Conveyor Hardware Guide

Conveyor fundamentals

Conveyor Inquiries

What is a belt conveyor?

The load is moved on a belt, which can be extended to various lengths and sections of conveyors. The belt can vary from type to type. The belt conveyor is made with these parts:

The Bed:

This is a conveyor bed. It comes in many sizes, many lengths, and many widths. Belt conveyors are typically slider bed, such as Model TA, (where the belt rests directly on the metal bed and is pulled across it) or roller bed such as Model RB where rollers are installed on the bed.

The Pulley

  • A pulley is like an iron pipe.
  • Pulleys are put on each end of the bed. The pulleys are as wide as the "bed". Each pulley has a steel shaft through it.
  • The shaft turns on a bearing . . . and the pulley turns with the shaft.

The Bearing

  • When two pieces of steel touch each other; they cannot turn easily without bearings.
  • Bearings use little steel balls to keep the pulley shaft and the conveyor bed from rubbing together.
  • Now the shaft can turn easily.

The drive and tail pulleys

Pulley "A" is the drive pulley. Pulley "B" is the tail pulley. The drive pulley is usually larger because it does the work. The drive pulley provides power for the belt.

How the drive pulley does the work: The drive pulley is turned (driven) by a motor. A sprocket is put on the drive pulley shaft. A sprocket is a metal "wheel" with "teeth" on the outside.

Below: Sprocket