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V-Conform™ Reinforced O-ring Belts

This belt is designed to compete with Fenner's Eagle^® XLD O-ring. We believe our V-Conform belt is much better, but it may have some of the same disadvantages. Will 4.07 peak amps at high speed be a problem? See Eagle XLD O-ring Review.

V-Conform Reinforced O-ring Belts

Finger Guards Required*

DC Amps Compared

After 3 days of continuous running 24/7 at low speed (115 ft/min) on a ten roller zone powered by an MDR with a PLC that has a maximum continuous current rating at highest speed of 2.8 amps

Rollers vs MDR Current

Eagle XLD O-ring Review

New V-Conform Reinforced O-ring belts

are Bi-Modulus (rubber reinforced with elastic "stretchy" nylon) so they provide greater tension than most solid polyurethane belts, letting you move heavier boxes, faster and with longer zones.

Conforms to grooves:

V-Conform belts have soft tiny ribs that conform to standard 3/16" roller grooves so they can replace round elastic belts, while providing as much grip and tension as two rib (2PJ) poly-v belts.

Ultra High Tension = Finger Guards:

Like poly-v belts, XLD O-rings and chains, V-Conform belt's tension is so high that they create pinch points that require finger guards (safety guards) where personnel work within reach of boxes on conveyors. Regardless of what Fenner claims, they are NOT "drop in replacements" in most applications. Moreover, Finger Guards are expensive and need to be a much longer, 4.5" (114mm), than poly-v endcap finger guards. They require drilling two holes in the frame for each guard.

No-Stretch belts stress MDRs:

Idler (slave) rollers are not precision rollers because they can be slightly bowed, elliptical (un-round) and/or have shafts slightly off center, so they act like small cams that wobble slightly with every revolution. No-stretch belts, like Eagle XLD O-rings, transmit that wobble directly to MDR motors, creating current spikes that hammer, overheat and stress MDRs, as shown by the orange, high current spikes on the adjacent graph. This causes XLD O-rings to waste energy and reduce MDR lifespan**.

V-Conform belts protect MDRs:

Like solid polyurethane belts, V-Conform belts stretch (up to 7%) and relax to absorb cam shocks, so they reduce current surges and help protect MDRs, as shown by the green, milder current spikes on the adjacent graph.

V-Conform belts save Energy and MDRs:

Compared to XLD O-rings, V-conform belts cut energy consumption nearly in half and help prevent MDRs from overheating. When an MDR overheats for more than a few minutes, thermistors shut it down until it cools. Unfortunately, thermistors only work for a limited number of times, e.g. 30 incidents. When that limit is reached, they burn out. If the one inside the MDR burns out, the MDR is usually not repairable.

Prevent bearing and shaft hole wear:

V-conform stretchy belts help prevent bearing and shaft hole wear caused by no-stretch belts and wobbly rollers that hammer bearings and shaft holes.

Wipe away dust, prevent slipping:

V-Conform belt's tiny ribs open and close with each rotation, wiping dust out of roller grooves. Helps prevent slipping.

Easier to Install:

Center distances between rollers have tolerances on the plus-side that make no-stretch belts extremely difficult to install. Stretchy V-Conform belts overcome that problem, regardless of tolerance range. They stretch and conform.

Powers longer zones:

Since V-Conform belts use less energy, they can power up to 30 rollers without exceeding the high speed current rating. See green line in adjacent graph.

Anti-static:

Unlike XLD belts, V-Conform belts are anti-static.

Test results to date

: V-Conform belts are new. During the last five months, three conveyor manufacturers and Dura-Belt have been testing V-Conform with only one report of a possible problem -- similar to what occurred with Eagle XLD O-rings in our tests. The belts at Dura-Belt have been running 24/7 at high speed (200 ft/min), equivalent to 1.7 years of 40 hour weeks. The narrow grooves on our 15 year old Itoh Denki MDR have slightly pinched and abraded one edge of one V-Conform belt. It was still running perfectly and did not stick up above the roller's surface like XLD O-rings, but it was a concern so we replaced it with our 0.216" 88A HEHT round belt. (Our new Itoh Denki MDR appears to have slightly wider grooves so we have not seen any problem with it).

V-Conform belts are highly slip resistant. When we grab the end roller, stopping its rotation, none of our other V-Conform belts slip and the MDR stalls (stops rotating). All our MDRs are are running warm to the touch, not overheated like MDRs driving XLD O-rings.

The V-Conform belts on our new Itoh Denki MDR do not show any abrasion. It is difficult to accurately measure the MDR's slightly tapered groove width, but the new one has grooves that appear to be a tiny bit wider. Nevertheless, it still has very tiny fillets on the groove edges that are much smaller than on idler rollers. Unlike XLD O-rings, V-Conform belts do not ride on fillets so Itoh's slightly wider groove may eliminate the problem for our belt. V-conform belts do not need to grip fillets because their tiny conforming ribs grip the rollers so well that grasping the zone's end roller stalls the MDR, bringing it to a complete stop.

PulseRoller's MDRs appear to have similar narrow groves with tiny fillets like Itoh Denki's so V-Conform may have the same problem on them unless the new ones are slightly wider, which appears to be the case. Interroll's MDR grooves look like the wide grooves and fillets found on idler (slave) rollers so V-Conform should have no problem on Interroll's MDR, as well as on motors under rollers (e.g. pancake and E24 motors) that have wide grooved pulleys.

Curve Test:

We tested V-conform belts on conveyor curves and skews. They slowly abrade so they should not be used on curves or skews.

**MDR lifespan and cost:

Unfortunately, there are no free lunches. Most MDRs and pancake motors are warranted for "normal and proper use". No-stretch Eagle XLD O-rings powering wobbly idler (slave) rollers can hammer and overheat MDRs so they should not be categorized as "normal use". This means XLD O-rings may reduce MDR lifespan and require replacement more often. Since MDRs cost more than expensive no-stretch XLD O-ring belts, Eagle XLD O-rings may not save money in the long run and cost considerably more than V-Conform belts or polyurethane round belts.

V-Conform Advantages:

Moves heavier boxes, faster and on longer roller zones than polyurethane o-ring belts (PU belts).

Replace 2 rib poly-v belts without needing poly-v endcaps by installing them in standard round grooves on inexpensive, non-precision idler rollers - thereby significantly reducing total costs.

"Drop in replacements" for PU belts in areas where employees are restricted from proximity to conveyors that use V-Conform belts, or where these belts are located out of reach, like deep inside diverters.

Potential longer life that PU belts, thereby reducing maintenance costs. Time will tell.

If allowed to rest (not run continuously), like 2 seconds on and 1 second off, they can move heavier boxes (perhaps up to 250 lbs) at higher speeds while protecting MDRs from overheating and shut downs. This helps moderate electricity costs and protect MDR lifespan.

Greatly increases drive force in critical applications like merges and squaring boxes for robots that stack them on pallets.

Due to minimal belt creep, there is virtually no noticeable reduction in box speed at zone end.

Works over wider temperature range than PU belts, -22°F to 176°F (-30°C to 80°C).

Our low cost molds are available to make different lengths in 6 weeks so special lengths are no problem.

Resists slipping better than PU belts.

V-Conform Disadvantages:

Costs more than PU belts.

Increases electricity costs by 30%.

We have not tested this yet, but it will probably use more energy than poly-v belts.

When moving 15 or more rollers continuously at high speed, it may require a larger power supply.

Requires extra long 4.5" (114mm) finger guards where employees have unrestrained access to conveyors.

Increases labor costs to install and remove finger guards where they are required. Finger guards must be installed after installation of V-Conform belts and removed before replacing V-conform belts.

Requires additional holes in conveyor frames to mount finger guards, plus a screw.

Will abrade and not work long on curves and skewed rollers.

Not green: Neither biodegradable nor recyclable like PU belts.

*Finger guards are not required in areas that restrict employee access or when belts are out reach buried inside a unit like a diverter.
Eagle^® is a registered trade mark of Fenner Drives.
V-Conform^™ is a trade mark of Dura-Belt, Inc., March-20-2023.

Special thanks for excellent technical help, priceless knowledge and conveyor parts furnished by QCON-24

For the best in V-Conform Reinforced O-ring belts and Reinforced belts, insist on Dura-Belt.

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