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Plastic Modular Belts
Posted:
October 20, 2016
Categories:
Industries
Durable. Easy to repair. Positively driven. Plastic modular belting has become standard across industries for its efficiency-improving advantages, and Midwest Industrial Rubber provides plants with the top plastic modular belting brands from around the world. From quickly replacing modules to providing insights on the efficiency of a plastic modular belting application line, MIR can fulfill your plant’s plastic modular belting needs.
What is modular plastic?
Plastic modular belting is a type of conveyor belting consisting of injection-mold modules and hinge rods constructed in an interlaying brick pattern to form a belt. The belt is positively driven by sprockets engaged with the underside of the belt. The standard materials of the modules are polypropylene, polyethylene, acetal and nylon. Each material offers varying characteristics in hardness, temperature resistance, chemical resistance, strength, coefficient of friction and density for best conveying the material. Plastic modular belting is widely used in the food industry, box / carton / paper industries and more for its benefits to efficiency and reliability in conveying systems.
Advantages of plastic modular belting
Plastic modular belting is prevalent in plants for its distinct advantages in food and non-food applications alike. The following characteristics of plastic modular belting can lead to reduced downtime, lowered maintenance costs and an overall improved bottom line.
Strong sanitation ability
The sanitary benefits for food processing plants include the non-porous thermoplastics, partially exposed hinge rods and FDA-compliant materials.
Easy maintenance and repair
In the case of a damaged module, a simple extraction of the adjacent plastic rods will fix the belt (no need to remove the entire belt from the conveying system). In addition, minimal tools are needed for extracting the plastic rods, meaning easy repair and lower maintenance costs.
Increased tracking ability
Plastic modular belting is propelled forward with positive drive (instead of friction drive) utilizing a series of sprockets. This eliminates slippage and leads to a strong tracking capability with the potential to reduce downtime for tracking repairs.
Minimized costs through low tension systems
Plastic modular belts are low tension systems, which allows for the use of fewer pulleys. This means a less complex system and reduced installation costs. The low-tension belts also cut down on wear to bearings and ancillary components, extending product life and lowering maintenance costs.
Simplified corner and turn navigation
When a conveying system calls for corners and turns, plastic modular belting easily rises to the challenge, as the belt can navigate around corners and turns using only one belt and one motor.
Reliable and durable material
Plastic modular belting undergoes no fraying or tearing. Also, the plastic modules can withstand harsh environments and offer high resistance to abrasives and corrosives.
Customization options
Plastic modular belting has proven its worth in a variety of conveying applications. Each line requires its own distinct characteristics — here are a few of the customization capabilities for plastic modular belting.
- A variety of cleats (straight up, scoop) can be added to the belt. Due to the modular nature of the belts, the cleats’ height and spacing can be changed, even after initial installation.
- Belts can be constructed to virtually any width or length and still track properly.
- Multiple pitch options are available to accommodate tight transfers or heavy loads.
- Hinges can be open or closed, with open hinge designs often used in sanitation-sensitive food applications. Closed hinge designs are often seen in high-load, non-food applications.
Considerations for plastic modular belting
Plant managers should know plastic modular belting is an initial investment for the facility. But the high upfront costs will likely be offset by reductions to maintenance time, improved sanitation, increased throughput and an overall more efficient system.
However, certain products may get caught in the belt’s hinge points and cause buildup. This can take additional time and resources for the cleaning crews to sanitize and may not be worth the aforementioned advantages. A conveyor belting expert will balance these characteristics with the advantages of plastic modular belting and determine the best-fit belt for your application line.
Plastic modular belting brands
MIR carries plastic modular belting from top brands from around the world, such as:
- Intralox
- Ammeraal/Uni-Chain
- Forbo Pro-Link
- Span-Tech
- Regina
For quick replacements to damaged belts, simply provide your series number or modular belting HS code and our 24/7 on-site services will return your application line to full capacity. Or reach out to our conveyor belting experts for an analysis of your current plastic modular belting configuration and gain valuable insights on improving the efficiency and uptime of your application line.
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