Changing elevation is one of the most common reasons a plant needs a custom conveyor, and one of the easiest places for an off-the-shelf design to fall short. Product slides back on an incline, runs away on a decline or tumbles at the bend where the conveyor changes angle. An incline conveyor system or decline conveyor has to be engineered around the product, the angle, the rise and the transitions at each end.
Custom Conveyor & Equipment Corporation designs and builds incline and decline conveyors in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, from short washdown inclines in food plants to troughed and sidewall belts for bulk material. We also handle conveyor retrofits on existing inclines, and we supply custom-made replacement parts for the equipment we build for as long as you own it.
Talk to an engineer about your elevation change
Tell us what you are moving, how high it has to go and how much floor space you have. We offer on-site or remote engineering consultations and help gather the data needed to validate a concept.
Why Inclines and Declines Need Engineering
On a flat conveyor, gravity holds the product against the belt. Tilt the conveyor and part of that force starts pulling the product back down the slope while the grip between product and belt drops. Every product and belt surface has an angle where slide-back begins.
Declines reverse the problem. Gravity now helps the load along, so the drive has to hold the belt at speed rather than push it, and product can overrun the belt or reach the bottom faster than the next station can take it. Our article on incline conveyor applications and design considerations covers the physics in more depth.
Belt Surfaces for Incline Conveyors
The belt surface is usually the first decision on an incline. As a general guide, a smooth belt carries stable unit loads up to roughly 15 degrees, textured surfaces add grip beyond that, cleated belts reach about 45 degrees and sidewall belts can lift material vertically. The right choice depends on the product, and our guide to choosing conveyor belt material goes further.
Bulk Material Inclines: Troughed, Chevron and Sidewall Belts
Bulk material behaves differently from unit loads. Instead of sliding as a unit, loose material spreads and rolls back, so bulk inclines rely on troughing to keep the load centered, belt profiles to hold it on the slope and skirting at the load zone to limit spillage.
We have built a 20 in wide troughing idler conveyor on a slight incline for bulk material and a 12 ft incline troughed belt conveyor for a belting supplier. In flat glass plants, we build cullet lift and transfer conveyors that carry broken waste glass to bins and trailers.
Designing the Transitions at Each End
Most incline problems show up at the bends. Where a horizontal section turns up into the incline, the belt wants to lift off its supports; where the incline rolls over to horizontal or discharges, product can launch or tip. In general practice, transitions are handled with:
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Curve radii sized to belt tension and speed so the belt stays on its bed or idlers
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Hold-down features on the lower bend, where the belt tends to lift
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Belt speeds low enough that product follows the belt over the top instead of being thrown
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Discharge heights and chutes matched to the bin, hopper or next conveyor
Belt tracking needs extra attention on inclines, where uneven loading pulls the belt to one side; see our article on belt tracking causes and fixes.
Decline Conveyors and Controlled Descent
A decline conveyor lowers product between levels without letting gravity take over. The drive must hold speed while the load tries to push the belt, so gearmotors, brakes or drives with braking capability are selected with the downhill load in mind. Cleats or high-friction surfaces keep product from sliding ahead, and the bottom of the run needs room so product does not pile up.
The same concern applies in reverse on loaded inclines: a backstop or holding brake keeps the belt from running backward when power is removed. We built a tread decline conveyor for a tire manufacturer as part of our tire and rubber work. We confirm how the product behaves on the slope during validation runs before shipment, while the design is still easy to modify.
Retrofitting and Modifying Existing Inclines
Many incline projects start with a conveyor that already exists. The product changed, a new machine raised the infeed height, the belt surface no longer holds the load, or wear has caught up with the drive and frame. A retrofit can often fix the problem without replacing the whole line.
Our retrofit work includes incline conveyor retrofits and maintenance parts for an insulating glass plant, bin fill conveyor modifications, maintenance modifications and a slide bed retrofit on existing equipment. Typical retrofit scopes include:
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Changing to rough top, grip top, chevron or cleated belting
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Adding skirting, guides or covers to contain material
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Replacing or resizing drives, including braking for declines
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Changing the angle, length or discharge height to suit new equipment
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Adding guarding at nip points and transitions
Incline and Decline Conveyors We Have Built
Our incline and decline work, including incline belt conveyors, spans food processing, bulk material, wood scrap, glass and tire manufacturing. We engineer each project with the customer’s team, then fabricate and assemble it in our Cedar Rapids facility.
Incline and decline builds from our project list
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24 in x 36 in washdown modular plastic belt incline on a stainless frame for food goods
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Grip-top incline carrying wood scrap from a saw line into a mulcher feed bin
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Chevron incline belt receiving bulk material and piling it at its storage location
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Vertical cleated sidewall (beltwall) conveyor lifting bulk material from a trench to a bin or trailer
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20 in wide troughing idler conveyor on a slight incline for bulk material
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12 ft incline troughed belt conveyor for a belting supplier
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Caster-mounted transfer conveyors with rough top belting that carry parts up an incline
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Tread decline conveyor for a tire manufacturer
Incline and Decline Conveyor FAQs
Related Resources
Explore related pages from Custom Conveyor.
Industries:Bulk Material Food Production Wood Processing Glass Processing Tire & Rubber
Related equipment:Belt Conveyors Troughing Idler Conveyor Specialty Conveyors Cullet Systems
Project examples:Chevron Incline Conveyor Grip Top Incline Conveyor Food Incline Conveyor Beltwall Conveyor
Guides:Incline Conveyors 5 Signs Your Facility Needs a Conveyor System Upgrade Conveyor System Troubleshooting
Solve your elevation change
Send us the product, the rise, the available floor space and what sits at each end. Our engineers will recommend a belt surface and layout, then build and test the conveyor in Cedar Rapids before it ships.
Incline, decline and retrofit conveyors engineered for your product and your floor.