Major Conveyor Issues

Flat Belt Problems

Intralox Belt Solutions

Tracking

Frequent mistracking forces you to

• Lose product and/or risk liability of pieces of damaged belt in product
• Incur increased labor costs for contamination control
• Replace belts
• Re-adjust take-up
• Trim edge damage
• Replace pulleys

Zero mistracking, and therefore none of the related costs

Sanitation

Visibly clean

• Flat belting appears clean but can harbor bacteria in surface cracks
• Presence of bacteria can delay start-up and increase risk of product contamination

Truly clean

• Zero bacteria at start-up
• Intralox sanitation guidelines ensure that belts can be cleaned easily and effectively
• Material does not encourage bacteria growth

Safety

Frequent lacing results in a chronic safety hazard to workers

No lacing required; no injury risk

Flights

Vulcanized flights separate from flat belts at the base, resulting in possible product contamination and maintenance issues

Zero flight separation: flights are molded as part of the base modules

Case handling

• High unscheduled downtime and maintenance costs
• Case slippage and jams common

• Eliminate costly and time-consuming maintenance needs like tracking, tensioning, vulcanizing, and splicing
• Strong gripping power
• Improved orientation

Major Conveyor Issues

Wire Belt Problems

Intralox Belt Solutions

Belt Fatigue

Wire mesh belts have a finite life and are prone to metal fatigue.

Intralox belts typically last 5-7 times longer than wire belts.

Belt Weight

Heavy wire belts are difficult to remove and install, compromising production time and worker safety.

Intralox belts weigh less and are easy to change.

Maintenance

Repairing a wire belt requires cutting, welding, and grinding, which takes up valuable production time and creates a safety risk.

With an Intralox belt, repairs are quick and easy: just pull out the pin and replace modules as necessary.

Product Adhesion

Especially in freezing applications, product adhesion leads to lost throughput, increased labor costs for cleanup, and diminished product value.

Intralox offers belts that reduce adhesion-related product loss by as much as 80%.

Product Contamination

Loosened pieces of metal and lubricant residue cause product contamination.

The all-plastic construction of Intralox belts does not require lubrication and ensures that there is no possibility of metal contamination, eliminating black specks.

Product Marking

Wire belts cause product marking, negatively impacting product value.

Superior product release and less product marking equals less lost product and increased throughput.

Safety

• Performing hot work near the belt increases worker safety risk.
• Pinch points are a chronic safety hazard to workers.

• No hot work is ever necessary.
• Injury risk from wire belt pinch points is eliminated, as well as injury from loosened bits of wire.

Sanitation

• Wire belts are difficult and time-consuming to clean.
• Wire belts appear clean but can harbor bacteria, which can delay start-up and increase product waste.

• Intralox sanitation guidelines ensure that belts can be cleaned easily and effectively.
• Intralox materials do not encourage bacteria growth.

Major Conveyor Issues

Roller Conveyor Problems

Intralox Belt Solutions

Line Flexibility

Cannot easily handle multiple sizes or types of packaging. Requires time-consuming line changeovers.

Allow for conveyance of multiple package types and sizes on a single line.

Jams

Costly delays occur while manual labor clears jams caused by package slugs and dead zones.

Cases maintain proper orientation and spacing to eliminate jams.

Case Damage

Risk of breakage from rough conveyance and potential impact with other cases in dead zones.

Smooth conveying surface and consistent spacing prevent case damage.

Throughput

Line stops caused by jams, dead zones, and other errors negatively impact productivity.

Continuously running conveyor provides steady throughput and decreases cost per case.

Line Speed

Increases costs by requiring special equipment (welded frames, high speed bearings, and rollers) to handle higher speeds.

Can handle line speeds above 150 ft./min. (45.72 m/min.) without any need to upgrade parts.

Dead Zones

Rollers stop, creating dead zones that reduce productivity and cause jams downstream.

Smooth belt surface moves continuously to maintain steady rate and throughput.

Back Pressure

Zero pressure accumulation zone failures lead to slugs of cases, resulting in jams and inaccurate case counts.

Consistent low back pressure accumulation enables zero case damage. Restarting after accumulation offers consistent spacing of cases, eliminating jams.

Maintenance

Multiple failure points require frequent replacement of parts and ongoing maintenance that results in costly downtime.

Modular plastic components reduce maintenance and repair costs by up to 85%.

Cost

Wear and tear requires frequent replacement or rebuilding of entire system.

Longer belt life with virtually zero maintenance increases value over time. Retrofit costs are up to 50% less than installing a new roller conveyor system.