Month: June 2025

Vacuum conveyors are a pivotal technology for industrial automation and material handling, providing a level of precision, cleanliness and efficiency demanded by industries from pharmaceutical to food processing and electronics manufacturing.

What is a Vacuum Conveyor?

A vacuum conveyor is a type of pneumatic conveying system that employs suction to move materials through an enclosed pipeline. By creating a pressure differential, materials are gently pulled from one location to another, ensuring a dust-free and hygienic transfer process. This method is particularly beneficial when handling fine powders, granules, and other dry materials. The core components of a vacuum conveyor system include:

• Vacuum Pump: Generates the necessary negative pressure to initiate material movement
• Conveying Line: An enclosed pipeline through which materials are transported
• Vacuum Receiver: Separates the conveyed material from the air stream before discharge

 Vacuum conveyor systems are closed systems, ensuring material integrity and enhancing workplace safety by preventing dust emissions and potential contamination.

Benefits For Applications Across Industries

Vacuum conveyors help maintain a controlled environment, making them essential in processes demanding product purity and precision. They find applications across industries, including:

• Pharmaceuticals: For transferring active ingredients and excipients without contamination
• Food Processing: Ensuring hygienic movement of food ingredients
• Chemical Industry: Safely handling reactive or hazardous substances
• Electronics: Transporting delicate components in cleanroom environments
• Pick and place equipment

Steel Belts Enhance Vacuum Conveyor Performance with Precise, Smooth Motion

PureSteel® perforated metal belts are flat, endless metal conveyor belts manufactured with precision perforations, allowing for the passage of air drawn through grooves in the vacuum plenum of the conveyor to create a suction effect that holds flat product materials to the belt surface. This allows for a level of precision and accuracy unattainable with traditional systems.

Stainless steel belts provide:

1. Precision Perforation: Our PureSteel^® stainless steel conveyor belts are designed and manufactured based on the specific needs and specifications of our customers. A wide variety of different perforation patterns and sizes are possible, and our engineers will provide design feedback and technical support to ensure maximum efficiency. We use a variety of perforation methods based on the dimensions of the belt and the operational requirements of the vacuum conveyor system including: high-impact mechanical punching, chemical etching and laser cutting
2. Material Integrity: Constructed from high-grade stainless steel, PureSteel® belts resist extreme temperatures, corrosion and wear. Their durability ensures longevity and reduces maintenance downtime. Steel is also ideal in applications involving elevation change and temperature fluctuations.
3. Cleanroom Compatibility: Because PureSteel® stainless steel belts do not generate particulates, manufacturers can increase product throughput with less downtime spent cleaning or removing debris buildup.
4. Smooth Motion Control: The inherent strength and stability of stainless steel provide precise, smooth motion—essential for applications requiring exact material placement.

Coatings and surface treatments for perforated metal conveyor belts are also available; our engineers will help you determine the right coating and PureSteel® product requirements for your system.

Vacuum Conveyor Belt Engineering

Engineers at Belt Technologies have the knowledge and experience to design and fabricate complete vacuum metal conveyor belt systems based on your specifications and product requirements and built to withstand even the most demanding production environments.

Interested in learning more about how PureSteel® can help optimize your vacuum conveyor system? Reach out to our team with questions.

Robotic automation in high-tech production applications can contribute significantly to increased speed, efficiency and accuracy. It also comes with its own unique challenges, many of which can be successfully addressed with the introduction of stainless steel metal timing belts and drive tapes.

The Challenges of Robotic Automation

Motion loss and backlash of gears and timing belts can result in inaccurate positioning and robotic movement—a big problem for tasks requiring rapid acceleration, precise positioning and repetitive operations. Belt Technologies offers the PureSteel® solution to these challenges.

PureSteel® drive tapes maintain smooth movement and positional accuracy throughout their lifespan, ensuring efficient product throughput on the device and helping to avoid significant downtime for maintenance and cleaning.

High-strength stainless steel belts are non-stretchable and eliminate backlash for further precision and accuracy. They offer unparalleled durability, a high strength-to-weight ratio, and a much longer lifespan than traditional belt materials like fabric or rubber.

The PureSteel® Solution for Extreme Environments

Robotic equipment often operates in environments that pose major challenges to traditional belt materials, including:

Extreme Temperatures

Our PureSteel® timing belts and drive tapes withstand high and low temperatures without compromising their material integrity.

Cleanroom & Vacuum Environments

PureSteel® stainless steel belts are sanitary and easy to clean, making them ideal for applications requiring cleanroom environments.

They generate no debris or particulates, preventing contamination of delicate parts and products like electronics. Being insusceptible to any oxidation reactions, they will not rust.

Static-Free Environments

Unlike traditional materials like fabric or rubber, PureSteel® stainless steel belts will not generate static electricity, making them the preferred choice for the automated production of delicate electronic components.

Case in Point: PureSteel® in Action

Stainless Steel Belts for Dairy Farm Robotics

Belt Technologies was approached by an OEM producing automated robotic equipment for the dairy industry. The customer’s equipment included a robotic arm approximately three feet long with 18-inch joints controlling milking attachments with a visually guided system.

The OEM was struggling with a metal band component designed to move the arm of the machine. Because of poor attachment points and high torque, the part was experiencing a high rate of failure.

Our design and engineering experts redesigned the assembly, removing high bending loads and performing a stress optimization analysis that resulted in design changes to reduce overall stresses and extend belt life. The result was a more efficient machine that no longer required expensive and time-consuming maintenance and parts replacements.

From One A-Team to Another

Students on the Landsdale Catholic High School robotics team cruised to a number-one ranking out of 30 in competition thanks in part to a PureSteel® stainless steel drive tape from Belt Technologies.

Due to the PureSteel® drive tape’s superior accuracy, precise positioning, durability and strength, the team prevailed over previous champion robots and even won the “Engineering Inspiration” award for inspiring, helping and demonstrating strong engineering competence throughout the season.

Our own Senior Sales Engineer, Scott MacDougal, says: “We were excited for the opportunity to support these students and are so proud of their accomplishments. Growing and encouraging interest in STEM education is important to us. These students and others like them are the leaders of tomorrow. We look forward to seeing their resumes come through the door in the near future.”

The PureSteel® Solution to Your High-Tech Production Application

Call on the experts at Belt Technologies to help you solve your high-tech robotic production challenges and maximize efficiency and quality. Reach out to us today.