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Reversible Belt Conveyor

Reversible Belt Conveyors: Bi-Directional Shuttle Systems for Smart Material Routing

The Reversible Belt Conveyor (also known as a Shuttle Conveyor) is a highly flexible material handling solution designed for precise distribution across multiple bins or silos. Unlike standard conveyors, these systems feature a bi-directional drive and a mobile motorized frame, allowing the entire unit to move along tracks and discharge material from either end.

At Kunwei Machine, our reversible shuttle conveyors are engineered to maximize storage capacity while minimizing equipment footprint. By using a single reversible unit instead of a complex network of fixed conveyors, you can significantly reduce energy consumption and initial investment costs in coal, grain, and mineral processing facilities.

Core Advantages:

Bi-Directional Flexibility: Effortless switching between forward and reverse operation via automated PLC control.
Optimized Warehouse Usage: Perfect for filling long rows of silos or bunkers with a single, mobile machine.
Heavy-Duty Construction: Built with reinforced frames and high-torque drives to handle frequent starts, stops, and direction changes.
Low Profile Design: Ideal for installations with limited vertical clearance above storage bins.

What is Reversible Belt Conveyor

A Reversible Belt Conveyor is a belt conveyor that is mounted on to a rail system. The conveyor has the ability to move along the rails in either direction and the belt can be switched for either direction, making this style conveyor great for evenly filling multiple hoppers or storage bins.

Why choose us?

Custom Engineering Services

Kunwei Machine doesn't just sell equipment; we provide tailored engineering solutions. Based on your material density, lump size, and moisture content, our engineers calculate the optimal belt tension and motor power to ensure energy efficiency and system longevity.

Global Project Experience

With decades of experience in the bulk material handling industry, Kunwei has successfully delivered belt conveyor systems to mining and construction projects in Southeast Asia, Africa, and South America. We offer full technical support, from initial design drawings to overseas installation guidance.

Complete Product Qualifications

Our products all have passed test of ISO90001. All of our products comply with international quality standards and are greatly appreciated in a variety of different markets throughout the world.

Competitive Price

You can get our catalog online or visit our factory to see our products. We also provide competitive price and excellent customer service for all our customers.

Reversible Shuttle Belt Conveyor

Reversible Shuttle Belt Conveyor is a device used for distributing, and conveying bulk materials. It can perform forward and reverse conveying according to process requirements, realizing

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Mobile Reversible Belt Conveyor

Mobile reversible belt conveyor is a dual-way conveying mechanical equipment, which can also discharge materials at both ends and can serve various storage bins, making up for the insufficiency of

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What are the Advantages of a Reversible Belt Conveyor

A reversing shuttle conveyor is essentially a belt conveyor mounted onto a rail system, and offers numerous advantages to a bulk material handling system, including

A stationary inlet

The stationary feed chute allows for processed material to be directed to one central location.

Reversible belt direction

There is no restriction as to which end of the conveyor the material can discharge from, thus this style is ideal for filling multiple hoppers or storage bins.

Remote/automation

Reversing shuttle conveyors can be controlled from a remote control room, or automatically through an preset program.

Applications and Problems of Reversible Belt Conveyor

Reversible distribution belt conveyor are often used in the process of raw materials, finished products handling for silo storage in the power, metallurgy, cement, coal and other related production sectors. Silos are often arranged in one or two ranks. Silos distribution of the conveyor, is assigned and unloaded same materials into the various silos, or several raw materials assigned and unloaded to the designated one or several silos. The choice of silos distribution equipment depends on the combination of storage type. According to its type, silos distribution equipment could be divided into:

Unloading tripper for silos distribution

Reversible belt conveyor for silos distribution

Plow unloader for silos distribution

Vibration conveyor for silos distribution

Rotary chute for silos distribution

Among them, the reversible belt conveyer (commonly known as movable reversible belt conveyor, shuttle belt conveying machine) is deeply loved by designers and users and is widely used because of its simple structure, small investment, easy operation and maintenance and many other advantages.

Reversible distribution belt conveyor is characterized by simple equipment, reliable operation, the arrangement of the feeding conveyor belt could be concentric and also be vertical with the warehouse, the reversible belt conveyor moves longitudinally along the tracks at the top of silos when distributing materials, it is suitable for large-capacity silo of linear layout. Because the belt conveyor can run in reverse, the length of the conveyor is short. Usually, the length of the conveyor is about half the length of the needed material distribution in the silo and then 2-3m longer. Therefore, the equipment is widely used because of its small investment and the simple flexible process layout.

Functionality and Profiles of the Conveyor Belts

Depending on the application or the material to be processed, the conveyor belt is fitted with a suitable profile from an incline of 20°. This prevents the material from rolling back down due to gravity. The profile is often designed in such a way that it not only catches the rolling material, but also guides it into the center of the belt to prevent the material from falling off the sides.

The profiles are usually hot vulcanized and cast directly into the mould. This is possible up to a profile height of 3-4 cm. If a higher profile is required, the T-cleat profile is usually used. In this case, the T-cleats are glued or screwed onto the belt.

01.

Criteria and example for belt quality

Tractive force
Structure of the belt
Resistance to chemicals and environmental influences
The belt quality required depends on the material to be processed in a system.
In this sense, quality says nothing about the quality of the manufacturer or the materials used, but about the tensile strength, the construction of the belt and its resistance to chemical environmental influences.
If stones and soil are to be conveyed, a high tractive force is required. For organic waste, on the other hand, attention should be paid to oil and grease resistance rather than tractive force.

02.

Belt conveyors - Conveyor belt systems

Conveyor belt as "flat belt" or "flat belt":
Flat belts are used in preparation for the process when feeding units such as star screens, SPLITTERs, vibrating screens, near-infrared systems, magnetic separators, air classifiers and other separation units. In order to process the material in screens, for example, it should arrive at the screen evenly distributed in a single grain layer on the belt.

Conveyor belt as "troughed belt" or "troughed belt":
Due to the design of the troughed belt, the material collects in the middle (trough) of the belt. This reduces the risk of material getting into the chassis, blocking rollers or slowing down the belt. A troughed belt is usually used for long transport routes so that the material is guided safely and does not fall out.

Causes of Conveyor Belt Mistracking

Belt mistracking can be caused by a number of factors, but all mistracking leads to subsequent problems if not identified and resolved.

Reversing conveyors can be a special source of frustration. When the belt direction is reversed, the tension areas in the belting change location in relation to the drive pulley and loading area(s). Imagine having a conveyor that has a head drive, and at the flip of a switch, it becomes the tail drive. When the top side of the belt is running toward the drive pulley, the tight side of the belt is on top. However, when the belt is reversed and the top side is running away from the drive pulley, the tight side is now on the bottom. The carrying side of the conveyor actually changes from being pulled to being pushed. A belt being pushed is inherently more unstable than a belt being pulled; thus, it is more difficult to train.

This poses especially difficult problems, because all of the components now contribute differently to the tracking problems. The belt may run fine in one direction and wander all over when reversed, because different sets of rollers and pulleys control the steering of the belt. In order to overcome this type of problem, the system should be surveyed to determine which components are out of alignment. Corrections should be made as required to get all rotating components in alignment.

Other problems encountered and aggravated by reversing belts relate to off-center loading, multiple load points, and loading different materials on the same belt. Off-center loading can greatly aggravate tracking problems on reversing belts, especially if the load is applied closer to one end of the conveyor than to the other. This can be corrected by proper loading-chute design and the use of adjustable deflectors, grid and chute bottoms that can be adjusted to correct the placement of the load on the belt.

Different materials on the same reversing belt can also cause problems. Suppose the belt has been "set" to track with a material with a specific bulk density. Now, reverse the direction of travel and introduce a material with a different bulk density, and all of the previously-applied training adjustments may be wrong. In order to overcome this type of problem, a survey of the structure should be conducted to determine if the take-up pulley counterweight is insufficient or if the components are out of alignment, and corrections should be made as required.

3 Basic Conveyor Belt Tracking Rules To Follow

Conveyor belts are frequently blamed for belt tracking problems and in most cases this is unjustified. The failure cause is usually to be found in the installation itself and may be the result of poorly adjusted pulleys and rollers, incorrect application of belt tracking measures or faulty design. It is therefore essential to be fully aware of the basic characteristics of the different belt tracking measures and for these to be employed correctly.

A distinction needs to be made between basic and additional measures for belt tracking. The former are appropriate for maintaining a correctly aligned belt in its central position as long as no great external influences are exerted on the belt, such as transverse forces. The latter are necessary when the basic measures alone are either insufficient or inappropriate to control belt tracking sufficiently.

Regardless which measures are taken, the following conditions are essential for problem-free belt tracking:
The supporting structure must be rigid and stable. It must be able to withstand all the forces acting upon it (belt tension, weight of the conveyed goods, uneven floors, etc.).
All pulleys and rollers must be fitted at right angles to the belt running axis. Adjustable pulleys and rollers are only to be adjusted after the belt has been properly run in.
All parts of the installation that come into contact with the belt are to be protected from dirt and soiling and to be cleaned if necessary

What happens if a conveyor has no tracking measure at all?
Where a belt runs over cylindrical pulleys that are at right angles to its directional path, then the forces acting upon it will be parallel to the running direction of the belt. No tracking forces are exerted on the belt.
In fact, the belt is running in a state of unstable equilibrium and would run off immediately if subjected to the slightest external factors such as off-center loading of product, dirt between belt and pulley, belt distortion or lateral feeding or diverting of goods.Belt tracking diagram
The same scenario applies if one or both of the two pulleys are not positioned accurately at right angles to the belt running axis. The belt will inevitably run off towards the less-tensioned side.

Tracking Rule 1
The belt tracks to the side with the least tension.
Tracking effect of cylindrical-conical or radially crowned pulleys
Fabric belt conveyors are normally equipped with at least one, sometimes with several pulleys with cylindrical conical or radially crowned form. This basic measure is usually sufficient to achieve straight and stable running.
cylindrical-conical pulley beltPulleys with this shape exert a self-tracking effect. If there is a variable run-off tendency, or a reversal in running direction, the belt is centered without the need to adjust the axis. Detailed information on cylindrical conical pulleys

In simple two-pulley conveyors with defined running direction it is usually the head pulley that is the driving pulley. It is designed in cylindrical-conical shape.
With conveyor aspect ratio (conveyor length to belt width) in excess of about 5 to 1 and in installations with reversing operations, it is advisable to crown both, head pulley and tail pulley.
Following this method, a correctly aligned belt can be maintained in its central position as long as there is no excessive deflection of the pulleys.

Additional belt tracking measures:
On installations with a pronounced run-off tendency and considerable transverse forces (side feed, diverter bar, a lot of redirection in the belt path, etc.), the basic use of cylindrical-conical pulleys, will not be sufficient. Additional belt tracking measures will be required, but these will be determined by application and operating conditions.

Guiding pulley
Guiding pulleys, also called control pulleys, are adjustable snub pulleys.
Guiding pulleys are usually cylindrical. Observe the minimum diameter for counterflections according to the indication in the product data sheets. To achieve good tracking, the arc of contact at the guiding pulley should be minimum 30°. For belts with non-adhesive surface, the tracking effect can be improved with a friction cover of abrasion-resistant rubber or synthetic material (recommended hardness 80 – 90 Shore A).

Tracking Rule 2
The larger the arc of contact and the higher the friction, the greater the tracking effect. To keep the belt tension as low as possible, the pivoting movement should, wherever possible, be perpendicular to the median line of the arc of contact (plane A ↔ B). The center distance between the end pulley and guiding pulley should be at least twice the diameter of the larger pulley. Unlike cylindrical-conical pulleys, adjustable cylindrical rollers are not self-tracking. This means when belt running direction changes, the pivoted position of cylindrical pulleys must be reset. As this is not practicable, the use of adjustable cylindrical rollers for belt tracking is not recommended for reversing operation. However, exception to this rule can be made for long conveyors. Provided there is sufficient distance between the guiding pulleys, they can be used even for reversing operations as well.
Guiding pulley A tracks the belt correctly in running direction a, guiding pulley B tracks the belt correctly in running direction b.

Tracking Rule 3
In group of pulleys and rollers the one that the belt first makes contact with has the larger tracking effect (in the adjacent example roller A).
Pulley and roller
Inclined rollers on the return side
The tracking effect of inclined rollers on the return side is maximized if they are fitted to the running-on side in front of the tail pulley for head drive and in front of the driving pulley for tail drive.
The positioning of rollers under the belt, i.e. on the conveying side of the belt, produces a good tracking effect due to the higher coefficient of friction, however, possible tracking marks on the belt cover must also be taken into consideration.

The rollers can also be positioned above the belt on its running side. This is desirable in cases where the belt has a delicate or highly structured conveying side, or has transversely mounted profiles.
To achieve a satisfactory tracking effect, the belt contact of a roller should be around ¼ of the belt width and the rollers angle of incline should be 5° to 10°.
If the inclined rollers are fitted exactly at right angles to the belt running direction, the belt will automatically correct its own position should a change in run-off tendency occur.

This measure works also in reversing operation.
Belt tracking is further improved when the inclined rollers are angled forward by 8° to 10° at the belt edges in the running direction of the belt. Their effect can be enhanced by adding a friction cover.
However, rollers angled forward shall not be used for reversing operation as the belt centering forces are thereby reversed as well.
Inclined rollers on the return side have also proven successful for tracking wide, short belts and with thin belts at high speeds. In this case driving pulleys and tail pulleys are to be fitted with cylindrical profiles in order to avoid folding or creasing.

The Working Principle and Characteristics of Belt Conveyor

The belt conveyor is a conveyor belt that is supported by upper and lower rollers as a bearing member and a traction member. It bypasses the head and tail rollers to form a closed-loop conveyor. It transmits power by means of the friction between the driving roller and the conveyor belt. Realize material transportation.

The belt conveyor has the following characteristics:

Long conveying distance;
Large conveying capacity;
Simple structure, low capital investment, and low operating expenses;
The transmission line can be arranged horizontally, obliquely, or bent horizontally or vertically, so it is less restricted by topographical conditions;
Simple operation, safe and reliable, easy to realize automatic control.

Scope of application:

It can be used in metallurgy, coal, mining, port, power station, chemical, petroleum, and other sectors. It can transport various bulk materials and finished articles with a bulk density of 0.5 to 2.5 tons per cubic meter.
The working environment temperature is generally minus 25 to minus 40 degrees Celsius. For belt conveyors working in special environments, corresponding protective measures should be taken.
It can be used to transport materials horizontally, inclined upward, and inclined downward.
The allowable material granularity of the conveyor depends on the bandwidth, belt speed, groove angle and inclination, as well as the frequency of bulk materials. Selection of the maximum granularity applicable to various bandwidths.

Selection of main components
Conveyor belt

Conveyor belt is the traction member and bearing member in the conveyor. There are ordinary and special conveyor belts. The tensile body (core layer) includes cotton canvas, nylon canvas, polyester canvas and steel wire rope core. The specifications and technical parameters of canvas conveyor belts and steel cord conveyor belts are listed.
The minimum and maximum allowable layers of various canvas belts.
The thickness of the cover rubber layer is determined according to the bulk density, particle size, the height of the material to be transported, and the abrasiveness of the material.
The unit length quality of the canvas conveyor belt is selected according to the product samples of each factory.
Safety factor of the conveyor belt.

Driving device
The driving device is the power part of the belt conveyor, which is composed of a motor, a high-speed shaft coupling (hydraulic coupling), a reducer, a low-speed shaft coupling, a brake (backstop), etc. installed on the drive device frame. Usually, when the transmission power is greater than 45 kW, the high-speed shaft adopts a fluid coupling. When multiple mechanical backstops are used on one conveyor, if the load cannot be guaranteed to be evenly distributed, each backstop must be selected according to the maximum possible reverse torque of a conveyor.

Electric drum
The built-in electric drum is a transmission device that puts the motor and the reduction gear into the drum. Because of its compact structure and low mass, it is suitable for short-distance, low-power belt conveyors. Electric drums are usually used in occasions where the transmission power is below 55 kW and the ambient temperature does not exceed 40 degrees Celsius.

Drive roller
The drive roller is the main part of power transmission. There are two types of rollers: split surface and rubber surface. Glossy rollers can be used when the power is low, the bandwidth is small, and the environment is dry; the rubber rollers should be used when the environment is humid, high power, and easy to slip.
The minimum drive drum diameter D can be selected as follows:
D=Cd
In the formula: D———Minimum transmission drum diameter, mm;
d———core layer thickness or steel wire rope diameter, mm; c——The coefficient is 80 for cotton fabric, 90 for nylon fabric, 108 for polyester fabric, and 145 for steel cord core

Reversing roller
The reversing roller is used to change the running direction of the conveyor belt or increase the wrap angle between the conveyor belt and the drive roller. Glossy
Two rollers and rubber surface. The bandwidth matches the drum diameter.

Our Factory

The enterprise took the lead in passing the ISO90001 quality management system certification in 2005, with strong technical force, rich manufacturing experience, mature manufacturing process, complete testing methods, all of which adopt CAD, which can fully meet the user's equipment modeling and non-standard design, and has a complete pre-sale and after-sales service system. The products are of high quality and low price, and are sold well in the mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and are exported to Southeast Asia, Africa, Europe, America and other places, Welcome to visit, consult and negotiate with us.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: What is reversible conveyor?

A: Buffer conveyors that accumulate items off the main conveyors and then put them back into the main production flow.

Q: What is reversible belt feeder?

A: Reversible belt conveyors are applied in technological lines in order to enable temporary change of transported input material direction, assuring flexibility of line's configuration without necessity to install additional conveyors or modules (segments).

Q: What are the three types of conveyor?

A: There are a multitude of conveyor types, designs, and processes. The most common types are belt, roller, and overhead with overhead and floor mounted being the two broad categories.

Q: How many types of conveyor belts are there?

A: They are used to transport materials from one point to another, often over long distances. Conveyor belts can be made from a variety of materials, including PVC, polyester, cotton, and rubber. There are four main types of conveyor belts: flat belts, modular belts, timing belts, and V-belts.

Q: Are reversible belts good?

A: Functionally, there's no down side to a reversible belt. However, what I've noticed is that most reversible belts are produced with low quality leather or non-leather materials. This means over time the belt may fray, peel and crease which isn't very appealing.

Q: What is the difference between a belt feeder and a belt conveyor?

A: The main difference between a feeder and a conveyor is that feeders are flood-loaded while conveyors are not. Also, while conveyors typically operate at a constant speed, feeders are always capable of varying the speed of operation.

Q: What is the difference between an auger and a conveyor belt?

A: A conveyor carries grain on the belt in contrast to an auger which physically pushes grain through the auger tube via the spiral flighting. This means that with an auger, there is a risk of mechanical damage being caused to the grain such as chipping to the seed coating or cracked and broken kernels.

Q: What is the cheapest type of conveyor?

A: Gravity Roller Conveyor
Also one of the simplest types, they are very affordable. A series of rollers mounted on a side frame provides the rolling surface. When mounted on a decline angle, parts move by themselves.

Q: How do mechanic belts work?

A: The answer to an age old problem. This full-grain leather belt features a brass buckle that is fully covered to prevent scratching. That means being able to lean into that 65 Stang without worrying about scratching the candy paint just because you wore a belt that day.

Q: What is the function of conveyor belt machine?

A: A conveyor belt's function is to move objects from Point A to Point B with minimal effort. The conveyor belt pace, direction, curvature and size varies based on the needs of the user. In some industries, a conveyor belt brings products through a manufacturing or packaging line and back out again.

Q: What are the three types of conveyor?

A: There are a multitude of conveyor types, designs, and processes. The most common types are belt, roller, and overhead with overhead and floor mounted being the two broad categories.

Q: What is the working principle of belt conveyor?

A: The working principle of the belt conveyor is simple: it uses a motor to power an idler pulley, which in turn causes the pulley to move the length of the belt. The force that drives the conveyor is produced by friction between the idler pulley and the underside of the conveyor's moving surface.

Q: Are conveyor belts rubber?

A: A conveyor belt may be made from polyvinyl chloride and fabric such as polyester or styrene-butadiene rubber and several layers of polyester or nylon fabric.

Q: How are conveyor belts controlled?

A: Speed Control
The speed of a conveyor belt can be adjusted to match the operational requirements of a task. Variable speed drives (VSDs) or variable frequency drives (VFDs) are commonly used to control the motor's speed, allowing the conveyor to operate at different speeds as needed.

Q: What are belt conveyors and what are its advantages and limitations?

A: Mainly a conveyor system is helpful to move safely both regular or irregular-shaped, large or small size, light or heavy weight objects, from one location to another. A belt conveyor system can be installed in industries like Aerospace, Food, Manufacturing, Pharmaceuticals, etc at a very economical cost.

Q: What is the difference between belt conveyor and conveyor belt?

A: A conveyor belt is the carrying medium of a belt conveyor system (often shortened to belt conveyor). A belt conveyor system is one of many types of conveyor systems.

Q: What is the most common type of conveyor?

A: Arguably, the most common type of conveyor system, the conveyor belt for a warehouse, has found its rightful place in practically every industry. The conveyor belt for food comes with pulleys (two or more) and a closed loop (the conveyor belt) that rotates around them.

Q: What controls the speed of a conveyor belt?

A: Motor drives: Motor drives control the speed and direction of the conveyor belt. They receive commands from the PLC to adjust the conveyor's movement as required. Emergency stop systems: Safety is a critical aspect of conveyor control systems.

Q: How thick is conveyor belt rubber?

A: Widths: Our stocked widths range from 350mm up to 2400mm without longitudinal joints.

Cover Thicknesses: Our stocked thicknesses range from 1.5mm to 21mm top cover and 1.5mm to 7mm bottom cover. Nb. Higher widths and cover thicknesses can be produced on request.

Q: How does the reversible conveyor handle belt tracking in both directions?

A: We use specialized bi-directional idlers and precision-aligned pulleys. These components ensure the belt stays centered regardless of the running direction, eliminating the common issue of mistracking during reversals.

Q: Can the conveyor move while it is running?

A: Yes. Our shuttle conveyors are designed to travel along the rails while actively transporting material, allowing for "continuous filling" of a long bunker or pile.

Q: What safety features prevent the machine from over-traveling?

A: Each unit is equipped with redundant electrical limit switches and mechanical buffers at both ends of the track to ensure safe operation within the designated travel zone.

Need a different discharge solution?

Handling a longer distribution line? Our Unloading Trolleys offer high-speed tripper solutions for fixed long-distance conveyors.
Need to lift material vertically? View our Sidewall Belt Conveyors for steep-angle (0-90°) lifting.
Looking for standard long-distance transport? Check out our Rubber Belt Conveyors.

We're professional reversible belt conveyor manufacturers and suppliers in China, specialized in providing high quality customized service. We warmly welcome you to buy high-grade reversible belt conveyor for sale here from our factory. Good service and low price are available.

Belt Conveyor Machine, Reversible Belt Conveyor, Reversible Shuttle Belt Conveyor