L-A-C Logistics Automation

How to Choose the Right Belt Conveyors for Your Needs

17-09-2024

L-A-C Logistics Automation has been designing and installing high-quality belt conveyors and automation solutions for nearly 30 years. In this article, we share our insights and expertise to provide you with an overview of the key considerations to help you make an informed decision on how to choose the right belt conveyors for your needs.

What Are Belt Conveyors Used For?

Belt conveyors are used for two main types of material transportation: general material handling, such as lightweight packaged items in the food industry and goods suited to e-commerce, and heavy-duty applications involving loose bulk materials such as grains, flour, and metals.

Whether you’re handling light materials or heavy materials, belt conveyors offer a robust and reliable option for material handling tasks across a wide variety of industrial applications. From assembly lines to production processes, these systems are critical for maintaining efficiency and safety.

a conveyor as a conveyor systems warehouse

Benefits of Belt Conveyors

Belt conveyors are a highly effective tool in modern industrial operations, offering a range of benefits that enhance efficiency, productivity, and cost-effectiveness. From automating repetitive tasks to optimising available space, belt conveyors are designed to streamline operations and support a more structured, scalable, and efficient flow of goods. Suitable for a wide variety of applications where you need to handle high volumes, navigate complex layouts, reduce manual labour, and improve safety, belt conveyors offer a versatile solution tailored to meet the specific demands of your business.

Automating Repetitive Tasks

Belt conveyors can significantly reduce the need for manual labour, freeing up your workforce to focus on more value-added activities that require human input. Belt conveyor automation not only enhances efficiency but also minimises the potential for error, ensuring that your processes remain reliable and accurate. This results in smoother workflow, reduced cycle times, and improved overall productivity. By automating routine tasks, your operations become more scalable, allowing businesses to handle higher volumes of goods without the need for additional costly labour.

Continuous Production Flow

A well-designed belt conveyor system eliminates bottlenecks and reduces potential downtime. Using belt conveyors, materials can move smoothly through different stages of the manufacturing process without the need for manual handling. Maintaining a continuous flow is crucial for keeping high levels of efficiency and meeting tight production deadlines, especially in assembly lines and production processes where precision and timing are essential.

Enhanced Productivity

Using belt conveyors allows for faster and more efficient movement of materials and products. This not only increases productivity and efficiency but also reduces the time taken by manual handling, allowing your workforce to achieve more in less time. Wider belts can handle heavier loads, ensuring that the system is versatile enough to accommodate different types of loads and belt types. Whether it's light, medium, or heavy-duty conveyor belt systems, the right type of conveyor belt will significantly improve operational efficiency.

Reductions in Labour Costs

Implementing belt conveyors can significantly reduce the need for manual material handling, meaning fewer workers are needed to manage the flow of goods. Additionally, belt conveyors help reduce the risk of workplace injuries related to heavy lifting or repetitive strain, resulting in a more streamlined and cost-effective operation with improved profitability. This is especially critical in industries with strict safety standards where reducing physical strain on workers is essential.

Space Optimisation

Belt conveyors can optimise the available space within your facility using integrated incline and decline modules. These sections allow you to efficiently navigate vertical spaces, making use of areas within the warehouse or production facility that might not be suitable for other purposes. By optimising the material handling process route, you can reduce the overall footprint of your conveyor system and free up valuable floor space for other automated or manual operations, creating a more streamlined working environment.

Robust and Reliable

Using high-quality materials ensures that your belt conveyors can withstand the demands of heavy-duty use and harsh environmental conditions. Stainless steel offers resistance to corrosion and wear, making it ideal for industries where hygiene and durability are important. High-quality rubber belt types provide the necessary traction and durability to handle a wide range of materials, ensuring performance over time remains consistent. Using high-quality materials also reduces maintenance needs and extends the lifespan of your equipment. Whether for heavy-duty applications or lighter tasks, the right type of belt with adequate tensile strength is essential for ensuring efficient operations.

Advanced Technology Integration

Modern belt conveyors can be enhanced using other technologies such as sensors and automated controls. These technologies enhance the functionality of your conveyor system, enabling real-time monitoring and data analysis for predictive maintenance and greater overall efficiency. For example, sensors can detect and adjust the belt conveyor for varying loads, while automated controls can implement speed and routing changes based on production needs. By integrating advanced technologies, you can transform your conveyor system into a smart, responsive part of your warehouse operations or production lines, capable of adapting to changes and improving overall operational intelligence.

Versatile Design Options

Modular belt conveyor designs can be fully customised to meet specific operational requirements for light, medium, or heavy loads. Belt conveyors can be easily reconfigured, which allows the solution to be perfectly aligned with specific load and volume needs, ensuring optimal performance and efficiency. Whether you need a conveyor for a high-speed production line, roller conveyors for precision tasks, or a system that can handle bulky or irregular items, modular belt conveyors offer a solution to meet the unique demands of your business.

4 Areas To Consider When Choosing Belt Conveyors

The analysis and design stage of any belt conveyor system is critical to ensure you achieve the optimum solution for your operations. By collaborating with industry experts who have specific expertise in the design and implementation of belt conveyors, you will benefit from their knowledge and reap the rewards of a well-designed, efficient solution that integrates seamlessly with your existing operations and delivers an agile system that will future-proof your business as it grows.

1. Materials Handling Characteristics

This includes material type, the use of incline/decline belt conveyors, the volume and capacity of goods, rate of flow and throughput, and the overall length and layout of the planned belt conveyor route. It’s also important to consider how materials or goods are loaded onto the conveyor, as well as how they are removed, either as completed products or via reject shoots for non-compliant items. Additionally, consider the tensile strength, load capacity, and belt surface required for the specific types of loads your system will handle. Environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, and exposure to chemicals should also be factored in to ensure the right type of belt is selected.

2. Belt Selection

Belt conveyors can be customised to suit the material handling requirements across various belt types—including belt material, width, thickness, and belt surface texture. Choosing the correct type of conveyor belt is crucial for ensuring smooth and efficient operations. For instance, wider belts may be necessary for heavy-duty applications, while specific belt surface textures may be required for handling delicate or irregularly shaped items. Additionally, the modular design of your conveyor system should allow for easy adjustments and expansions as your operational needs evolve.

3. Maintenance & Service

The maintenance, service, and support in place for your belt conveyor system will impact its productivity, so it’s vital to ensure accessibility to the system can be achieved with minimal downtime. It is also worth considering the availability of spare parts and manufacturer support to ensure the system continues to perform efficiently with limited interruptions to the flow of materials. Regular maintenance will help to manage operational costs and ensure long-term reliability. Consider safety features and ensure your system adheres to industry safety standards to minimise risks and maintain a safe working environment.

4. Budget & Cost Considerations

Investment in belt conveyors will incur an initial cost; however, it’s important to assess and factor in the immediate cost savings from both a reduced workforce and enhanced operational efficiency and throughput. Longer-term costs to be noted include the lifespan of the belt conveyor system, maintenance requirements, and energy consumption. Balancing initial cost with operational costs is essential to achieving a solution that delivers value over time.

Future Scope of Belt Conveyors

With technology innovation enhancing all areas of materials handling, belt conveyors will continue to evolve to offer improved productivity. As connected technologies feature more prominently in materials handling operations, belt conveyors can be further enhanced by integrating with other smart technologies such as providing real-time data to improve operational efficiency, as well as detailed monitoring of the belt conveyor system to optimise predictive maintenance and minimise downtime.

Enhancing efficiency through continuous improvement

The next-generation belt conveyors will integrate more features such as improved safety and reliability, using technologies such as sensors and AI algorithms to detect potential hazards and ensure smooth operations. Adhering to safety standards and incorporating advanced safety features will also be paramount.

By enhancing efficiency through continuous improvement, belt conveyors will also contribute towards a more sustainable impact on operations. Combining recycled and environmentally friendly materials with advanced conveyor belt options that minimise energy consumption, the overall environmental impact will be reduced.

Summary

Choosing the right belt conveyors for your business operations involves careful consideration and in-depth analysis of your material handling needs, conveyor specifications, and budget. By considering these factors, you can choose the right belt conveyors to enhance your operational efficiency, future-proof your business, and provide a favourable return on investment.

About L-A-C

L-A-C Logistics Automation is a leading systems integrator with nearly 30 years’ experience in the design, manufacture, and implementation of innovative belt conveyors and automation solutions tailored to modern warehousing, manufacturing, and production needs. At L-A-C, we believe in creating sustainable partnerships and are dedicated to providing innovative conveyor and automated solutions for materials handling operations, alongside exceptional customer service. Start your journey by contacting our team of experts today.

For more information on How to Choose the Right Belt Conveyors for Your Needs talk to L-A-C Logistics Automation

How to Choose the Right Belt Conveyors for Your Needs

What Are Belt Conveyors Used For?