Abstract: In one aspect, a system is provided for securing fasteners to a conveyor belt end. The system includes a fastener bed to support fasteners, the fastener bed including a plurality of aligned fastener holes configured to receive staples of lower plates of the fasteners. The system further includes an applicator comprising a plurality of operating members operable to interface with the fastener holes of the fastener bed to advance the applicator along the fastener bed, secure the applicator relative to the fastener bed, and drive legs of the staples through the conveyor belt and into apertures of upper plates of the fasteners. The applicator is operable to urge upper plates of the fasteners against the conveyor belt end and bend the staple leg end portions against the upper plates of the fasteners to secure the fasteners to the conveyor belt end.

Abstract: In one aspect, an apparatus is provided for a conveyor belt system. The apparatus includes a conveyor belt cleaner having an elongate support and a pair of mounts configured to position the elongate support to extend across a conveyor belt. The apparatus includes a cleaner blade configured to be operatively mounted to the elongate support and engage a conveyor belt. The apparatus further includes a sensor configured to detect at least one characteristic of the elongate support as the elongate support vibrates during conveyor belt operation. A processor of the apparatus is configured to use the at least one characteristic of the elongate support to predict at least one property of the cleaner blade.

Abstract: A collating system for rivets is provided that includes a rivet holder for supporting rivets in a predetermined pattern. In one form, the rivet holder includes a body having cavities for supporting the rivets therein. The rivet holder body includes a top plate member and a bottom plate member. The rivet holder has drive heads connected to the top plate member via frangible portions and the bottom plate member has retaining webs disposed below the drive heads. The top and bottom plates are secured together to capture heads of the rivets between the drive heads and retaining webs. The drive heads may be driven downward to drive the rivet heads from the rivet holder and into bores of a guide block with the retaining webs flexing to release the rivet head from the lower bottom plate member. A method of using the rivet collating system is also disclosed.

Abstract: In one aspect, a transfer guard member having a body for being positioned in a gap intermediate conveying surfaces, an upper portion of the body for spanning the gap and outer portions of the upper body for slidingly engaging the conveying surfaces, and a pair of spaced, resilient legs having distal end portions for resiliently and slidingly engaging the conveying surfaces. In another aspect, a transfer guard member having a body and at least one attachment member of the body configured for being detachably fixed to a mounting bar. The body has at least one recess adjacent the attachment member for receiving at least one attachment member of another transfer guard member fixed to the mounting bar so that upper transfer surfaces of the attachment members are adjacent one another.

Abstract: In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a fastener is provided for securing to an end of a conveyor belt having cables. The fastener comprises a crimp configured to be fixed to a conveyor belt cable and a connector. The connector has a unitary, one-piece fastener body with an upper portion for being disposed adjacent an upper surface of the conveyor belt end and a lower portion for being disposed adjacent a lower surface of the conveyor belt end. The upper and lower portions are spaced apart to receive the crimp therebetween and permit the conveyor belt cable to extend in an outboard direction between the upper and lower portions. The connector includes a stop arranged to block inboard movement of the crimp and the conveyor belt cable fixed thereto.

Abstract: In one aspect, a transfer guard member having a body for being positioned in a gap intermediate conveying surfaces, an upper portion of the body for spanning the gap and outer portions of the upper body for slidingly engaging the conveying surfaces, and a pair of spaced, resilient legs having distal end portions for resiliently and slidingly engaging the conveying surfaces. In another aspect, a transfer guard member having a body and at least one attachment member of the body configured for being detachably fixed to a mounting bar. The body has at least one recess adjacent the attachment member for receiving at least one attachment member of another transfer guard member fixed to the mounting bar so that upper transfer surfaces of the attachment members are adjacent one another.

Abstract: In accordance with one aspect, an applicator is provided for applying staple fasteners to an end of a conveyor belt. The applicator provides advancing, clenching, staple driving, and final set operations that are coordinated by a drive of the applicator. In one form, the drive includes a cam plate and the applicator includes a handle that may be pivoted to turn the cam plate through a range of motion. Turning of the cam plate causes cam followers received in cam paths of the cam plate to shift and operate the mechanisms of the applicator. A method of using an applicator to apply conveyor belt fasteners is also provided.

Abstract: In one aspect, an apparatus is provided for a conveyor belt system. The apparatus includes a conveyor belt cleaner having an elongate support and a pair of mounts configured to position the elongate support to extend across a conveyor belt. The apparatus includes a cleaner blade configured to be operatively mounted to the elongate support and engage a conveyor belt. The apparatus further includes a sensor configured to detect at least one characteristic of the elongate support as the elongate support vibrates during conveyor belt operation. A processor of the apparatus is configured to use the at least one characteristic of the elongate support to predict at least one property of the cleaner blade.

Abstract: A portable conveyor belt splicing apparatus is provided that includes an upper press assembly and a lower press assembly which include, respectively, upper and lower platen assemblies. The upper and lower press assemblies may each include a forced air cooling system for rapidly cooling platens of the platen assemblies. The upper and lower press assemblies may include insulating assemblies with resilient members that support the upper and lower press assemblies. The resilient members provide structural support and insulate the platens from the frame which reduces the power required to heat the platens. In one form, the apparatus includes a power supply circuit that can alternate between providing power to upper and lower heaters in response to the apparatus being connected to different types of standard power supplies. Further, the power supply circuit permits the use of a single recipe for a particular belt irrespective of the type of power supply.

Abstract: In one aspect, a transfer guard member having a body for being positioned in a gap intermediate conveying surfaces, an upper portion of the body for spanning the gap and outer portions of the upper body for slidingly engaging the conveying surfaces, and a pair of spaced, resilient legs having distal end portions for resiliently and slidingly engaging the conveying surfaces. In another aspect, a transfer guard member having a body and at least one attachment member of the body configured for being detachably fixed to a mounting bar. The body has at least one recess adjacent the attachment member for receiving at least one attachment member of another transfer guard member fixed to the mounting bar so that upper transfer surfaces of the attachment members are adjacent one another.

Abstract: In one aspect, a transfer guard system is provided for transferring objects across a gap between conveying surfaces of a conveyor. The transfer guard system includes an elongate mounting member and at least one transfer guard member connected to the mounting member. The transfer guard system includes at least one mount having a receiver that receives the mounting member. The at least one mount includes a plurality of link members and at least one pivot connection between the link members. The at least one pivot connection permits the mounting member receiver to be pivoted along an arcuate path within the gap to position the receiver at a predetermined position in the gap. The at least one mount further includes at least one locking member operable to fix the link members relative to one another and secure the mounting member receiver at the predetermined position in the gap.

Abstract: In one aspect, a transfer guard member having a body for being positioned in a gap intermediate conveying surfaces, an upper portion of the body for spanning the gap and outer portions of the upper body for slidingly engaging the conveying surfaces, and a pair of spaced, resilient legs having distal end portions for resiliently and slidingly engaging the conveying surfaces. In another aspect, a transfer guard member having a body and at least one attachment member of the body configured for being detachably fixed to a mounting bar. The body has at least one recess adjacent the attachment member for receiving at least one attachment member of another transfer guard member fixed to the mounting bar so that upper transfer surfaces of the attachment members are adjacent one another.

Abstract: In one aspect, a vibratory tool is provided for driving a plurality of rivets out from bores of a guide block into an underlying conveyor belt. The tool has a body, a hydraulically operated main drive rod mounted to the body, and a driver aligned with the main drive rod and slidably mounted to the body. The driver has a plurality of elongated drive rod members for engaging and simultaneously driving multiple rivets out of the guide block bores. The driver has an intermediate impact surface for being impacted by the main drive rod impact end as the main drive rod impact end rapidly reciprocates between retracted and extended positions. The driver also has a rearwardly extending spacer wall for axially spacing the driver intermediate impact surface and the main drive rod impact end in the retracted position thereof by at least a predetermined axial distance sized for optimizing energy transfer from the main drive rod to the driver.

Abstract: In one aspect, a conveyor belt fastener is provided having a rigid body made from a strip of cold-rolled or cold-drawn material such as steel. The body has an upper plate portion, a lower plate portion, and loop portions connecting the upper and lower plate portions. The upper and lower plate portions each have a variable cross-sectional thickness laterally thereacross including raised walls projecting outwardly and ribs projecting inwardly. The fastener has at least one attachment member, such as a staple, for connecting the plate portions to a conveyor belt end and the raised walls protect the staple once driven into the conveyor belt end.

Abstract: A collating system for rivets is provided that includes a rivet holder for supporting rivets in a predetermined pattern. In one form, the rivet holder includes a body having cavities for supporting the rivets therein. The rivet holder body includes a top plate member and a bottom plate member. The rivet holder has drive heads connected to the top plate member via frangible portions and the bottom plate member has retaining webs disposed below the drive heads. The top and bottom plates are secured together to capture heads of the rivets between the drive heads and retaining webs. The drive heads may be driven downward to drive the rivet heads from the rivet holder and into bores of a guide block with the retaining webs flexing to release the rivet head from the lower bottom plate member. A method of using the rivet collating system is also disclosed.

Abstract: A tracking apparatus and method for urging a mistracking conveyor belt towards a correct travel path are disclosed. The apparatus and method utilize downstream shifting of an end portion of an idler roller due to mistracking of the conveyor belt for steering the belt back toward its correct travel path and a reaction force from the belt due to the steering thereof for energizing a tilting action of the idler roller to raise the downstream end portion thereof. The idler roller is mounted to the conveyor structure via a frame assembly including a tilt device mounted internally within the idler roller. The roller is rotatably mounted to an inner tube, and the inner tube member is pivotally mounted to the tilt device, which in combination allow the idler roller to pivot, shift, and tilt to steer a mistracking conveyor belt in relative proportion to degree of mistracking of the belt.

Abstract: A tracking apparatus and method for urging a mistracking conveyor belt back towards a correct travel path are provided. The apparatus and method both utilize downstream shifting of an end portion of an idler roller due to mistracking of the conveyor belt for directing or steering the belt back toward its correct travel path and a reaction force from the belt due to the steering thereof for energizing a tilting action of the idler roller to raise the downstream end portion thereof. In this manner, the tilting of the idler roller is not mechanically coupled to the downstream shifting of the roller end portion allowing the belt tracking apparatus herein to be bi-directional for use with conveyor belts that may be run in opposite travel directions.