Overview
The power turn belt conveyor provides a continuous belt surface through a curve, allowing products to change direction without the gaps, dead spots, or product loss that can occur on roller-based curve conveyors. Where powered roller curves use individual tapered rollers to guide products through a turn, this belt curve uses a single motor-driven belt on a slider bed pan to carry products smoothly through the change in direction. This makes it the preferred solution for small items, polybags, irregular shapes, lightweight components, and any product that could slip between or stall on individual rollers.
The conveyor is built on a welded 10-gauge steel frame with a rigid slider bed pan, tapered roller end pulleys for consistent belt tracking through the curve, and a nylon tire bearing belt guiding system that mechanically steers the belt along the outside rail. Conveying widths are available up to 48 inches in full one-inch increments, with larger widths available on request.
Standard Specifications
The conveying surface uses a black Trackmate 120 EMB belt with clipper lace. Other belt types are available depending on the product and application. The belt runs at a constant 60 feet per minute at the belt centerline, driven by a sealed worm gear C-face hollow shaft speed reducer and a 230/460V, 3-phase, 60 Hz totally enclosed fan-cooled motor.
Tapered drive and tail pulleys are fitted with 1/4-inch vulcanized lagging for consistent belt grip and tracking through the curve. Sealed, pre-lubricated, self-aligning ball bearings are used on both the drive and tail pulleys for reliable, low-maintenance operation. Floor supports are 4-inch structural channel legs with 4 inches of adjustment, available up to 36 inches top of belt as standard and up to 84 inches as an option.
Belt Tracking and Guiding
Maintaining belt alignment through a curve is more challenging than on a straight conveyor. The power turn belt conveyor addresses this with a mechanical belt guiding system that uses a nylon tire bearing to steer the belt at the outside rail. This keeps the belt consistently tracked through the curve without the need for manual adjustment, crown pulleys, or V-guide systems that can wear or require frequent maintenance. The tapered end pulleys further support smooth belt behavior by matching the belt speed differential between the inside and outside edges of the curve.
Applications
Curved belt conveyors are used in conveyor systems where products must change direction but cannot reliably travel on roller-based curves. The most common application is handling small or lightweight products such as polybags, mailers, small cartons, pouches, trays, components, and irregularly shaped items that would fall between, stall on, or tip over individual rollers in a standard powered curve.
Additional applications include packaging lines where products transition between straight belt sections through a 90-degree or other angled change in direction, e-commerce fulfillment systems handling mixed-size products, pharmaceutical packaging, food product handling, and any operation where maintaining a solid conveying surface through a turn is essential to product flow and throughput.
Curved Belt vs. Powered Roller Curves
Barron Equipment also carries powered roller accumulation curves — such as the Roach 596 and 796 — which use tapered rollers to guide cartons, totes, and cases through curved conveyor paths. Roller curves work well for products with flat, rigid bottoms that ride consistently on individual rollers. The power turn belt conveyor is the better choice when the product is too small, too light, too flexible, or too irregularly shaped to travel reliably on rollers. If the product would fall between rollers, jam at roller gaps, or tip at the transition into the curve, a belt surface solves the problem.
Selection Assistance
When evaluating a curved belt conveyor, start with the product. Consider whether the items are rigid or flexible, heavy or light, and whether the bottom surface is flat enough to ride on individual rollers. If any of those answers point toward potential issues on a roller curve, the belt curve is typically the right choice. Also identify the required curve angle, conveying width, belt speed, floor height, and whether the curve needs to integrate with upstream and downstream belt or roller conveyor sections.
Barron Equipment can help evaluate your layout and product requirements. Request a quote to get started.