Hybrid Impact Bed: An Ideal Mid Range Impact Solution
A hybrid impact bed is a spin-off design from the traditional impact bed, which incorporates impact rollers/idlers in the centre of the structure and impact bars on the sides.
When You Should Consider a Hybrid Impact Bed
When considering the impact zone of your conveyor system, the two solutions often considered are impact rollers and impact beds. Both of these options have their pros and cons, however they sit on opposite ends of the impact rating scale.
Impact rollers are perfect for low-impact rating zones and are usually a cost-effective option.
Impact beds are perfect for heavy duty applications and offer greater service life.
The middle ground is where hybrid impact beds excel. They are ideal for medium-rating impact zones and offer a lot of advantages which impact rollers alone would not offer.
Advantages of a Hybrid Design
Medium Impact Rating
In the traditional impact roller configuration, impact rollers are used on all sides of the zone to absorb the impact of falling material.
The impact rollers are spaced across the zone which leave gaps between them. For low-impact energy applications this set up is suitable because the impact force of the material isn’t strong enough to deform the conveyor belt.
However, when the impact force increases, the material can cause the conveyor belt to deform and sag below the recommend operating height between each impact roller.
Hybrid impact beds offer extra support for material falling on the outer edges of the impact zone through the use of impact bars and a heavy duty frame to support the impact rollers.
Idler frames are usually the first point of failure if the impact force is too high, so the additional support from the hybrid impact bed frame helps minimise this potential issue.
Greater Belt Sealing & Belt Drooping Elimination
In the traditional impact roller design the conveyor belt may experience drooping between the rollers.
When this occurs, gaps will be created between the conveyor belt and the skirting rubber. The skirting rubber is designed to seal the conveyor system so the falling material cannot exit the chute. When there are gaps between the belt conveyor belt and the skirting rubber, material may be lost, and it can cause a potential safety risk.
The extra support of the impact bars eliminates this issue. The impact bars are a solid structure which offers no gaps on the sides of the impact zone and completely eliminates belt drooping.
Assists with Belt Running
In the traditional impact bed design, impact bars are used in the middle section of the impact zone. This offers extra support for the belt in high impact rating applications.
The disadvantage of that design is that the belt is dragged across the zone. This can increase the power required to make the belt run and may increase wear on the backside of the belt.
A hybrid impact bed can minimise these potential issues. The impact rollers in the hybrid design are able to roll with the belt, and assists the belt gliding across the zone.
If you would like to find out more information on hybrid impact beds, impact beds and impact idlers, check out our impact bed page.
Also, check out our recent blog article, Case Study: How to Improve Your Impact Zone. This article details a real-life example of how an impact bed improved the impact zone for one of our client’s conveyor systems.
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