Selecting, Squaring, and Installing Conveyor Belt Fasteners

Many manufacturing, processing and packaging applications call for laced conveyor belts that can be disconnected and removed for maintenance, repair, and replacement. Unlike endless splicing, laced conveyor belts are fitted with mechanical conveyor belt fasteners to form the continuous loop required for operation. To make the right fastener choice for lacing new conveyor belts or repairing of existing belts, consider the belt’s material and application. Specific types of belts are fabricated to accept certain types of fasteners. Selecting the correct fastener, squaring the belt, and correctly installing the lacing are the keys to smooth, safe performance and maximum productivity. Accurate Industrial carries several conveyor belt fastener options such as stainless steel, high-tensile steel, plastic, and Megalloy.

How to choose conveyor belt fasteners

Your belt’s characteristics will determine which lacing fastener should be used. If you need to replace the fastener, examine your conveyor system and relay the following information to Accurate Industrial:

• Thickness – measure the belt’s thickness at the splice location. Do not simply assume the belt remains at the same thickness it was when you bought it. Friction with pulleys and conveyed materials cause compression and wear to both the top and bottom surfaces of the belt, reducing its thickness. If you’re going to skive the belt – removing a section of the cover to give the fastener a better grip on the belt’s carcass – remember to deduct the skiving depth from the thickness determination. Conveyor belt fasteners suited for this final thickness remain contenders for final selection.
• Tension and belt rating – Limit the field further by taking note of the tension rating assigned by the belt’s manufacturer. Belts used to carry heavier weights generally need higher tension to overcome friction and resistance in order to keep the belt from sagging into the conveyor’s components. Belts with light tension ratings of 160 pounds per inch of belt width can be laced with wire hooks, bars, stapled plates, or plastic hinges. Belts used in heavier duty applications need more robust hardware attached with bolts or rivets.
• Pulley diameter – Find the pulley on your conveyor around which the belt wraps 90 degrees or more, and measure its diameter. Add 25 percent for wing (self-cleaning) pulleys. This figure will dictate which lacing options are available to you. Larger pulleys are required to propel larger, heavier solid-plate fasteners. Smaller pulleys can only drive lighter-duty fasteners. Hinged fasteners allow the lacing to pivot or bend around the pulley. This creates greater surface area to grip and gives smaller pulleys more traction. But solid-plate fasteners are more rigid and durable. They usually are the preferred style when pulleys are large enough to drive them. Plastic lacing is available for applications that cannot use metal fasteners, such as metal detecting belts.

Armed with these three numbers, consult Accurate Industrial’s Conveyor Belt Fastener Selection Chart to compile a list of conveyor belt lacing types that could work with your application. Choose wisely to give yourself the best chance to maximize production time.

How to square a conveyor belt

Squaring the conveyor belt assures the ends are straight and even, making them more receptive to the lacing. Proper squaring ensures that conveyance stresses are distributed across the entire width of the lacing, keeps the belt tracking correctly, and reduces noise and wear. Here’s how to do it:

1. Turn power off to the conveyor, and take all other manufacturer-recommended safety precautions.
2. Mark the belt’s center at two-foot intervals started from each end of the belt.
3. Find the average center line of these measurements. Mark it with a chalk line.
4. Align a square to the centerline, and draw a line perpendicular to it across the entire width of the belt at the point you will make your squaring cut.
5. Use a very sharp razor knife or specially designed belt cutter to make a true, smooth, square cut

Wide belts used in baking and other operations are best measured with a laser square. Accurate Industrial offers a high quality Flexco laser belt square that uses magnetic guides and edge-finding pins to locate the true center of the belt. Lasers then mark the cut location.

How to lace a conveyor belt

Each fastener type has its own installation procedure:

• Bolt Solid Plate – This conveyor belt fastener is easy to install on-site with templates, punches and boring tools: begin by nailing the template into place. Then, spray lubricant through the template holes, drill or bore holes through both ends of the belt. Insert bolts through one end of the belt. Fold one end of the belt back and insert bolts into the other end. With the bolts aligned with the template teeth, place the other end of the belt over the bolts. After removing the template, insert top plates and thread nuts onto the bolts. Weave tape through the plates and pull tight as you tighten the plates (tighten the two outside plates first to hold the tape in place). Tighten the nuts; hammer in the plates. Break off the bolt ends and grind to a finish.

Bolt solid plate sizing chart >

• Bolt Hinged – Align the template with the belt ends and nail it down with the center arrow facing away from the belt. Spray the holes with silicone lubricant and punch holes into the belt. Place the fastener on the belt with the hinges facing up. Insert the bolts and hand-tighten the nuts to engage with the lugs on the fasteners. Working from the outside in, use a wrench to fully tighten the nuts, ensuring the fastener teeth penetrate the underside of the belt. Insert the gauge pin through the fastener loops; break off the bolts, and grind to a finish. Use the gauge pin as a guide to insert the filler tube. Once it’s in place, remove the gauge pin. Repeat these steps on the other belt end and join the ends together. Insert the gauge pin through both sets of fastener loops. Insert the hinge pin from the opposite end, backing out the gauge pin as you go. Place a washer on the hinge pin and crimp to hold in place.

Bolt hinged sizing chart >

• Rivet Hinged – Use the MSRT Multiple Rivet Driving Tool to hold the belt, fastener strip, and the guide block securely in place. Insert up to eight rivets in one pass. The tool aligns the belt, hinge and guide to ensure perfect lacing.

Rivet hinged sizing chart >

• Alligator Staple – Align the conveyor belt fastener strip onto the belt and use the Alligator Ready Set tool to lock it into place. Drive and set the staples. The tool inserts two staples simultaneously, and then can be easily moved along the belt in order to drive the next pair.

Alligator staple sizing chart >

• Clipper Wire Hook – Once the belt and Roller Lacer® Gold Class™ is prepared for use, guide the belt through the clamp and over belt support shelf, then lock the belt clamp. Once that is achieved, position the rollers over the hooks and turn the adjusting nob counter-clockwise until the rollers touch the hooks. Return the lacer head to the end of the lacer and turn the knob one and a half rotations (counter-clockwise). Then, using a drill or manual override, drive the lacer head across the belt width at a low to medium speed. Turn the adjusting knob one more half rotation counter-clockwise and repeat until hooks are embedded with 1/3 to 1/2 the wire diameter into the belt. Finally, remove the lacer pin, release the belt clamp and remove the belt from the lacer.

Clipper wire hook sizing chart >

• Alligator Lacing – Install this one-piece fastener strip using only a hammer. The lacing is held tightly in place by clips and a gauge rod as the teeth bite into the belt to complete the splice.

Alligator lace sizing chart >

• Plastic Rivet and Plastic Spiral Lace – Installations of these non-metallic fasteners should be performed by professionals with extensive training and experience. Accurate Industrial’s belt technicians will install these fasteners to ensure the highest possible quality and lace life.

Plastic rivet sizing chart >

Plastic spiral lace sizing chart >

Accurate Industrial has all your fastener needs covered

Accurate Industrial can fabricate belts to match any lacing option for both lightweight and heavyweight lace. Fabrication allows the lacing to integrate with the belt itself, often lying beneath the belt surface to deliver smooth performance.

The fasteners are configured into a variety of conveyor belt lacing types designed to present the most efficient, durable, and user-friendly solutions for splicing belts used in any industry and for any application. Using incorrect fasteners on your conveyor belt can hinder productivity and potentially lead to critical failures that cause significant downtime and even serious injury. Accurate Industrial has the equipment and the know-how to make your conveyor belt squaring, lacing, and installation process run flawlessly. For advice and ordering, contact Accurate Industrial’s experts today.