Before you decide which conveyor belt to get, you need to know where your material is going. Is it going straight, is it going up, or is it going to turn? Breaking down the different types of conveyor belt systems into these three categories simplifies the process of purchasing a conveyor belt that fits your needs.

Needs To Go Straight

For material that just needs to go down a straight line, there are several options for belts. The first is simply a roller ball belt. They are belts that do not use any kind of automation whatsoever. They are typically used when an assembly line needs to work quickly and deals in smaller materials that can be pushed by hand.

The second type of straight belt is simply known as a flat belt. The most common of the belts, it uses a series of automated pulleys to move items placed on top of the belt. Be careful of placing anything too heavy on the belt or suddenly dropping something onto it. That may result in the pulleys breaking and needing to be replaced.

Needs To Go Up

The second category, if your material needs to go up, is reserved for the incline belt. There are plenty of benefits of an incline conveyor—they can come in several forms and can be used if you need to transport material to a higher elevation. It typically comes in the standard belt design with a rough texture to keep a grip on the material it is moving.

The other design for the incline belt is the cleated variety. Designed to keep loose materials separated and secured, cleated belts are used to keep small material from spilling over or collecting in any one spot. Cleated belts come with a variety of designs for the dividers depending if the material needs to be handled with care or for more heavy and abrasive items.

Needs To Go Around

Used to make sharp corners as well as efficient use of floor space, curved belts can make turns up to 180 degrees. These belts are typically used with bag handling to convey the packages in different directions.

Depending on the space available to you or the size of material that needs to be transported, there are different types of conveyor belt systems that need to be considered. Not every belt is built for every job, but there is a belt out there that will suit your needs and conform to your space.