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Vulcanisation is a crucial process in manufacturing conveyor belts and maintaining them that fuses together the various components of the conveyor belt. Essentially, conveyor belts comprise several different layers of rubber, and hot and cold vulcanising techniques bonds these layers together chemically. This creates a more robust product and extends the conveyor belt lifespan.

Below, we take a deeper dive into vulcanising and look at different vulcanising techniques, conveyor belt joining methods, the vulcanising process in-depth and the role of vulcanising in enhancing conveyor belt strength and durability. We’ll also discuss the importance of regular Conveyor Belt Maintenance alongside the vulcanisation bonding process, how to tell when a conveyor belt needs replacing and how you can identify a suitable vulcanising partner.

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vulcanisation and how it's done

Chemical vulcanisation is the preferred form of conveyor belt splicing (the process of joining two ends of a conveyor belt together) and can be implemented to repair damaged conveyor belts or join the ends of a conveyor belt together to form a continuous loop. This involves heat or chemicals and is preferred to mechanical vulcanising, which uses metal hinges or plates to join the conveyor belt ends together.

Although there are several types of vulcanised splices, such as stepped slices, overlapped splices and finger splices, there are two main types of vulcanising process: hot and cold.

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Hot Vulcanisation

Hot vulcanisation involves applying heat and pressure in the presence of a vulcanising agent to bond the multiple layers that comprise a conveyor belt chemically.

Industries which involve a lot of material handling with conveyor belts, such as recycling, mining, construction and manufacturing make heavy use of hot vulcanisation to produce strong, durable belts.

It’s especially preferred for applications that require maximum splice strength and durability, and can withstand the strains and stresses that conveyor belt operations involve.

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Cold Vulcanisation

Cold vulcanisation is a form of chemical bonding of conveyor belts that uses a specialised adhesive or bonding agent that cures at room temperature to join belt layers together.

Experts will implement this method when operational restraints impede heat application or when the site needs a quick on-site repair.

Cold vulcanising is commonly used for minor repairs in conveyor belts, belt pulley lagging and other rubber-to-rubber bonding. Cold vulcanising doesn’t provide the same strength and durability as hot vulcanising, it’s suitable for lots of less demanding applications.

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the essential role of conveyor belt durability and maintenance

Vulcanising conveyor belts ensures conveyor belt strength and structural integrity, and is crucial in extending conveyor belt life. a key way of enhancing belt strength is with vulcanising.

During the manufacturing process, heavy-duty conveyor belts are vulcanised, and when they’re installed the belts are vulcanised at the ends to make the splice joints strong and eliminate any weak points. As well as creating strong splice joints, vulcanising transforms rubber from a soft, fragile material into a durable product.


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the vulcanisation process: a detailed overview

To start vulcanising, you must prepare the conveyor belt extremely carefully beforehand. Any irregularities or contaminants on the belt could impair the effectiveness of the vulcanisation and create weak points in the belt that compromise its integrity during operation.

Then, at the splicing stage, expert vulcanising teams must realign and join the ends of the best with a high level of precision so that the belt runs smoothly without any misalignments or weak junctions. Vulcanisation is considered a conveyor belt maintenance best practice, and is a key factor affecting conveyor belt durability.

Vulcanisation will make use of several adhesives or bonding agents. These include:

  • Uncured rubber: which the expert vulcanising teams will use as an interlayer between the belt ends and which fuses with the belt material under exposure to heat and pressure.

  • Vulcanisation cement: a bonding agent which improves adhesion between conveyor belt layers;

  • Sulphur-based curing agents: which support the chemical cross-linking process to strengthen the bond.
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Hot Vulcanising

Hot vulcanisation involves the following steps:

  1. Preparation: This involves cleaning and inspection for any contaminants or anomalies that could obstruct bonding.
  2. Splicing: If the belt is damaged, experts remove any compromised part of the belt and then ready the ends for splicing.
  3. Vulcanising agent application: The experts apply a chemical concoction called a vulcanising agent to the prepared ends of the belt. This agent is crucial for bonding.
  4. Pressing and heat: The expert vulcanising team align the belt ends and subject them to pressure in a specialised vulcanising press. While this is happening, heating platens or a vulcanising machine are supplying high temperature heat and triggering the vulcanising agent. This causes the rubber layers to bond and cures them.
  5. Cooling: After vulcanisation, the spliced area is left to cool, which is important for the conveyor belt’s strength and integrity.
  6. Trimming: The expert vulcanising teams trim away any surplus material from the splice.
  7. Testing: The splice undergoes a thorough inspection. This may entail tensile strength tests, visual inspections and thickness measurements so that the spliced section meets the required standards, and contributes to optimising performance.
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how to tell when your conveyor belt needs vulcanising or replacing

Of course, no conveyor belt remains in perfect condition forever, so it’s important to spot any signs of conveyor belt wear and tear and either get an expert vulcanising team on it to repair the damage or just replace the conveyor belt altogether. There are numerous conveyor belt replacement signs that you can look out for.

If the majority of the conveyor belt has rips or tears, or signs of wear, this will place more pressure on the belt and likely result in complete failure, and a replacement is better. The belt age can also make it easier to determine whether replacement is the best option. Sometimes it’s just easier, regardless of the age of the belt, if it’s an old belt and is coming to the end of its lifecycle.


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When should you replace your conveyor belt and when should you repair it?

Look at the extent of the damage. A common rule is that if 25% or more of the width of the belt is damaged, you should replace it. Repairs are usually applied to small elements of damage, such as small tears or rips along the edges, small punctures or edges fraying.

What are the signs your conveyor belt needs repair or outright replacement?

Visible damage

Conduct routine conveyor inspections for cuts, tears or fraying. Look for splits or fibres poking through. Tears of even just a few millimetres can quickly grow larger and create the risk of a full belt rupture. Look for any edge wear too: thinning or curling at the edges is often a precursor to conveyor belt failure.

Unusual Belt Movement

Conveyor belt alignment is of the utmost importance. The drifting of a belt from side to side wears the belt edge and can damage the frames and structure.

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Odd Noises or Vibrations

Any grinding or squealing noises suggests potentially excessive friction between the pulleys and the belt. Failed bearings in belt rollers or belt wear are often the causes. Unusual vibrations along the idler sets or drive drums could indicate uneven belt thickness or damage below the surface.

Material Carryback

If material clings to the belt and passes the discharge point, this is a sign of either worn belt surfaces or poor cleaning. Frequent spillages at transfer points suggest belt thinning, which causes the belt to ride lower in the skirtboard.


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inspection and assessment guidelines

Performing routine conveyor belt inspections is essential for improving conveyor belt performance and allows you to detect issues early and conduct preventive maintenance before small issues become bigger ones. Here are some ways you can inspect your conveyor belt.

Measure Belt Wear

  • Use a belt thickness gauge at specific points along the belt and compare the reading to the original specifications. A reduction of 10 to 15% requires a repair or replacement as necessary.
  • Check splice integrity. Inspect splices, mechanicalized or vulcanised, for cracking or looseness.
  • Conduct a flexibility test. Bend a short section of the belt around a drum or roller gently. Excessive cracking or creaking is a warning of material fatigue and you can guarantee failure is soon to follow.

Other components to monitor

  • Check for worn or seized rollers: These increase friction and heat and speed up belt wear.
  • Check drum lagging for wear and tear: A smooth drum can slip under the load and damage the underside of the conveyor.
  • Look for any loose or corroded belt clips or fasteners: These can travel along the belt and weak splice joints.
  • Keep track and skirting systems in top condition to avoid spillages and edge damage.
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As part of your routine conveyor inspection, you should make sure the conveyor belt is clean and that no dirt, debris or residue is building up in the system. Cleaning the system regularly will help to avoid this.

Alignment is essential. You should check that both pulleys are both ends of the conveyor are even and aligned with the conveyor belt frame. This can prevent belt slippage and faster component wear. Make sure, too, that the conveyor belt frame is square and horizontal so that the conveyor belt can operate in a straight line and smoothly.


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the importance of regular maintenance alongside vulcanising

Regular maintenance is crucial so you can maximise the conveyor belt lifespan and reduce repair costs. If you fail to spot conveyor belt wear and tear, you can end up for expensive repairs to put right severe damage. Not only this, but the repairs will inflict extra downtime and cause lost productivity, whereas the maintenance can enhance the performance of the equipment and.

Importantly, besides all the business benefits of regular maintenance, taking care of your conveyor belt is a matter of health and safety. Poorly functioning equipment creates a health and safety hazard, and failure to maintain equipment in safe, suitable working order could mean failure to comply with health and safety requirements.


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integrating vulcanising into maintenance schedules

Routine conveyor belt inspections are key to incorporating vulcanising into maintenance schedules. They help you to identify issues early and integrate on-site vulcanising services into the next round of scheduled belt servicing and maintenance.

Preventive Maintenance for conveyor belts is generally a better strategy than Reactive Maintenance because it’s more proactive. It enables early detection of issues so that there’s fewer costly breakdowns, interruptions and minimises downtime.

The maintenance means there are fewer expensive replacements of equipment and that downtime is shorter, whereas reactive maintenance could lead to unexpected, costly replacements that create major delays and decrease productivity.

Besides routine inspections and regular cleaning, here are some further best practices for conveyor belt maintenance:

Proper Belt Tension and Tracking

Misaligned or incorrectly tensioned conveyor belts cause uneven wear and increase the risk of failure. Keeping the belt tension correct and the belt aligned will improve performance and subject the system to less strain.

Lubrication

As well as cleaning, you should also lubricate moving parts regularly. This staves off premature wear and keeps the system operating smoothly.

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Replace components

Check rollers, bearers and pulleys regularly and replace them when necessary. Worn-out parts place extra stress on the conveyor belt and push up maintenance costs.

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Partnering with a professional maintenance service can extend your conveyor belt’s lifespan, minimise downtime and keep repair costs down.


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choosing the right vulcanising partner to maximise your conveyor belt lifespan

Choosing an expert vulcanising team can help you extend your conveyor belt’s lifespan, but how do you choose a vulcanising partner? Here are some things to look for.

Multisector Expertise

We’ve been operating in the loading solutions industry for more than 60 years and have provided conveyors for operators in a wide variety of industries. We create service agreements with many of them to keep their conveyors running smoothly.

Delivery company Yodel are just one business that has chosen us to look after their conveyors. We are one of the top vulcanising service providers in the UK

Quick Response

We understand the cost downtime can inflict on your business, therefore if you need emergency vulcanising repairs, we will send out an engineer to your facility within 2 hours, 4 or the next day for reactive repairs.

Our customer service can coordinate the repairs to keep you waiting as little as possible, and we equip our engineers with a range of parts to speed the repairs up as much as possible.

Round-the-Clock Service

We offer pre-planned maintenance and reactive repair services, and help is never far away. You can contact us any time of the day, any day, and there will be someone to take your call and organising any emergency maintenance.

We have more than 100 electrical and mechanical engineers in our team so we can come out to perform on-site vulcanising repairs or other repairs quickly. 

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Tailored Options

As experts in customised conveyor solutions, we can also tailor our repairs to the needs of your conveyor belt.

Health and Safety-Oriented

We don’t just let anyone loose on your machinery. We’re fully accredited and our engineers are qualified. Before they can join our team, they must undergo a thorough, intensive six-week training programme.

We then audit them 3 to 4 times per year across different pieces of equipment and brands to ensure their skills are up to date and they maintain our high standards.


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investing in vulcanising to save in the long run

Vulcanising is an important conveyor belt joining solution, and a crucial aspect of conveyor belt manufacturing and repair, which creates a strong, seamless splice that can cope with high belt tensions. Vulcanised conveyor belts also stop material sifting through splices, which makes it easier to catch any stray material.

Ultimately, vulcanising conveyor belts transforms the rubber into a much more durable material, and, when conducted as part of a scheduled belt service, it can lower business’ costs in the long run. Vulcanising makes the conveyor belt safer and more reliable, efficient operation of the conveyor belt more certain. Throughout the vulcanised conveyor belt’s lifespan, the machinery will be able to handle tension, stress and abrasion and is less likely to break down.

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about Joloda Conveyor Services

We are a unique service provider, focused 100% on repairs, maintenance and refurbishment of conveyor systems. Our team of conveyor carers are experts because they are not distracted by lots of additional bolt-on services; when your equipment needs attention, we’ll carry out conveyor troubleshooting and fix the problem to get you back operational as quickly as possible.

Learn more About Us and how we can help to keep your, and the UK's conveyors rolling, by preventing and fixing common conveyor belt problems.


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We'll call to arrange a convenient time and date to visit your site. While on-site we'll assess your system, and consider it an MOT. Our engineer will then advise whether you need a conveyor service, parts replacement or other essential work.

We’ll flag any areas of concern and the work needed to prevent future problems and let you know if there’s anything more immediate that you need to address. 

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