Conveyor belt

Conveyor belt, device that mechanically conveys material. Principally used in factories and on large farms, the conveyor belt is looped over two pulleys, one of which is the drive pulley and is powered by an electric motor. The belt travels over a series of rollers. In factories, materials move along a conveyor belt to be worked on by workers standing along the line. In this way, the conveyor belt plays a major role in such mass-produced goods as automobiles. Other uses for conveyor belts include carrying material into mines and carrying cargo to and from ships, trucks, and railway cars.