Producing completely modular, flexible conveyor systems of advanced, high-strength plastics is the wave of the future, and for light- and medium-duty material handling applications, that time is already here

November 22, 2005, High-performance plastics, like those that can stop a bullet, are now performing revolutionary feats in material handling – specifically conveyor systems – saving manufacturers and processors tons of money on downtime, maintenance and capital equipment costs.

Using such high-performance plastics, Curtis Chambers, founder of Dynamic Conveyor Corp, of Muskegon, MI, envisioned designing and manufacturing the Houdini of conveyor systems, able to reconfigure or relocate in minutes – an achievement not possible with conventional steel conveyors.

With deep roots in the injection molding and plastics engineering business, Chambers foresaw that with interlocking sections and advanced, high-strength plastics, it was possible to offer users a highly flexible yet durable light-and medium-duty conveyor system.

Today, Chambers’ vision, the DynaCon System, allows users to quickly and easily expand, contract, and otherwise reshape their rugged plastic conveyors, integrating many useful accessories and options on an as-needed basis.

“Plastics such as fiber-reinforced polycarbonate are quickly overtaking metals in strength-to-weight ratios,” explains Dynamic Conveyor’s Paul Kuharevicz. “Applications are everywhere. For the next generation of reusable space vehicles, NASA is focusing on plastics – not only for airframes, but also engine parts. In terms of high-impact resistance, polycarbonate plastics are in wide use from bullet-proof ‘glass’ to auto body parts.”

Dynamic Conveyor’s intellectual knowledge to make a plastic conveyor system and accessories - a technology that is at least somewhat foreign to manufacturers of conventional fixed metal conveyors - is proprietary. This expertise includes all facets of the system from mold design to a wide selection of interlocking parts.

Polycarbonate, a key material in the patented DynaCon System, is a tough, dimensionally-stable thermoplastic that has many applications demanding high performance properties. This versatile thermoplastic maintains its properties over a wide range of temperatures, from -40"F to 280"F. It is also impervious to many harsh environments. 

Durable glass-reinforced polycarbonate, which the DynaCon System uses, is finding applications in designs where metals, particularly die-cast aluminum and zinc, are commonly used. The coefficient of thermal expansion equals that of some metals. It is tougher and more impact-resistant than most other plastics and die-cast aluminum.

Injection molding allows you to produce tough products of high-precision design. In DynaCon’s unique modular conveyor system, this facilitates exact interchange of interlocking parts and ease of configuration as well as cleaning.

 The impact resistance of the DynaCon System’s injection-molded polycarbonate construction was demonstrated when a user mis-programmed a large robotic arm that was located next to the conveyor. When the arm slammed into it, the conveyor was pushed out of the way. No damage was done. However, had it been a fixed aluminum model, the user said there would have been considerable damage and lengthy downtime.

Manufacturers who assemble products for the medical, aerospace, electronics, telecommunications industries or with cleanroom facilities are well suited to the DynaCon system.

An array of durable plastic accessories, including water bath, cooling tunnels, metal detectors,  and radius turn modules, can be plugged into straight conveyor modules of any length making the DynaCon system easily reconfigured whether expanding, retracting or completely changing shapes and functions.

The lightweight tensile strength of DynaCon’s plastic components provides many advantages including the ability to run uphill, downhill, make turns, bridges or run overhead.