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Tape-on and Epoxy-on Roller Groove Sleeves, E-Z Groove

Tape-on roller groove sleeves (also called E-Z Grooves and Add-A-Groove) allow you to add a groove or a number of grooves in any configuration to conveyor rollers from 1.9" to 50mm diameter. Lets you add belt power to gravity rollers quickly and economically.

The grooves can be round, flat (with or without a crown) or vee shaped. Our standard round groove is 1/4" (6.3mm) wide and .18" (4.8mm) deep. We can also machine the grooves to your specs, or you can machine them yourself.

The material is heavy but springy PVC with .23" (6mm) wall thickness. This limits the grooves depth to a maximum of .18" (4.8mm) deep.

Available IDs, all with approximant tolerance +/- 080" (2mm):
.50" (12mm), .75" (20mm), 1" (25mm), 1.25" (32mm), 1.50" (38mm), 1.9" (43mm), 2"(50mm), 2.5"(63.5mm), 3"(76mm)

Since PVC is not an extremely hard material, it may abrade if belts rub hard against the groove edges at an angle. Therefore, if your belts impinges on the groove at angle as in lineshaft conveyors or curves, test the sleeves for a few months before buying large quantities.

There is 1/32" (0.8mm) wide lateral slit (perpendicular to the grooves) in the PVC sleeve. Internal stress in the sleeve make it want to close, so the slit allows the sleeve to snap tight against the roller as if it were spring loaded. The belts are not affected adversely by the slit even if the slit is not fully closed as on 50mm rollers. It can be open as much as 1/8" (3mm) without causing any wear on the belt.

There are two primary ways to attach the groove sleeves to rollers, two-sided tape or epoxy:

In the two-sided tape version, first wind two-sided tape around the roller at the spot where the sleeve is to be attached. Next insert the tip of a straight screw driver blade in the slit and rotate it 90 degrees, forcing the slit to open. This expands the sleeve. Now carefully move the sleeve over the tape without touching the tape and then remove the screw driver. It snaps shut around the tape, which firmly affixes it in place, preventing it from walking or slipping.

Note: We have been able to substitute one-sided tape (like self-fusing silicone tape) because the spring action in the sleeve holds it tight on the roller. Moreover, some of the tape gets pressed into the slot, effectively making a cog that anchors the sleeve in place. These things, plus the force of the belt wrapping half way around the roller, prevent the sleeve from slipping or walking.
In the epoxy-on version the slit does not go all the way through the sleeve, but just undercuts it. Place epoxy or a similar adhesive around the roller where the sleeve is to be attached. Then slide the sleeve on the roller in such a way that epoxy squeezes between the roller and sleeve with some it oozing up into the undercut slit. When the epoxy dries, its adhesion, plus the ridge within the undercut slit, will prevent the sleeve from slipping on the roller. The adjacent picture is a flat belt sleeve with a machined cut tracking sleeve (red). They are used to speed up an adjacent roller.