As a major feature in assembly lines, conveyor belts interact with numerous moving parts and items. No matter the objects they carry, at the end of the line, the objects always come out a little more beaten up than when they started. Many conveyor belt materials feature durable and highly resistant properties that ensure the belt makes it through the assembly line in one piece. Abrasion resistance helps combat the belt's direct wear and tear from surface contacts and collisions. Checking your conveyor belt's abrasion resistance ensures that you operate your conveyor system optimally.
What Is Abrasion Resistance?
Abrasion resistance is a material's defense against various abrasive influences. For a material to be resistant, they require durable structural composition, dense layers, and friction-free surfaces. In a conveyor system, abrasion-resistant belts provide a range of benefits, including increased performance, improved long-term investments, minimal damages to the system and carried items, and operational functionality. All types of conveyor belts, including folder-gluer belts, benefit from abrasion-resistant qualities.
What Are the Ideal Standards for Conveyor Belts?
Abrasion causes your belt material to wear down through rubbing and friction erosion. As the belt erodes, it decreases in density, shaving off a layer each time it encounters an abrasive interaction. Measuring abrasion resistance involves calculating the total mass that fell from the belt. The less material you lose, the better its resistance. Ideally, your conveyor belt should lose very minimal mass after each run through the system.
How To Test Your Belt's Abrasion Resistance
One of the best ways to measure abrasion resistance is with the Taber Abraser method. Abraser's method includes taking a strip of the material in question and running it through multiple rotations on an abrasive wheel contraption. After each run, you measure the mass of the material and calculate its eventual loss per wheel rotation. A simpler way to test your conveyor belt's abrasion resistance involves simply running the belt through the system and checking the belt's mass after the belt completes a circuit, using a marker on the belt to determine the start and end of its run. People also often use specific scratch machines to measure their material's abrasion resistance.
By checking your conveyor belt's abrasion resistance you can determine the success of your productivity. The more resistance, the better. Some of the most common belt materials, like urethane and PVC belts, feature dense and durable compositions, increasing their resistance, providing quality belts for your warehouse equipment, and improving your overall performance.