It’s hard to beat something that’s custom-made. When you tailor your product to your application, you’re going to get superior results. That’s where specialty belting can come in, offering modifications that take your production to the next level. 

Compared to standardized conveyor belting, specialty belting has multiple efficiency benefits. Let’s take a look at what specialty belting is, some of the benefits that come with it, and key considerations when choosing specialty belting.

What Is Specialty Belting?

As opposed to general-purpose conveyor belting, specialty belting is designed to meet specific challenges and requirements depending on the industrial setting. These belts are engineered with specialized materials and structures to deliver optimal performance in demanding environments. Specialty belting can be ordered custom-made, or modifications can be made to existing belts to retrofit enhancements.. 

10 Types of Specialty Belting

All types of belting can benefit from customization, from lightweight to heavyweight applications. Here are ten ways you can make your belts a perfect fit for your product. 

Cleats

• Function: Cleats are vertical projections added to the belt surface.
• Specialty Belting Efficiency Boost: They help in moving products up inclines, reducing slippage, and ensuring that items are consistently spaced. This minimizes product loss and improves the reliability of the conveyor system, especially in packaging and material handling.

Splicing, Lacing, and Vulcanization

• Function: Splicing, lacing, and vulcanization are all methods used to connect the ends of a belt together. Splicing involves interweaving the belt material; lacing uses fasteners; and vulcanization uses heat. 
• Specialty Belting Efficiency Boost: All of the above methods allow you to modify the length of your existing belts, sometimes without disassembling your system, to custom fit your application. Proper splicing, lacing and vulcanization, when compared to leaving your belts as-is, reduces the likelihood of belt failure, extending belt life and requiring less downtime for your facility.  

V-Guides

• Function: V-guides are added to the underside of the belt to help it track properly on the conveyor.
• Specialty Belting Efficiency Boost: By ensuring the belt stays centered and aligned, V-guides reduce downtime caused by misalignment, minimize wear and tear on the belt and conveyor components, and improve overall efficiency.

Perforations

• Function: Perforations are small holes added to the belt.
• Specialty Belting Efficiency Boost: These allow for air or liquid to pass through the belt, which is particularly useful in processes like drying or washing. This can speed up these processes by improving air or liquid flow, reducing processing time and energy consumption. 

Covers

• Function: These covers reduce the coefficient of friction between the belt and the product or between the belt and the conveyor bed.
• Specialty Belting Efficiency Boost: Lower friction reduces the amount of energy required to move products, leading to lower operational costs. It also minimizes wear on both the belt and the product, reducing the frequency of belt replacements and product damage.

High-Grip Surfaces

• Function: These surfaces increase the friction between the belt and the products being conveyed. High grip coatings can also be added to belts, such as the v-belt pictured at right. 
• Specialty Belting Efficiency Boost: High-grip surfaces prevent items from slipping or shifting, especially on inclines or declines, leading to more accurate product positioning and reduced loss or damage. 

Flanges

• Function: Flanges are similar to sidewalls but are typically used on belts that convey cylindrical objects.
• Specialty Belting Efficiency Boost: They help to center and align objects like pipes or logs, ensuring smooth and reliable conveyance, which can lead to faster processing times and reduced product handling errors.

Edge Sealing

• Function: Edge sealing involves sealing the edges of the belt to protect it from contamination or damage.
• Specialty Belting Efficiency Boost: Sealed edges prevent contaminants from entering the belt fabric, which can prolong the life of the belt and reduce maintenance downtime. This is especially important in industries with strict hygiene standards, like food processing.

Temperature-Resistant Materials

• Function: Belts made from materials like PTFE or silicone can withstand high or low temperatures.
• Specialty Belting Efficiency Boost: Using temperature-resistant belts ensures consistent performance in extreme environments, reducing the risk of belt failure and unplanned downtime. This is crucial for processes involving ovens, freezers, or other temperature-sensitive operations.

Custom Belt Lengths and Widths

• Function: Belts can be manufactured to specific lengths and widths to suit the particular needs of a conveyor system.
• Specialty Belting Efficiency Boost: Custom sizing reduces the need for splicing or modifications during installation, leading to a quicker setup and less downtime. It also ensures that the belt fits the system perfectly, maximizing the efficiency of product movement.

What Are the Other Benefits of Specialty Belting?

Enhanced durability and efficiency rise to the top of the list, as custom belting will by nature be a better fit for the application. Longer life for your belts, and higher efficiency throughout your facility, will inevitably follow. 

Safety can be another major benefit. When your belts are moving your product at peak efficiency, you’re reducing your product loss– which means less free material to contaminate your equipment, or worse, injure someone. 

Specialized materials (such as PVC, nylon, metal, Teflon-coated fiberglass, silicone, or urethane) can reduce hazards in other ways, too. For example, a grain belt may disperse static electricity, or temperature-resistant materials can reduce the risk of belt breakage with high-temp washdowns. 

Some specialty belts are made from eco-friendly materials, reducing environmental impact. For example, belts made from recycled or biodegradable materials can help minimize waste and conserve resources.

Specialty belting can also be engineered to meet precise requirements, ensuring accurate and consistent performance. This precision is critical in every industry, but especially those like electronic manufacturing or food processing where even slight variations can affect product quality.

Lastly, specialty belting can help protect products from damage and contamination. This is critically important in industries like food processing, where product quality can affect food safety.

Key Considerations When Selecting Specialty Belting

Whether you’re updating your current belt with mods, or ordering specialty belting outright, key considerations include:

• Product Type: Is this a lightweight or heavyweight application? Will the product remain in place on its own easily, or is it likely to move freely? Will it disperse into the air without containment? If it needs to move vertically, will it do so without support?
• Temperature: Can the belt withstand the expected operating temperature? What about washdown requirements? 
• Chemical Exposure and Abrasion: Will the belt likely come in contact with dangerous chemicals or solvents? If washdowns are required, what kind of cleaners are used?
• Speed and Load: Can the belt handle the maximum load and speed required to move products?
• Environment: Depending on the industry, will the belt be exposed to dust, moisture, or other environmental factors?

Regular maintenance and inspection are also crucial to ensure optimal performance and longevity. Inspection frequency will depend on the belt’s application, operating conditions, and manufacturer’s recommendations. Consider the belt’s accessibility and any required downtime to perform maintenance– could specialty belting help you reduce your maintenance needs?

Where to Find Specialty Belting 

IBT has been creating customized belt solutions for customers for decades, and we would love to help you find the right specialty belting for you. Our renowned rubber products experts can assist you with everything belting-related, and our hose shop experts in Merriam, KS, can cut and crimp on-site. We also carry extensive stock of the brands you know and trust.

When you’re ready to improve your belting and increase your efficiency, IBT is here and ready to help! Reach out to us today to discuss how we can take your facility to the next level.