Timing belt positions parts accurately

July 11, 2002
Positioning parts on timing belts traditionally requires fasteners or welding.

But fasteners eventually tear or degrade the belts and welding introduces positional errors of up to 0.04 in. and 1 of perpendicularity error. To solve these problems, engineers at Conveyor Ltd., Loveland, Ohio, have developed the patented FlexLoc system that can hold positioning accuracy to within 0.01 in. in four axes.

It uses male, dovetail-shaped urethane attaching points welded to the conveyor belt. Subpallets quickly and easily attach to the dovetails. But when the belt is tensioned and moving, the belt pulls down the dovetails, thus locking subpallets in position. Users attach their own part-holders to the subpallets using standard T-slot grooves similar to those on machine tools and stamping press bolsters. The subpallets let users set position via a gage bar, thus ensuring accurate X-axis registration of part holders on the belt, a critical function when performing several operations on a common belt. Subpallets also eliminate perpendicularity errors.

The system is said to be ideal for high-cycle and subsecond indexing applications. It can also be used on flat belts for lower-cycle operations.

Sponsored Recommendations

April 16, 2025
Clean. Compact. Less heat.
April 16, 2025
SEW-EURODRIVE Introduces DR2C motor, IE5 Ultra-Premium Efficiency Motor
March 31, 2025
Unlike passive products - made of simple carbon springs - the bionic prostheses developed by Revival Bionics are propulsive, equipped with a motor and an artificial Achilles tendon...
March 31, 2025
Electric drives are a key technology for the performance of machines, robots, and power tools. Download this guide for an introduction to high-quality mechatronic drive systems...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Machine Design, create an account today!