Modular Belt Link With Specialized Insert
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Solution Overview
Problem
The conveyor belt industry faces challenges in maintaining a wide variety of belt links to address different needs, such as strength, load capacity, wear resistance, and static electricity, leading to logistical and economic issues.
Innovation Solution
A modular belt link module comprising a main body element and an insert, where the insert provides specific characteristics like high strength, low friction, or conductivity, allowing the same belt link to be adapted for various applications by transferring forces and reducing friction or static electricity, while the main body element remains standardized.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a wide variety of different belt links are developed to address special needs (strength, wear resistance, etc.), then the ability to meet specific application requirements is improved, but device complexity and inventory management difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The belt link is divided into two functional segments: a standardized main body element and a specialized insert. The main body contains the cavity and structural framework, while the insert provides application-specific properties (friction material, conductivity, strength). This segmentation allows the main body to remain uniform across all belt links, reducing inventory complexity, while inserts can be varied to meet specific application needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The main body element is designed as a universal component that can accommodate different types of inserts for various applications. The standardized cavity design in the main body allows it to serve multiple functions depending on which insert is installed, enabling one main body design to support high strength, low friction, high friction, or conductive requirements through different inserts.
2Reliability
If expensive specialized materials are used throughout the entire belt link, then performance characteristics (strength, wear resistance, conductivity) are improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using expensive specialized materials throughout the entire belt link, the insert provides the specialized material properties only where needed (locally). For example, high friction material is applied only on the surface contacting the conveyed material, conductive material is applied only in specific zones, while the main body uses standard, less expensive materials for structural support.
Solution Approach 2:
The belt link becomes a composite structure combining the standardized main body material with specialized insert materials. This composite approach allows optimization of each component: the main body uses cost-effective materials for structural integrity, while the insert uses expensive specialized materials (carbon fiber, conductive polymers, high friction compounds) only where their specific properties are needed, reducing overall material costs.
Data Source
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AI summary
Modular belt link module consisting of a main body element and an insert, where the modular belt link module is of the type which when assembled with a plurality of substantially identical modular belt link modules constitutes a conveyor belt, where each main body element has a central part, from which central part eye parts project in a forward and rearward direction with respect to the intended travelling direction, such that eye parts along a front part of one modular belt link may be interleafed between eye parts on a rear part of an adjacent modular belt link module, and where the eye parts each are provided with an aperture arranged laterally to the intended travelling direction, such that when the eye parts are interleafed, the apertures of adjacent eye parts overlap, and a connection pin may be inserted laterally at least through some of the apertures, hingely connecting adjacent modular belt link modules, whereinthe central part and a plurality of the eye parts are provided with a continuous cavity, which cavity extends from either an upper or lower surface and towards the opposite surface, the surfaces defined relative to how the modular belt link module is arranged in the use situation, and where the cavity is at least partly enclosed by the modular belt link module material, and where an insert substantially corresponding in shape to the cavity and at least filling up the cavity is provided.