Wire Belt FAQ: The Worldwide Leader of Stainless Steel Conveyor Belt Manufacturing
When investing in new or upgrading existing equipment, you’re bound to have questions. The quickest way to get these answered is to contact the team here at APS. We’ll have quick answers for you and provide you with the appropriate technical documentation as required.
If you’d like to do some background reading before contacting us, below are some frequently asked questions. Questions vary by equipment and industry, so if you need further information, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Q: How do I select the proper belt for my business?
A: Selection criteria varies and depends on factors such as industry, usage and forecast production volume. Contact our technical sales team for assistance, and we will start the ball rolling. We’ll be able to refer to local and international examples of best practice evaluation and selection processes.
Q: Are there advantages of wire mesh over plastic belts?
A: Metal belts are a clean-in-place style of belt, which means you do not have to remove them from the conveyor to clean them. Metal belts are also metal detectable where plastic is not, which is especially important in food processing. Metal belts also won’t catch fire. Wirebelt UK provide a comprehensive hygiene report on stainless steel conveyor belting.
The extensive research done by Mark Vickery at South Bank University shows that stainless steel Flat Flex® belting is far superior to plastic modular belting, both in terms of hygienic design and cleanability. Across the wide range of products tested the Flat Flex belt was at least 10 times cleaner than the plastic modular belt and in some cases more than 100 times cleaner.
Q: Are your belts and components suitable for food contact
A: Yes all Wirebelt belts are suitable for food contact. Flat-Flex, Compact Grid, Versa-link, and EZSplice parts all have USDA acceptance certification. Discover how stainless steel belting improves hygiene standards.
Q: Does Wire Belt offer any onsite training programmes?
A: Yes, the team here at APS can help ensure that you get the best operational life from your Flat-Flex® belting. A comprehensive on-site training package for engineering and maintenance teams covers the following and can be customised to your needs:
- Belt joining
- Identifying Flat-Flex® belting
- Conveyor maintenance
- Cause of metal belt failure and how to avoid them
You’ll also find Maintenance and How To Videos in the Video Help Centre
Q: What are the potential causes of downtime related to conveyor belting?
A: By their very nature, all conveyor belts have a finite life, including metal belts. However, it is a fact that the majority of conveyor belts do not wear out or “use up” their life. Most belts, if they do fail during use in a production environment, fail because of factors not related to strength, belt life, or robustness of the belt. Wirebelt UK provides a useful list of the potential causes of downtime, each able to be addressed through careful planning and implementation.
Q: What’s the best way to get more detailed information on the Wire Belt equipment range?
A: There is extensive technical documentation, equipment videos and more, and we encourage you to get in touch with the APS team so we can direct you to and provide the appropriate resources.
