Conveyor Belt Fabrics are the core of any conveyor belt

Conveyor Belt Fabrics are the core of any conveyor belt and must provide a strong, sturdy foundation that can withstand a variety of challenging conditions. They must be able to meet high tensile strength and weight requirements, offer sufficient flexibility and low elongation as well as a superior resistance to impact and chemicals. There are five main types of fabrics that can be used to create conveyor belts: polyester, nylon, cotton, natural materials and rubber composites. The most popular choice for conveyor belt fabrication is synthetic, woven polyester and nylon plain and crows foot weave (CFW). Woven fabrics are a cost-effective option for short to medium conveying distances, and they offer a range of characteristics such as dimensional stability, durability, abrasion and moisture resistance and optimal strain stress levels.

Conveyor belt fabrics can be composed of several different ply configurations with various combinations of warp and weft threads. Generally speaking, the weft threads are comprised of polyester and the warp threads are made of polyamide. These two fabrics are then woven together to form the belt carcass. This synthetic construction is known in the industry as EP. Generally speaking, the higher the number of plies in a fabric belt, the greater its tensile strength will be. The exact tensile strength should be displayed in kilonewtons per metre, which will also display the actual number of warp and weft plies that make up the carcass.

As a result of the research conducted on mechanical properties at the various stages of the fabric production process, it was discovered that the higher the elongation of a woven fabric is, the lower its transverse flexibility will be. This flexibility is an important factor in the performance and longevity of a conveyor belt. It is therefore important to optimize the impregnation and vulcanization processes in order to achieve a good quality fabric that will exhibit low elongation during operation.

Moreover, the weft threads in a woven fabric can be made of a variety of different fibers depending on the application. For example, cotton is often used in conveyor belt applications that require the belt to "breathe" or to handle warm products. Alternatively, kevlar is also a commonly used material for weft threads in woven conveyor belts for its resistance to heat and flames.

Our 'fit for purpose' covers are made from a mixture of natural and formulated compounds along with different fillers to suit many applications. Natural rubbers such as natural rubber, butadiene and styrenebutadiene are the primary polymers used to formulate these cover compounds. Combined with a wide selection of modifiers and fillers, a conveyor belt can be constructed to have a variety of properties including resistance to fire and electrical insulation, impact and cut resistance and oil and chemical resistance. This allows us to construct a conveyor belt that is ideally suited to the specific needs of any application.