At least 75% of all products in a supermarket were conveyed with flat top chains and modular belts in the course of their production and packaging. Plastic flat top chains and modular belts can be used for most conveying tasks that require a flat transport surface, such as conveying of glass and plastic bottles, cans, cases, casks and barrels in bottling and packaging plants, conveying foodstuffs in the food industry, and conveying small and medium-sized goods in various industrial plants.
The flat top chains and modular belts are made of low contamination synthetic materials and meet the industry demand for energy efficient, low noise and low maintenance. Flat top chains consist of plates connected to each other with single and double hinged joints. This design allows the construction of chains with a width of up to 305 mm for both straight-line and curved tracks, onto which the products can be directly placed. Modular belts have multiple hinged joints. A special characteristic of this design is that several chain links can be placed side-by-side to construct a flat conveying surface with widths of up to 1700 mm.
In many applications, plastic modular belts have advantages over stainless steel counterparts: Their noise level in conveying systems is up to 80% lower and the synthetic elements are up to 40% lighter, which reduces the required drive power or increases the belts’ conveying capacity. Because of their better resistance to chemicals, they can be cleaned with agents that are either unsuitable for metal chains or would require intensive maintenance. The FDA-approved plastic has excellent mechanical load carrying capacity, is dimensionally stable, even in humid conditions, and is low friction.
Flexon flat top chains are available in various plastic versions as well as stainless steel, for both straight and curved conveying sections. Flexon plastic modular belts include versions for both linear and curved running belts.
Iwis Drive Systems, LLC
iwisusa.com
::Design World::
Filed Under: Belts + chains, Drives (servo) + amplifiers, Material handling • converting, Packaging, LINEAR MOTION, Motion control • motor controls