Bigger is Not Better – Overdesign Impacts Performance

A common perception with industrial belt drive designs is that belt drives with greater load capacity will always outperform those with less load capacity. While this may seem logical , implementing grossly over-designed drives can actually reduce overall performance. “Bigger” is not always “better”. When designing industrial belt drive systems, remember to check rated drive load capacities against design loads. Confirm that over-design ratios are not excessive. Over-design ratios should not typically exceed 2.0 for both synchronous and V-belt drives. For over-designed belt drive systems, re-calculate belt installation tension levels based on rated drive load capacity to improve belt performance or re-design for appropriate load capacity.