A Look At Belt Conveyers
Belt conveyors, also referred to as conveyer belts, are a system of two or more pulleys which are covered by a rubber belt. Belt conveyors are most commonly used to transport goods and parts in factories, as checkout systems in supermarkets and to move luggage around in an airport.
The belt conveyor system dates back to 1892, when Thomas Robins invented a basic system which led to the development of a conveyer belt system that was used to transport coal and iron ore. It wasn’t until 1903 when Sandvik invested a steel belt conveyor system. But belt conveyors didn’t become popular until 1913 when Henry Ford installed them into his Ford Motor factories in which they speed up the production process enormously. Since then a number of advancements have occurred in the industry, allowing for longer and more environmentally friendly belt conveyors to be developed.
Belt conveyors can come in a huge range of shapes and sizes. The largest belt conveyor can be found in the Sahara and it is a whopping 98 km long! It is used to transport phosphate from Bu Craa to a coastal area called EL-Aaiun. Dubai holds the record for the largest conveyor belt in an airport, which is 92 km long.
Belt conveyors have rubber frames which make them suitable for use in places where smaller objects need to be transported, such as food items. These types of belt conveyors are commonly used in food production, sushi restaurants and baggage handling. The other type of conveyor system feature a series of metal rollers which makes it more suited to transporting larger objects in a factory environment.
They are most commonly operated by electricity in order to move around. Some remote areas may use a generator to power the belt conveyors. In a supermarket checkout area the worker will have full control of the conveyor belt and will press a button when they want the belt to move. Some conveyor belts also have the ability to weigh the goods they are carrying. A weighing system is used in airports to measure check-in luggage, as well as in some factory environments to measure goods.
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