From dirt conveyors to spiral conveyor belts, the types of industrial conveyors available on the market varies widely. With the differences in uses comes a large-scale difference in training and education. Conveyor education can be sought through advanced industrial course, or you can seek educational materials to use in a custom training seminar you provide for your workforce.

Manufacturers of conveyor belts are solid resources when it comes to product specification sheets, safety tips and maintenance diagrams. If your current conveyor belt manufacturer doesn't offer such materials, searching the web for some free training sources is another option. Start by:

1. Talking to your conveyor belts manufacturer about what materials they can provide you.

2. Finding thorough educational resources to develop your own educational course about conveyor belts.

3. Looking for professional conveyor belt training.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Get training information from a conveyor belts manufacturer

Contact a conveyor belts distributor to start your training search. Many distributors can recommend a good manufacturer that will provide adequate training. Some manufacturers offer online databases of materials; others offer in-house training or seminar opportunities for your workforce.

I recommend: FlexLink is a manufacturer of the aluminum conveyor belt, plastic, chain and more. They offer support in several forms including a library of technical information that works well for training. Product details and technical information are also available online at Dorner Manufacturing Corp. and Thermo Scientific for different types of conveyor systems.

Find belt conveyor information for training in-house

If you can't find product-specific training materials with manufacturers, look for some general training materials to help educate your workforce in the proper installation, maintenance and use of your system by finding online training materials. Creating a custom-designed training seminar for your workforce is a low-cost way to train and update their conveyor knowledge.

I recommend: ConveyorBelt.com offers belting application guides for conveyors in several industries including agricultural, materials handling, forest products and more. Get a virtual reality educational training program at the Information Technology in Construction website. Connect with other conveyor belt users and find additional resources at the Conveyor Belt Blog.

Sign your workers up for conveyor belts education and training workshops

If professional training is within your budget, it is an ideal way to make sure your workforce is well-educated when it comes to the safe use and proper maintenance of conveyor belts. Look for workshops, seminars or classes that deal with your specific industry needs.

I recommend: Martin Engineering offers a conveyor maintenance and safety course that's designed to meet the needs of veteran and rookie employees alike. The Training Network offers a conveyor belt safety program that is completely DVD-taught for sale. Another training option is provided by IBT Industrial Training. They offer a conveyor maintenance and care training course that can be customized to meet your specific needs.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Don't waste your money sending a large group of workers to a course about types of industrial conveyors belts with which they won't even be working. Make sure the training is as specific to your system as possible.

Industrial conveyor belts are the vehicle for start-to-finish product assembly, as well as product organization and delivery. And there's a type of conveyor belt for anything, from processed cheese to a conveyor for dirt.

Belt conveyors come in a variety of sizes and functions, and can haul material in any direction - along a flat plane, up to the top of a construction site, or down below the ground into a mine. Some can even properly sift materials on their way to becoming the finished product - or helping to create the finished product.

When shopping for belt conveyors and their parts, take into account:

1. The type of conveyor belt you'll need, based on the type of product and the volume of parts.

2. A quality conveyor belt manufacturer to provide parts and support.

3. The need for belt conveyor repair providers in case something goes wrong.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find conveyor belts to fit your needs

Whether you're looking at dirt conveyors, an aluminum conveyor belt, or some other belt conveyor type, there's a place to find what you need online. Depending on the type, conveyor belts can carry any size load, or transport any type of material.

I recommend: Cisco-Eagle lists a number of standard conveyor belt types that reduce friction and help maintain conveyor belt speed, while Dorner showcases a wide variety of industrial conveyor belts based on product, material and function.

Use specialized and general conveyor belts distributors

A wide variety of conveyor belt distributors keep websites where you can find any number of conveyor belt options, services and parts. A distributor of conveyor belts will often specialize, but many offer different types of industrial conveyors belts.

I recommend: Volta Belting specializes in light- to medium-weight usage, particularly for food and metal parts stamping. Gilmore Kramer offers a comprehensive inventory of belt conveyor options arranged by type.

Prepare for repairs on industrial conveyor belts

It can happen at any time: Everything is running along smoothly, and then, SNAP--something goes wrong along your conveyor belt. That's when it's important to quickly troubleshoot and determine if you need emergency repair services.

I recommend: Conveyor belts distributor Southern Splice Inc. features an online troubleshooting guide that can help you quickly determine the severity of the problem. If you end up needing quick emergency services no matter the hour, companies like Conveyor Services offer 24-hour emergency conveyor belt repair from numerous locations across the country.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Because of the nature of the material, an aluminum conveyor belt can be designed to contain fire-proofing properties. That is why many mining companies use aluminum conveyor belts.

Conveyor belts are designed with motorized pulleys to handle materials used in manufacturing, food processing, construction, agricultural and several other industries. The aluminum conveyor belt is one of the most commonly installed conveyor belts. Other industrial conveyor belts, which are made from materials such as nylon, leather, steel or wire mesh, are also equipped to transport light and heavy loads of grains, food chemicals, pulp and paper, lumber and mechanical parts from one location to another.

Install industrial conveyor belts that operate at the maximum speed, operating temperature, pulley size and work load that you desire for your applications. Belt conveyor width, length and thickness are also important considerations. Conveyor belts with additional safety features may be ideal to install, such as food-grade or antistatic conveyor belts. Resources for conveyor belts installation and maintenance can be found through literature, training courses or through manufacturer support services. Therefore, when searching for solutions to conveyor belts installation and maintenance:

1. Read literature to get the basics of conveyor belt installation.

2. Train on the installation, setup and safety features of belt conveyors, or hire a professional to install your conveyor belts.

3. Learn about common conveyor belt maintenance needs through support services or training.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Research conveyor belt product information

Get information and instructions for properly installing industrial conveyor belts, dirt conveyors, antistatic conveyor belts and more through published and online manuals.

I recommend: QC Industries Conveyors supplies installation, parts and maintenance manuals for its various conveyor belts. Get conveyor belts installation and maintenance literature and other reference material from Metzgar Conveyors. Understand the designs and operations of different types of industrial conveyor belts at Conveyor & Rubber Resources. ConveyorBelt also publishes ample educational resources about conveyor belts and materials.

Seek professional assistance, or take training courses on conveyor belt installation and maintenance

Work with a manufacturer who specializes in belt conveyor installation and maintenance, or learn to install an aluminum conveyor belt and other types of industrial conveyor belts.

I recommend: ASGCO Manufacturing offers conveyor belt installation and maintenance training to employers and employees. Conveyor belts manufacturer Portec also has training options for conveyor belt installation and maintenance. The courses also cover preventive maintenance, belt repair and replacement and belt conveyor readjustment.

Seek technical or customer support for conveyor belt installation and maintenance

Find companies and other resources that offer services that range from preventive maintenance to belt conveyor realignment to parts replacement.

I recommend: Martin Engineering offers educational workshops that train on belt conveyor maintenance and safety. The company also provides lubrication, cleaning and alignment services for conveyor belts. Belt Maintenance Group offers general maintenance and field services for industrial conveyor belts. Cisco-Eagle features scheduled maintenance plans for industrial conveyor belts.