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Resurfaced  Rubber Rollers

Belt Installation & Mainenance PDF

Storage And Product Care: Rubber Rollers / Belts

Much thought, time and money are often spent to obtain the right belt, roller, sheet, or rubber part for an application. In order to make sure that these parts work as intended it is important to give the same attention to storage and care.

Store parts in a stress free condition. Different elastomers have different compression sets with varying recovery time after being dented, creased, or taking on some other deformity resulting from improper storage, or remaining in a stressed condition while installed on equipment. Some materials never recover to the original condition.


Situations to avoid which cause localized stress in storage include:

  • Laying material on hard edges of metal shelves
  • Having parts overlapping the edges of other parts, belts, etc.
  • Allowing belts and sheet to be stored in tight coils or folded for extended periods
  • In the case of rollers and other round parts, laying the round rubber surface on flat hard surfaces without a cushioning surface such as foam rubber. Periodic rotation of rollers and belts can help the situation.

Keep rubber parts in ambient temperatures stored away from direct sunlight. To extend inventory shelf life it is suggested to protect belts in black garbage bags if "UV" resistant bags are not available.

Store parts away from harsh chemicals and their vapors which can attack the elastomer causing premature cracking, change physical properties, and cause failure of any bonded seams. Use mild detergents for cleaning when possible.

Rollers should be stored resting on journals when possible.

When this is not possible, lay rollers on a cushion surface of a softer material and rotate periodically to avoid flat spots from forming. The storage area should be away from the work area which is subject to traffic damage and contamination with dirt, chemicals and other environmental variables.

Covered belting should be hanging over large diameter tubes when possible. If stored in a drawer or on a shelf, care should be given to make sure that they are stored in a relaxed state and not having covers pressing against the sharp edges of other belts or parts. Inventoried rollers, rubber parts and covered belts should be rotated monthly to avoid taking a set conforming to how they were stored. The resulting deformities may look like bumps or high spots when running on a machine. These areas often become causes of failure.

Belts, like rollers, can also take a set when installed on equipment and left with localized stress from product or pulleys compressing under pressure into the same spot of a cover for extended periods of time. This is not a problem with all cover materials, but it is a good practice to watch out for it.

Rollers and belts stored in cold environments may require warm up time in order to work at optimum performance.