How Belting Improves Distribution Center Efficiency
In large distribution centers, miles of conveyors are essential to moving goods out the door quickly. Speed and parcel orientation are of paramount importance, and the precise routing of individual packages is critical. Much attention and careful design go into the layout of a distribution center (DC): at various stages in the conveyor system, belts with unique properties are engineered to meet the specific function requirements of a particular station.
Maintaining Conveyor Speed and Accuracy with Belt Properties that Meet the Requirements.
How important is the orientation of each container on the belt? The “Gapper” section is a series of MDR sections, no more than 2.0m in length, 4 or more sections, which are used to change the speed of the packages thus controlling the gap between boxes. This allows for the proper reading of the bar code label. Belts will be regularly cycled in a range from 0 to 200 to 600 feet per minute. Under these extreme conditions, application engineers calculate the effect of “G” force on products conveyed. A single basic belt type cannot meet all requirements.
Within the same distribution center, different conveyor areas require different belt properties. For example, incline and feeding areas require a high coefficient of friction. All the while, strength and flexibility are of paramount importance. The load carrying capacity of aramid fabric (commonly known by one manufacturer as Kevlar) results in the best performing belts for the sortation conveyors found in every distribution center.
Aramid Cord Belts with Polyurethane Encapsulation
Sortation & Strip-sort Conveyors
Modern distribution centers utilize sortation conveyors to route packages to a specific staging area for shipment. There are literally miles of these type belts in a DC – narrow width, high-strength conveyor belts, a critical component of an efficient delivery system. These systems are best suited to aramid cord flat belts with polyurethane and wear-resistant NBR covers.
Live Roller Applications
Another critical conveyor component in distribution centers, these belts convey boxed goods down-line 100 meters or more to staging points for shipment to retail centers or consumers. A variety of aramid cord belts can be used here to provide reliability and performance, with the selection tailored to the application depending on load carry capacity and top cover options (polyurethane or NBR) required.
Endless Vulcanization
Aramid cord belts, designed to be vulcanized endless using finger-splice tools, will offer optimum installation and long, reliable service life – much more so than mechanically fastened (i.e., laced) belting.
Nitta’s press for joining CFTG-40FS flat type aramid cord belting is compact, lightweight and highly cost effective, and is available in an option that features a cook time of just 17.5 minutes. Please see our CFTG-40FS joining tools flyer for more details.
Additional Information
Read our Carryflex (CFTG) blog to learn more about Nitta’s aramid cord belting products.
Modern DCs and Elastic Type Belts
Modern distribution centers operate on a scale unheard of just ten years ago. The evolution of belt and equipment design to accommodate the movement and increased belt speeds of hundreds of thousands of parcels each day is truly impressive. A generation of elastic belts with up to 10% elongation capacity, requiring no take-up adjustment and operating at speeds exceeding 600 FPM, are commonplace.
Conveyor Belting
There is a belt type for every step in the conveying process, from feeding to loading and unloading, transporting and sorting.
To ensure good service life, top efficiency and minimal maintenance, the conveyor belt manufacturer must take many factors into account. The fabric used for the carcass must be strong, yet flexible enough to negotiate small pulleys. It must resist creasing or folding, yet not be so heavy that energy efficiency suffers. The running side must have a very low coefficient of friction against a slider bed, yet not wear quickly. Sometimes it must make very little noise.
Engineering developments and innovations over recent years have resulted in conveyor belts with enhanced properties when it comes to noise reduction, increase of paper/parcel grip, minimizing wear, energy savings and being flame retardant.
Nitta – A Prominent Presence in the Logistics Industry
Nitta has worked with major Logistics OEMs to provide solutions for systems in the field as well as the latest cutting-edge equipment in development.
Nitta Corporation of America is a proud member of MHI and MHEDA and actively participates as an exhibitor/sponsor at key events including ProMat, MODEX, MHEDA’s annual convention and Dematic’s MHLC (Material Handling and Logistics Conference).
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