Cambridge International, Inc.

Maryland Wire Belts, Inc.

George H Messick

Robert E Maine, Jr

Thomas O Perdue

Remco Van Der Ende

James J Mitchell

John C Adkins

Frank Barcus

Steve Schafer

Melody E Fernaays

Roller

A sprocket configured for use with a conveyor belt and capable of resisting material buildup up is disclosed. The sprocket includes a sprocket body including a hub, a webbing, and a plurality of teeth. In one form, at least one tooth of the plurality of teeth defines a thickness in an axial direction that varies between an inner portion and an outer portion of the tooth. In another form, at least one tooth extends radially from a sprocket root near the webbing, the sprocket root including a curved base that extends axially away from the webbing to a lateral surface of the at least one sprocket tooth. In yet another form, a hub height is greater than a tooth thickness and the tooth thickness is greater than a web thickness.

Material buildup resistant sprocket

Mesh panel

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for continuous-line fabrication of helically wound spirals of desired cross-sectional configuration, such as planar surface spirals, for assembly into conveyor belts. In-line wire shaping and handling procedures and apparatus enable consistently reliable production of uniformly shaped spirals at commercial production rates. Round wire from unsupported coils is shaped in line and controlled as directed to a winding mandrel. Orientation of the shaped wire about its central longitudinal axis, winding tension control, presetting a longitudinal camber in the shaped wire, and wire shaping control are used to compensate for changes in mechanical characteristics of the wire or wire diameter, which occur along the length of a coil, without affecting established winding machine parameters such as lead-in angle for the wire or longitudinal location along the mandrel for starting helical winding.

Fabrication of helically-wound spirals for metal wire belts

Growing community of inventors

Cambridge, MD, United States of America

George H Messick