidewall belts?

Sidewall belts are mostly used with S or Z belt conveyors where materials need to be transported in steep gradient angles, vertically or horizontally. A sidewall belt generally consists of three components: a) cross-rigid belt body, b) sidewalls and c) cleats.
In comparison to other companies in the market, Ambelt^® also offers hot vulcanization of the belt rubber with the cleats and sidewalls for an increased lifecycle. For lower cleats, Ambelt^® also offers the common cold vulcanization. Cleats and sidewallsare produced fabric reinforced and screwed on the belt on customers’ demand.

9. Why are conveyor belts heat resistant?

Ambelt^®’s heat resistant conveyor belts can transport materials with a temperature of 180°C – in the short term even up to 250°C. The cover plate of a conveyor belt consists of a specific rubber mix which is characterized by a high adhesive strength, a lowelongation and an excellent thermal protection effect. The rubber composition varies according to the demands on the temperature resistance. Due to its thermal resistance, Ethylene propylene caoutchouk (EPM) is highly recommended for the use under hot conditions.

10. When do I need impact bars?

Impact bars or damping elements extend the lifecycle of a conveyor belt. Impact bars are taken for the areas below the loading station or the transmission station and replace rollers in these areas. Thanks to their rubber mix, product impacts can be absorbed. Impact bars have got a hot vulcanized sliding-eager cover plate made of polyethylene which minimizes the friction losses of the belt. A vulcanized aluminum profile on the back facilitates the installation. Our service team is looking forward to answer your questions and to provide you with samples.

11. What is the difference between the S, V and K quality?

In some industries such as in the mining industry, it is essential that potential fireplaces or inflammations on the conveyor belt do not spread. Therefore, special qualities are offered which reduce the flammability of the conveyor belt to a minimum.
V quality is a self-extinguishing conveyor belt andis generally used for underground operations. The K quality is hardly inflammable (examined with cover plates) and S quality hardly inflammable (examined with and without cover plates. Technical details can be found in the following DIN regulations: 22109, DIN EN ISO 340, DIN EN ISO 284.Please contact the Ambelt^® service team to know more about the quality you need for your requirements.

12. How do we calculate the remaining meters on a roll?

The calculation of the winding length is pretty easy. A calculator and a measure should be enough. Take the measure of the outer diameter (Da) and theone of the winding mandrel / inner diameter (Di) of the belt roll. The approximate value of π is 3.14 The approximate value of π is 3.14
Please take into consideration that you take the same measure units in diameter and thickness, i. e. meter / millimeter.

13. When do I need sliding belts?

Sliding conveyor belts are operated on sliding tables and are always used wherever conveyors do not work with a rolling structure for technical reasons. The conveyor belt slides on the running side on a non-irritating proof textile to minimize the friction resistance between belt and conveyor construction.

14. How do I calculate the endless length of a conveyorbelt?

The instructions how to calculate the endless length are determined by DIN EN 16851. A steel measuring tape should be used to measure. If there is no endless measuring tape available, the center distance between as well as the diameter of the return roller and the driving roller needs to be determined.

15. How do I need to store conveyor belts?

In order to guarantee proper storing of conveyor belts, a few rules need to be followed. Please see our tips and tricks below:
-Conveyor belts need to be stored in a dry place. -The ideal storage temperature is between +10° and +20°C. Conveyor belts should not be exposed to extreme fluctuations in temperature. -The storage space should be well-ventilated and free of acids, greases, detergents and vapors or other aggressive agents. -The relative humidity should be at around 65% -Conveyor belt rolls should not be stored on the ground or on the edges but on suitable mounting which exclude contact between belt and ground. For suitable storage systems you are welcome to contact our Ambelt^® team anytime. -Generally, conveyor belts should not be stored longer than 6 months. Under good conditions, a storage of 18 months is possible.

16. Where do they produce caoutchouk?

Natural caoutchouk is grown, distributed and sold in south-east Asian countries. Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia produce and sell more than three quarters of the world-wide caoutchouk.

17. What kinds of caoutchouk are there and where is thedifference? How is caoutchouk extracted

Caoutchouk is a collective term for macromolecular substances which are of a natural or synthetic origin. Natural caoutchouk consists ofpolyisoprene and is extracted from the milky juice (latex) of specific plant species in tropical regions. You can find these plants in the regions of South-America, Africa and Asia. The most famous plant is the paracaoutchouk tree where there is extracted from some 90% of the world-wide production of natural caoutchouk. The milky juice mainly consists of water (55-70%) and caoutchouk (30-40%). Other substances are resin(1.5-2%), protein (1.5-3%), ash (0.5-1%) and sugar (1-2%). When adding ammoniac to the milky juice, a latex concentrate is produced. Another mode of processingis the filtration of the milky juice and the dilution with water and adding diverse substances to achieve a coagulation. A distinction is made between crepes, sheets, technically specified natural caoutchouk (TSR), conserved latex concentrates.

18. Which work processes are there to produce a conveyor belt from caoutchouk?

The first step to produce natural caoutchouk is themastication. During this process, caoutchouk molecules are torn into small pieces, so that the plasticity increases and the viscosity decreases. Asa further step, bulking agents, softening agents and rubber chemicals are added and mixed with a roll mill or with closed kneaders to achieve a homogenous rubber mix. Now, the homogenous rubber mix is pre-formed in forms of molding machines or by pressing them through calenders. As a last step, you need to add Sulphur as a vulcanizing agent and heatit up to vulcanize the molded rubber mix.

19. Why is the price of conveyor belts subject to change?

The price of a conveyor belt consists of different components. The most important cost drivers are caoutchouk, textile, transport, exchange rate fluctuations and wages. Conveyor belts are mostly produced in Asia as wages and employee on-costs aremuch lower and the caoutchouk is extracted in that region. As natural and synthetic caoutchouk istraded at the stock exchange, supply and demand determine the price.
As conveyor belts have got a high dead weight and are transported as bulky goods, seasonal variations of the sea freight rates have a significant impact on the cost structure. Furthermore, wages and resources have to be bought with the local currencyof the producing place, the exchange rate needs to be taken into consideration. In times of economic and financial crisis, the exchange rate can be very volatile.