Category: Blog

Design engineers are often tasked with reducing manufacturing costs, whether by finding more cost-effective materials, designing products that are easier and cheaper to manufacture, or streamlining production processes. But while reducing operational costs is important, there is also an emphasis on maintaining high quality and reliability standards. Your goal is to optimize costs without sacrificing product integrity or performance.

Our PureSteel® metal conveyor belts offer several advantages that reduce operational costs—including reduced downtime and improved efficiency—without compromising quality, consistency or reliability.

Reduced Downtime

It’s pretty obvious that downtime costs money, so avoiding shutdowns is a huge priority on production lines. Here’s where metal conveyor belts really shine.

Durability and Longevity

PureSteel® metal conveyor belts are highly durable and resistant to wear, corrosion and temperature extremes. Because they can withstand high temperatures and exposure to chemicals without degrading, metal belts are ideal for industries such as food processing, pharmaceutical production and chemical manufacturing, where heat and chemical exposure are common. In addition, one of the many advantages of steel belts is the ability to laser cut directly on the belt.

These characteristics increase the longevity of the belts, reducing the need for frequent replacements and maintenance, minimizing production downtime and lowering overall costs.

Sanitation and Cleanliness

Metal conveyor belts are also easier to clean and sanitize, further reducing downtime. In addition, they don’t harbor bacteria or mold, which helps maintain high hygiene standards and reduces the risk of contamination, leading to fewer product recalls and associated costs.

Reduced Maintenance Costs

Due to their durability and resistance to damage, metal conveyor belts typically require less maintenance than belts made of other materials. In addition to reducing downtime, this also reduces labor and material costs associated with repairs and maintenance.

Improved Efficiency

Reducing downtime is only part of the equation for reducing operational costs. Another key factor is increasing efficiency, something metal belts can also help achieve.

Strength and Load Capacity

Metal belts can carry heavier loads compared to other materials, such as plastic or rubber. This allows for the transport of bulky or heavy items without the risk of belt failure, improving efficiency in handling and reducing the need for multiple conveyance systems.

Energy Efficiency

Metal belts have a high strength-to-weight ratio resulting in lower system inertia, which leads to reduced energy consumption, lower energy costs and a smaller carbon footprint. (As a bonus, metal belts are often recyclable, further contributing to sustainability goals!)

Precision and Control

Metal belts provide precise and consistent movement, which is essential for processes requiring high accuracy, such as in the assembly of electronic components or precision parts. This accuracy helps in maintaining product quality and reducing waste.

Flexibility and Customization

Metal belts can be designed and manufactured to meet specific needs, including different belt widths, lengths and patterns. This customization allows you to optimize the conveyor system for your specific production processes, enhancing efficiency.

But Wait, There’s More

Metal conveyor belts can be used in a wide range of applications, from food processing to automotive manufacturing. This versatility allows you to standardize your conveyor systems across different production lines, reducing the need for multiple types of equipment.

At the end of the day, the advantages of PureSteel® metal conveyor belts really add up, reducing operational costs without compromising product integrity, consistency or reliability. Let’s talk about how our conveyor solutions can help take your production to the next level.

Within the next 5 to 6 years, experts anticipate demand for li-ion (lithium-ion) battery production to grow by at least 27% annually, thanks in large part to exponential growth in demand for electrical vehicles (EVs).¹ Companies producing batteries are gearing up to meet that demand, examining every element of the production chain and identifying opportunities to enhance efficiencies. Precision, reliability and efficiency are paramount to producing safe, durable high-performance batteries—attributes our PureSteel® belts are designed to offer.

Rising to the Challenges of EV Battery Production

There are a number of challenges inherent to the production of batteries for EVs, which PureSteel® belts are designed to overcome. Here are some ways in which steel belts can help you be ready for the li-ion revolution:

Heavy Weights at High Volumes

EV battery production requires an assembly line to manage heavy, bulky materials at high volume. Steel conveyor belts provide reliable, durable support for these materials, helping to minimize breakdowns and interruptions. The strength and durability of PureSteel® belts reduces downtime and maintenance costs, ensuring a steady and reliable production flow.

Extreme Temperature

Essential to EV battery production are thermal management processes, including drying, curing and heat treatment. PureSteel® belts can withstand high temperatures and temperature fluctuations without deforming or losing integrity, ensuring more consistent and predictable battery component quality and minimizing belt-distortion-related production halts and safety hazards. We offer several alloys that operate at temperatures as high as 1,200°F.

Caustic, Corrosive Chemicals

The production of li-ion batteries involves exposure to a number of corrosive chemicals. Stainless steel conveyor belts are highly resistant to chemical corrosion, standing up to caustic chemical byproducts and cleaning solutions to ensure a more reliable, longer-lasting conveyor system.

Cleanliness and Hygiene Standards

It is imperative to maintain a meticulously clean production environment to prevent any impact on safety or battery performance resulting from contamination. The lack of any hidden gaps, recesses or crevices in our PureSteel® belts makes them far easier to clean and maintain, ensuring optimum hygiene.

Static Control

EV batteries contain sensitive electronic components that can be damaged by static electricity. The surface of a belt on a conveyor is continually rubbing against the pulley, creating friction and the potential for static electricity. Metal belts prevent static buildup and discharge static electricity, preventing damage to components.

Precision and Stability Requirements

Our metal belts and conveyor systems provide smooth movement, precise motion and positional accuracy—all absolute necessities when working in extreme environments to produce complex products with small, fragile parts. Stability and reliability also ensure optimum performance of the automated systems commonly used in modern battery production.

Recently, a battery-manufacturer required a high-precision solution for moving lithium material through their proprietary laser-cutting process. To meet the challenge, our team delivered matching pairs of timing belts, each featuring 5,000 welded attachments.

The Need for Adaptability and Futureproof Technology

EV battery designs can vary significantly between manufacturers. Metal belts can be customized to accommodate the full range of sizes, weights and production processes, offering complete flexibility to adapt to a range of specifications. As the industry continues to absorb technical advances in battery production, customizable steel belts can be adapted as needed, providing long-term utility.

PureSteel® is Pure Value

When comparing conveyor belt material options, manufacturers typically compare cost versus performance, benefits and longevity. While steel conveyor belts can have higher upfront costs versus alternatives, those costs are rapidly offset by the durability, stability and lower maintenance costs associated with steel, resulting in a considerable return on investment (ROI).

Steel belts provide essential advantages that result in considerable ROI:

• Durability:

  
  

  Reduced frequency of belt replacements minimizes halts in production. Steel belts’ resistance to heat and chemical damage results in a far greater lifespan.

  
  

• Low Maintenance:

  
  

  Reduced maintenance translates directly to lower operational costs and less downtime.

  
  

• Quality Control:

  
  

  Steel belts’ precision and stability help minimize defects and ensure consistent product quality.

  
  

• Automation Compatibility:

  
  

  Seamless integration with automated systems allows for smooth and efficient scaling of production.

  
  

• Safety and Compliance:

  
  

  Metal belts’ cleanliness and chemical resistance help manufacturers meet regulatory requirements and maintain certifications.

  
  

• Environmental Considerations:

  
  

  As the focus on sustainability continues to grow, many manufactures will consider the impact on the environment of production and disposal of conveyor belts. Metal belts require far less frequent replacement and are fully recyclable.

  
  

• Supplier Reliability:

  
  

  Belt Technologies is well established in the industry, with a proven track record of reliability and superior customer support. We offer the level of after-sales service, technical support and spare parts availability sought after by manufacturers across industries.

  
  

Stainless Steel Belts: The Future of Li-ion Battery Production

The future is powered by li-ion batteries, placing battery production at the front of the pack in growth industries. Battery manufacturers are in a position to prepare themselves for unprecedented growth and resulting rapid progression in production technologies.

Choosing steel belts for battery manufacture systems places your organization at an advantage, not only for immediate improvements in consistency and quality of product, but also for scalability and flexibility in adapting to advances and improvements in production capabilities

Are you a battery manufacturer interested in learning more about the benefit of PureSteel® belts? Reach out to us to discuss your project today!

Addressing a Common Engineering Challenge

The heavier the load it carries, the thicker the drive tape must be. At least that’s the traditional rule. So, what’s to be done when you require drive tapes with smooth, zero-backlash movement that can manage heavy workloads while operating within a very narrow space? You make them thinner, then you stack them up!

That’s exactly the kind of situation our Multi-Layered Drive Tapes are designed to address. Two to seven tapes, ranging in thickness from 0.003 to 0.005 inches, provide the strength of the combined cross sectional area of all the layers. With the strength of a thicker tape and the greater flexibility of a thinner one, the multi-layered tape sees only the bending stresses attributable to each individual layer, allowing for greater durability and reliability while operating with a reduced pulley diameter.  Properly achieving this effect requires a high level of precision in cutting and welding the individual bands together along with any attachment.

The Ideal Choice for Robotics

Our Multi-Layered Drive Tapes serve a wide range of industries and applications. Steel is the preferred material for timing belts and drive tapes in robotics, providing precision and withstanding long-term repetitive operations with minimal wear and tear. Their resistance to microbes and easy-cleaning surfaces are especially desirable in medical, pharmaceutical, scientific, specialty food packaging and other cleanroom applications. The extremely high modulus of elasticity, or stiffness, of steel means that it is highly resistant to the backlash effect.

When used to actuate a robotic arm, two steel belts can operate in tandem, with one belt oriented to drive the reversing motion. Given the inelasticity of the steel belt, this design can manage rapid acceleration and reversing without inducing a backlash and adds stiffness to the designer’s mechanism.

We were approached by a medical equipment manufacturer based in India looking for technology that could assist them in creating a lower-cost surgical robotic system with the goal of providing increased access to surgery and health care for people all over the world—especially underserved communities.

The system’s robotic arms needed to operate in conjunction with one another in a very confined space while holding small instruments. For this reason, the pulleys included in the system had to be as small as possible and provide entirely jerk-free, zero-backlash motion for delicate surgery.

The biggest constraint our engineers encountered for this system was the need to decrease the size of the pulleys while maintaining the relative strength of a thicker metal drive tape. We incorporated a multilayered belt configuration of two PureSteel® drive tapes, each with six layers of 0.127 mm thick stainless steel, stacked on top of one another and precision welded to form one uniform body. This allowed for reduced pulley diameter while also allowing the system to carry heavy working loads.

The pulleys are designed to only rotate 180 degrees, which means there is zero risk for quick, jerky motions. The two drive tapes work in tandem, with one propelling forward and the other driving the reverse motion.

You can find even more details on this project in our online case study.

Solving Challenges Across Industries

The utility of Muti-level Drive Tapes is not limited to robotics alone. Customers have applied them for solutions to a variety of challenges in industries including:

• Industrial automation
• Medical and surgical applications
• Packaging
• Pharmaceutical production
• Semiconductor and electronics production
• Animatronics for the entertainment industry

Could Multi-level Drive Tapes be the solution to your engineering challenge? Reach out to us today and we will be happy to answer all your questions.

We’re often busy extolling the many benefits of metal belts. If you are familiar with Belt Technologies, you probably already know that metal belts are:

• Precisely constructed
• Accurate and repeatable
• Durable
• Tough, with a high strength-to-weight ratio
• Clean
• Cleanroom compatible
• Non-stretchable
• Zero backlash
• Optimal for smooth operation Good thermal and electrical conductors
• Antistatic

But it’s Earth Month, which means one question is top of mind: are PureSteel® belts environmentally friendly? In this age of increased environmental awareness and corporate sustainability initiatives, manufacturers are increasingly looking to incorporate ecologically conscious materials into their production processes. The good news is our PureSteel® metal belts provide environmentally friendly, sustainable options that outperform alternative materials. That’s what we consider a win-win!

Durability for a Longer Lifespan

Waste disposal has a direct impact on the health of our planet, which is why the durability of PureSteel® belts gives them a distinct ecological advantage. They can withstand temperature extremes, vacuum conditions and hostile, caustic environments.

Unlike polyester, nylon or cotton belts with rubber or plastic covers, steel belts are not susceptible to long-term wear and tear like stretching or warping. Thanks to their extended lifespan, our steel belts require less frequent replacement, contributing to a significant reduction in waste over time.

Recyclability: Steel Belts Close the Loop

Once they do finally reach the end of their lifespan, our PureSteel® belts are easily recyclable, further reducing waste in landfills, and promote a circular economy as they are transformed into new products.

Low Friction Saves Energy

PureSteel® provides low friction operation that requires less energy to run smoothly and efficiently. Over its lifetime, a PureSteel® belt can help a manufacturer realize significant reduction in energy consumption. That’s good for both the planet and the bottom line!

PureSteel® Stands Up to the Heat

Our steel belts can withstand extreme temperatures without deformation or degradation. This makes them ideal for conveying hot materials, which is why you’ll find them used in foundries, glass manufacturing and food processing applications. This attribute reduces the need for energy-intensive cooling systems, contributing further toward efficiency and sustainability.

Many of the attributes of PureSteel® belts that make them ideal in terms of reliability, precision and efficiency also contribute to making them the ecologically responsible choice. As always, we welcome you to reach out to us for questions about how Belt Technologies can help you meet your production challenges and sustainability goals.

Please contact us and we will be happy to help!

Integrating PureSteel® stainless steel belts into your industrial automation applications will optimize productivity and operational efficiency while lowering your operating costs. The durability, resilience, accuracy and reliability of PureSteel® belts make them a proven game-changer across a wide range of industries, from assembly and packaging to printing, plating and more!

Why Steel?

Welcome to industrial automation, optimized. Let us count the ways in which stainless steel is superior to traditional belt and chain materials. The list is long, including but not limited to:

• Durability Steel belts are able to withstand sustained exposure to extreme temperatures and hostile environments, including vacuums.

• High Strength-to-Weight Ratio An advantage in nearly every application!

• Lower Maintenance, Higher Reliability A steel belt is a single element, meaning it does not generate any component friction requiring lubrication. This improves reliability while reducing system maintenance demands.

• Cleanliness Unlike HTD or flat neoprene belts, metal belts do not generate particulate, making them ideal for food and pharmaceutical processing.

• Accuracy and Repeatability All our PureSteel® metal timing belts can be fabricated with a pitch accuracy of ±0.0005 inches station-to-station—an asset in designing indexing, positioning or processing equipment.

• No Static Buildup Our metal belts discharge static electricity, making them ideal for the manufacture of electronic components like integrated circuits and surface-mount devices.

• Non-stretchable Spring steels with a high modulus of elasticity make our metal belts virtually non-stretchable—ideal in high-performance applications for precision positioning.

• Cleanroom Compatible No lubricants required and no dust generation make our belts the perfect choice for clean room environments. Plus, they can be sterilized in an autoclave!
• Smooth Operation PureSteel® metal belts are free from the pulsation of chordal action and backlash often seen in other belt types and chains, resulting in precise translation of the control system motion profile.

Where It Works

Let’s examine some of the many diverse industries and applications that can benefit from our PureSteel® stainless steel metal belts.

3D printers

To construct complex parts quickly and cost effectively, many manufacturers elect to use 3D printers. PureSteel® endless belts and drive tapes improve printing quality and accuracy during production. As such, our experts are often called upon by 3D printer OEMs to develop and fabricate parts that aid in the 3D printing process.

Medical applications

A PureSteel® solid, stainless steel conveyor belt with a protective chromium oxide surface layer is the most ideal, long-lasting and sanitary surface for transporting medical equipment. Stainless steel has a smooth, impermeable surface that offers no opportunity for the invasion of microbes or bacteria. It also has a high resistance to corrosion, which allows our steel belts to be rigorously sanitized by high-pressure steam, high-pressure wash or chemical cleaning.

Automated assembly

Successful automated production requires reliable and accurate positioning, timing and fixturing. We have the tools to contribute to your success, producing an array of stainless steel conveyor belts, timing belts and drive tapes for a wide range of automated assembly equipment. Our engineers can deliver automation solutions to improve processes and production quality across the gamut of production industries.

Electronics manufacturing

Electronics manufacturing makes very specific demands of the materials used in production. PureSteel® belts including timing belts, tape casting belts and metal drive tapes deliver repeatable accuracy due to their optimal positioning, handling and smooth movement. This ensures efficient product throughput on the device without requiring significant downtime for maintenance and cleaning. Our belts are not susceptible to oxidation reactions and will not generate static electricity.

Semiconductor wafer fabrication

Smartphones. Smart cars. Smart homes. Microchips are everywhere, and manufacturing these complex devices requires sophisticated fabrication equipment and repetitive, complex processes. Advanced production of the silicon wafers that form microchips, also known as integrated circuits, requires the level of precise, repeatable accuracy delivered by our stainless steel belts, timing belts and drive tapes. Furthermore, our drive tapes do not outgas or generate particulates, making them ideal for the vacuum-sealed cleanroom environment in which the silicon wafers are manufactured.

Specialty packaging

Whether your packaging equipment is intended for the food processing industry, medical manufacturing applications or cosmetics manufacturing, maintaining health and safety standards is paramount. Our PureSteel^® stainless steel belts provide a clean, safe and sanitary surface for all forms of specialty packaging applications and can easily be configured for efficient clean-in-place methods including chemical sprays, hot pressure washing or steam pressure.

Heat sealing

Our PureSteel® stainless steel heat sealing bands are ideal for mid- to high-volume production. They are resistant to impact and corrosion damage, perform well in high temperatures without warping, do not require lubrication, do not generate particulates and do not build up static electricity. Optional Teflon™ coating can further enhance the release properties and durability of heat sealing bands.

Casting/pasting/sintering

Stainless steel conveyor belts give the machine designer a consistent flat surface to perform casting, pasting and sintering operations. Our belts are the preferred choice to support manufacturing processes across an array of industries due to their resilience, thermal conductivity, clean and durable operation and smooth motion control.

Linear motion drives

Our PureSteel® stainless steel drive tapes significantly eliminate chordal vibration, motion loss and backlash that often result in inaccurate positioning. Because they are virtually non-stretchable and have a high strength-to-weight ratio, metal drive tapes provide the same precise positioning for their full operating lifespan.

Printing

PureSteel^® stainless steel vacuum conveyor belt systems provide ultra-accurate part positioning, making them a superior conveying method for the printing industry. These belts offer flat, precise movement in all environments, assisting vacuum conveying of media in printing, cutting and substrate built-up. Our belts’ versatility and material benefits make them a superior choice for a variety of printing applications, assisting in achieving precise indexing, preventing paper jams, aiding in high-speed continuous commercial printing and ensuring smooth, reliable motion.

Plating

Before the plating process, the product must be prepared to ensure proper adhesion of the plating material to the surface. This preparation can include physically or chemically stripping the product of any other coatings, paint, rust or corrosion. Our belts are highly resistant to impact and chemical corrosion, with the ability to withstand aggressive chemicals and high-pressure washing.

Customized to Fit Your Needs

Whether you need a belt to operate in extreme temperatures, need a solution appropriate for a cleanroom, require a zero-backlash solution to drive robotics or require an antistatic medium, we have you covered.

Our team is happy to work with you to engineer an application-specific design that is easy to install and maintain. Call or request a quote online to get started.

Stainless steel conveyor belt systems are ideal for the cooking, freezing and handling of edible products because their versatility allows customization for any automated food processing system with exceptional results. And when we say “any,” we mean it, as a special request we received in 2021 proved.

An engineering student, Alejandra Marroquin, working on her senior design project at California State University Long Beach reached out to us with an interesting challenge. She was seeking to improve upon the time-consuming process that originated as early as 8000 BC for making tamales.

The project required her and her partners to plan, design and produce a working prototype as their final project. The team decided to develop a hand-crank tamale maker, with the goal of reducing the amount of time necessary to produce each tamale, as well as the tedious manual stretching and rolling required.

Food Grade Parts an Essential Ingredient

From the beginning of the project, the students recognized the need for food grade parts including gears, a crank and conveyor belt. Within the food and beverage industry, meeting the safe food handling recommendations of the Food and Drug Administration is essential. Approximately 48 million people become sick from contaminated food each year, with about 3,000 of those cases ending in death.

Major food recalls—like this one issued this summer in the U.S. due to Listeria-contaminated frozen fruit or the recent E. coli outbreak in Norway likely stemming from hamburger products —have become all too common. These are far from isolated incidents; there are actually more than 250 diseases that are spread through food alone, which makes hygiene a top priority with industrial automation for the food and beverage industry.

Fortunately, contamination is almost entirely avoidable with the right precautionary measures and sanitary cleanroom production elements. There are many facets to consider within the realm of hygienic food preparation—understanding the inherent microbial risks in certain foods, using the proper materials for the design and infrastructure of a facility, and following best practices for cleaning and disinfecting equipment, to name a few.

One key element to consider is the material used for conveyor belts and systems. Although they are popular, polymer, plastic and metal mesh conveyors are limited in their hygienic capabilities and may actually increase the risk of food contamination. Conversely, the unique attributes of stainless-steel belts and conveyor belt systems make food processing safer, more efficient and far more sanitary.

PureSteel® Belts Bring Inherent Hygienic Advantages to the Table

Food contamination can be broken down into two separate categories: bacterial/microbial and particulate based. Stainless steel belts are adept at prevention in both areas for numerous inherent reasons:

• Due to their flat and nonporous surface, PureSteel® belts are resistant to bacteria, making them easy to clean and compliant with even the strictest United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) requirements.
• Stainless steel is a derivative of steel with an elevated level of chromium, which creates an oxide layer on the surface to prevent further oxidation. If the metal belt’s surface is at all damaged or scratched, the newly exposed metal oxidizes almost immediately, in a self-healing capacity.
• PureSteel® belts don’t generate particulate like flat neoprene or polymeric alternatives, so they won’t create dust that could attach to food products and impact production.
• Metal belts made up of a single element don’t generate friction between component parts. By contrast, mesh belts (made up of miniscule chain links) may require lubrication, putting the flavor or quality of the foods being processed at risk.
• PureSteel® coated belts are FDA approved and ideal for use in multiple food applications including heat sealing bands for food packaging and high-temperature environments.

In researching sanitary conveyor belts through an online search, the Cal State students learned about the many advantages our PureSteel® metal belts offer for automated food processing systems. That’s when they knew they’d found the solution they were seeking.

Quick, Effective Cleaning

The advantages of PureSteel® belts go beyond their inherent hygienic nature. Regardless of how bacteria resistant they are, all belts need to be cleaned and cleared of food debris to prevent contamination—and no material is easier to clean than stainless steel because of its complete lack of gaps, recesses and crevices.

Due to their resistance to chemical corrosion, stainless steel belts can be cleaned-in-place (CIP) with almost any cleaning or sterilization method—such as high-powered steam, chemical cleaning solutions and high-pressure wash. Plastic and mesh conveyors require more intensive cleaning measures beyond CIP: either periodic removal from the production equipment to immerse in chemical solutions, which results in downtime, or the installation of complex cleaning systems and brushes.

The superior cleanability of metal belts was confirmed by Finnish food laboratory VTT Expert Services Limited. Their research found that stainless steel belts are not only easier to clean than plastic alternatives, but their advantages were compounded over time as the plastic belts became worn or damaged.

Another study found higher levels of formation of Listeria biofilm on polymeric materials than on stainless steel, with the authors noting, “plastic conveyor belts exhibited stronger bacterial adhesion compared with stainless steel.”

Serving Solutions Both Hot and Cold

One of the major aspects of automated food processing systems is the heating or cooling of products as they make their way down the conveying line—through ovens for drying, baking or cooking, and through cooled zones for solidification or freezing.

This is a difficult hurdle for most materials; most plastic conveying materials can’t withstand temperatures above 100°C, and metal mesh conveyors may become fatigued and fracture, possibly resulting in metal particles within the food. At the other end of the spectrum, freezing temperatures can cause serious wear and tear to traditional materials, which may shrink or become brittle, leading to the eventual failure of the belt. (See how we helped this food processor convey their breaded meat products through a spiral drum freezer on a solid metal belt with operating conditions below -40°F.)

PureSteel® belts and conveyor systems serve up the perfect solution. Due to their low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), stainless steel alloys can resist a wide range of temperature extremes in ovens or freezers without warping or breaking. In addition, single-surface, solid, stainless steel products transmit energy in the form of heat, cold and electricity; this superior thermal conductivity results in a more uniform heating and cooling process.

Our engineers can help you choose the specific grade of stainless steel most effective for your application, just as we did for the Cal State students. For instance, Invar will remain flat when operating in environments up to 400°F, compared to 300 series stainless steel, which can start to see distortion at temperatures below 400°F. For extremely elevated temperatures, our engineers typically recommend Inconel 625 and 718, which can operate in environments with temperatures up to 1,600°F.

Cooking Up Custom Solutions

When Alejandra reached out to us to discuss her project, we were so impressed with her entrepreneurial spirit and design sense, we provided a perforated endless PureSteel® belt for her project at no cost.  Not only did the belt meet her team’s design specs, but it was also a durable and sanitary addition to their newly devised kitchen equipment.

Beyond the key benefits we’ve highlighted, metal belts possess many other unique properties that are advantageous for everyone in the food industry, offering superior precision, control, longevity and cost effectiveness.

Our engineers are up for every challenge, combining their exceptional experience with customization options that include:

• countless perforation patterns
• unique belt sizes as thin as 0.002 inches, as narrow as 0.040 inches and as wide as 36 inches
• a large array of metal alloys
• numerous surface coatings and textures
• custom attachments
• unlimited travel lengths

Reach out today to learn how you can leverage our capabilities to meet your industrial food and beverage automation challenges.

For many obvious reasons, industrial automation for the medical and pharmaceutical industries is heavily regulated for safety and hygiene. This means any automated conveyor system used in these operations must be completely sanitary, easy to clean and resistant to corrosion. Forget rubber or plastic—stainless steel conveyor belts fit the bill for all these requirements.

Our PureSteel® metal conveyor belts play a significant role in medical and pharmaceutical manufacturing, offering superior precision control, hygiene and customization options.

Applications are myriad, including the:

• production and distribution of home DNA and diabetes tests.
• manufacture of blister packs for pills and tablets.
• processing and packaging of vaccines.
• production of gel capsules.
• automated dispensation of pills.
• creation of robotic operating equipment.
• manufacture of oncology and radiography equipment.

Hygiene Is a Given

It’s no coincidence that equipment that comes in contact with medical products is often made with austenitic stainless steel 304L or 316L. Our belts are available in these and a variety of other alloys with smooth, impermeable surfaces that offer no opportunity for the invasion of microbes or bacteria.

Although popular, polymer, plastic and metal mesh conveyors can generate particulates, making them limited in their hygienic capabilities and possibly increasing the risk of contamination. (See how we helped a UK-based conveyor manufacturer overcome the hygiene and strength limitations of plastic-tooth belts to facilitate a 17-fold increase in vaccine production at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.)

The complete lack of gaps, recesses and crevices also makes stainless steel easier to clean. Due to its corrosion resistance, it can even be sanitized by high-pressure steam, high-pressure wash or chemical cleaning.

In addition, our belts do not require any lubricants that could introduce foreign substances into cleanroom environments. Their sterilization process can be performed in an autoclave, so they can be cleaned in place and don’t need to be removed from the conveyor for regular cleaning, which interrupts production.

Because Precision Matters

When compared with other power transmission or motion control components (linear actuators, lead screws, chains), metal belts are superior because of their high strength-to-weight ratio, durability and precise positioning. And unlike other belt types (such as rubber and fiberglass), metal belts will not stretch, so variations in surface speed are minimized.

Additionally, metal belts can be “stacked” in a multilayer configuration, consisting of several bands ranging in thickness from 0.003 to 0.005 inches [0.12 to 0.20 mm]. This configuration provides the combined strength of all layers while retaining the reduced bending stress of each individual layer, increasing the modulus of elasticity and helping to resist backlash.

The stacked configuration improves the strength of the belt without sacrificing precision or flexibility in tight spaces—an ideal scenario for robotic surgery applications (like this one, which required a solution that was small and strong with zero risk of backlash).

Customized to Your Exact Needs

When it comes to customization, the most important element is a belt’s pitch profile—the space between individual perforations, timing pins or other such features on a conveyor. Perforations are created by mechanical presses, chemical etching or laser cutting.

While custom pitch profiles vary by manufacturer, we can create countless perforation patterns in stainless steel belts as thin as 0.002 inches [0.08 mm], and as wide as 36 inches [900 mm]. This capability was “just what the doctor ordered” for this manufacturer of custom medical device machinery who had a need for very specific pitches.

Other customization options include a large array of metal alloys, unique belt width and thickness combinations, numerous surface coatings and textures, custom attachments and unlimited travel lengths.

Critical Solutions

For more than 50 years, we have produced PureSteel® metal conveyor belts, timing belts and pulleys ideally designed for industrial automation for the medical and pharmaceutical industries. Put us to the test. Bring us your challenge and see how our innovative team addresses it head on while maintaining standards for the most stringent levels of safety and hygiene.

Pulleys play a vital role in conveyor systems used in various applications, including automated assembly, food processing, and medical manufacturing. Selecting the pulley best suited for your system, especially when using PureSteel® or other metal belts, is crucial to extending the belt’s lifespan and maximizing the system’s overall efficiency.

In any conveyor system, conveyor belt pulleys are the driving force behind the belt’s motion, generating torque and speed. Precision becomes paramount in pulley selection, as the performance of the entire belt system relies on it.

At Belt Technologies, we understand the importance of precision and offer a range of high-quality pulleys designed to optimize your conveyor system, including friction drive, timing and independently steerable designs. In addition, we have recently introduced the TruPulleys^TM line of TruTrack, TruTension,and TruPace pulleys.  All of our pulleys are designed by our engineering team and manufactured in the United States of America.

We craft our pulleys from anodized aluminum for its ideal friction coefficient, ensuring optimized belt propulsion. If a high degree of corrosion resistance is required or the pulley will be exposed to temperatures greater than 150 °F, stainless steel would be recommended as a suitable pulley material.

Friction Drive Pulleys

Friction drive pulleys are typically flat-faced without timing elements. A flat-faced pulley surface is typically recommended when steering of the idler pulley can be deployed in the application. If steering or other traditional methods of tracking cannot be utilized, then a crown-faced pulley or narrow-bodied pulley may be an adequate design alternative.

A crowned pulley is an alternative for belt thicknesses less than 0.010” thick. The crowned surface can induce high stresses on the stiff steel belt, causing the belt to fatigue sooner than if the pulley surface was flat. A narrow-bodied roll can be an effective method of tracking a steel belt when alternative tracking methods are unavailable. This pulley type is flat-faced and the overall width is narrower than the steel belt. This method can be utilized on a wider range of belt thicknesses than a crowned pulley.

To maximize belt life, metal belts should be used with friction drive pulleys whenever possible. This type of pulley is widely used in various applications where a reliable and efficient power transmission system is required.

Friction drive pulleys have been employed in conveyor systems, packaging machinery, food processing units, material handling systems, printing presses, textile machinery, papermaking machines and pulp processing equipment, packaging and labeling devices, and industrial automation equipment.

Timing Pulleys

In a standard friction drive belt system in motion, there is a tight side and a loose side of tension as it transitions around the drive pulley.  The differential force that occurs in the transition results in a loss of position in a standard friction drive system. Timing pulleys feature teeth or pockets encircling the outer diameter, engaging with corresponding holes in the metal belt or drive lugs on the belt’s inner circumference to achieve synchronization. Generally, a timed pulley/belt system can achieve a positional accuracy of 0.001” and be repeatable to within 0.002”.

The resilience of the pulley’s timing teeth is of utmost importance to withstand continuous belt and pulley engagements. At Belt Technologies, our patented timing pulley employs hardened ball bearings as teeth, offering enhanced resistance to continuous wear and smooth engagement and disengagement of the steel belt.

When precision and timing are crucial in an application, timing pulleys are employed at the driving end of the system. Typical applications for this pulley type include robotics, industrial automation and manufacturing, computer numerical control machines, packaging machinery, cleanroom operations, 3D printers, and material handling equipment. Among these end uses, our timing pulleys have been used in animatronics and robotics for the entertainment industry, and in robotic arm actuators for industrial automation purposes.

Independently Steerable Pulleys

We introduced the innovative Independently Steerable Pulley (ISP) to enhance the precision and speed of flat belt tracking. The ISP allows you to fine-tune the position of the metal belt by adjusting a steering collar. Exclusively available from Belt Technologies, the ISP steering technology can seamlessly integrate with traditional belt tracking designs.

The ISP can be used as a friction drive or timing pulley in various system designs. This pulley proves valuable for metal belt systems with long center distances between pulleys and in applications where the belt’s tracking is affected by particulate accumulation. The ISP can be conveniently retrofitted to existing idler pulleys with minimal system modifications, making it a practical and adaptable solution for various applications.

TruPulleys™

TruPulleys™ are available as standalone products or as components of a complete conveyor system designed by our engineers. These pulleys monitor or regulate the tension, pace or tracking of a metal belt in many different applications.

TruTension™ Pulley

The TruTension™ pulley is a proprietary device that precisely measures steel belt tension on conveyor systems. The pulley is connected to a small, enclosed controller that uses sensors to measure belt tension and displays this information digitally. This allows users to optimize the belt’s performance and maximize its lifespan.

The TruTension™ pulley has applications in all industries and is compatible with any conveyor as long as both sides of the pulley are supported. For example, in mechanically timed systems, this pulley design continuously monitors belt tension to maximize system performance and extend belt life.

TruPace™ Pulley

Our TruPace™ pulley offers lower inertia compared to standard pulleys of equivalent size, enabling the use of smaller motors and gearboxes. It features a thin-walled tube with end caps, providing rigidity and multiple mounting options. Its ability to accelerate rapidly with low power gives engineers more design options for rapid part placement. The TruPace pulley can be used as either a drive or idler pulley.

TruTrack™ Pulley

With its frictionless segmented roller design and edge guides, the TruTrack™ pulley optimizes belt tracking automation while enhancing belt durability. This innovative design significantly reduces side loads on the belt, preventing edge damage and extending its lifespan beyond the capabilities of standard edge guides or flanges.  This design will maintain lateral position of the belt to within 0.008”.

Ready to Assist with Your Application

When selecting the appropriate pulley size and setup, it’s essential to consider both the conveyor belt’s durability and overall effectiveness. Our experienced engineers have the knowledge and skills to assist you in choosing the ideal pulley style, diameter and material, to perfectly match your metal belt. Contact our sales engineers today to learn how you can get started.

 

The specialty packaging industry frequently includes applications that require handling medicine and food products, so businesses in this sphere must adhere to strict health and safety standards. That’s why we develop and deliver durable, non-stretchable and clean PureSteel® conveyor belts that meet these exacting requirements. In this blog, we highlight our ability to maximize product throughput while ensuring optimal sanitary conditions across multiple packaging applications.

The Benefits of PureSteel® Products

Whether you work with accumulators, heat sealers, cardboard packers, film wrappers or conveyors, our products are designed to meet your specific standards.

PureSteel® belts:

• Require no lubrication
• Have a high resistance to chemical corrosion and extreme temperatures
• Are customizable with surface coatings, attachments and perforations
• Do not generate dust, debris or particulates

They also offer greater precision control, longevity and cost-effectiveness than other options.

Medical and Pharmaceutical Applications

Automated conveyor systems used to process, handle and transport pharmaceutical products must be flawlessly sanitary, easy to clean and resistant to corrosion. Since stainless steel fits this description, our belts are often used in processing diabetes home test kits, as well as manufacturing blister packs for pills and tablets.

Additionally, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, our team successfully developed a critical solution for vaccine processing and packaging conveyors. With a short turnaround, we provided a UK-based conveyor manufacturer with a solution that increased vaccine production and distribution 17-fold.

Food Packaging Applications

The durability and accuracy of PureSteel® stainless steel belts also make them ideal for a wide range of food packaging applications, most notably heat sealers used to seal plastic and paper bags.

We play a crucial role in the food processing sector by supplying heat-sealing bands for sustainable paper packaging. Previous models used Teflon sealing bands, but they were unable to withstand the temperatures required for the adhesive on paper products. Using our belts, food processing companies successfully seal their packages while enhancing their sustainability efforts.

Ready to Assist with Your Application

With extensive experience across the medical, pharmaceutical and food packaging industries, our team delivers customized solutions that meet the highest health and safety standards.

Our belts can also be customized with coatings and textures and/or perforations to further enhance their functionality and meet specific requirements. Contact our sales engineers today to learn how you can benefit from our PureSteel^® products or engineering expertise.

At Belt Technologies, we’re more than the top-of-the-line products we create; we’re an engineering partner, working with customers to develop custom solutions. For instance, our team recently helped researchers at ETH Zurich in Switzerland, one of the world’s preeminent universities in the field of technical science, develop a faster and more cost-effective way to apply liquid coatings during battery production. In this blog, we explain how we helped bring their “curtain coating” system to life.

The Challenge

When it comes to manufacturing processes for the liquid coating of surfaces, curtain coating has the potential to surpass the production speed of the currently used slot-die coating method in battery production. The customer’s issue was finding a conveyor system that could successfully manage this new method.

Due to the nature of the coatings, our challenge was to provide a conveyor that was not only hygienic and easy to clean, but could also withstand aggressive chemicals and high temperatures for drying. The customer also required a low-vibration method to transport the battery components safely and accurately while applying a uniform coating. Conventional flat belts were out of the question due to their decomposability through chemicals and particle generation. The researchers turned to us for a stainless steel belt conveyor that could meet these conditions.

The Solution

At the onset, we extensively examined their setup and determined that a PureSteel^® endless metal belt would be the optimal transport solution for the curtain coating system. Our team not only worked alongside ETH Zurich to deliver the perfect belt and deflection rollers, but to also help adapt the fluid-dynamic properties of the applied paste for a proof of concept.

Due to our flat and robust steel belt, the customer was able to select thinner and less stable current collectors (foils) for the coating. This allowed for a reduction of “dead weight” in the battery. Read more about this successful solution and its results in our full case study.

A Successful Partnership

This successful partnership isn’t an anomaly; we’re ready to help you tackle your engineering challenges. Our team has perfected the engineering of every aspect of our PureSteel^® belts, so you can trust us to design a unique belt to meet your exact needs. If you think you could benefit from one of our PureSteel^® products or our engineering expertise, contact our sales engineers today.