Frequently Asked Questions

Transcon Conveyor was founded in 1959 in Mentor, Ohio. With over 65 years of experience designing and manufacturing heavy-duty conveyor systems, we’ve grown from a Midwest manufacturer to a nationwide industry leader. Many of our earliest conveyor installations are still in service today — a testament to the durability and quality we build into every system.

Every Transcon conveyor is designed, engineered, and built at our manufacturing facility in Mentor, Ohio. All critical components are fabricated in-house, ensuring complete quality control from raw material to finished product. We’re proud to be 100% Made in the USA.

Yes. Transcon Conveyor maintains ISO 9001:2015 certification with Design. Our Quality Management System covers everything from engineering and material sourcing to fabrication, assembly, and final inspection. Every conveyor is thoroughly inspected before it leaves our facility. You can download our ISO certificate from our Resources page.

We build conveyor systems for a wide range of heavy-duty industrial applications, including hot forging and heat treating, metal stamping, CNC machining, steel and aluminum processing, recycling and waste handling, and scrap and chip removal. Our conveyors are trusted by many Fortune 500 companies and are engineered to perform in the most demanding environments.

Yes. Every Transcon conveyor belt is custom-fabricated to exact specifications including width, pitch, thickness, gauge, and material composition. We offer a wide range of options including side wings for scrap containment, cleats for part elevation, perforations for coolant flow, smooth or textured surfaces, and heat-, oil-, or abrasion-resistant materials. Belt thickness can reach up to 1 inch depending on the application.

Yes. We design and fabricate replacement belts for conveyors from any manufacturer, not just our own. We match your existing belt’s width, pitch, and configuration exactly, and can also upgrade your replacement belt with thicker gauge steel, improved wear-resistant designs, custom hinge or connection assemblies, and other performance improvements. Visit our belt replacement page for details.

For CNC machining and metalworking environments, we offer perforated belts that allow coolant to drain through while carrying chips, side wings to contain material and prevent spillover, and custom configurations to handle stringy, coarse, fine, oily, hot, or abrasive chips. Our chip removal conveyor systems can be configured for in-floor or under-machine installation and integrate with coolant filtration systems.

Belt repair is typically the right choice for localized issues — a damaged section, worn side wings, bent cleats, or tracking problems. Full belt replacement makes more sense when you see widespread wear across the belt surface, repeated failures in multiple sections, significant belt stretch or deformation, or when the belt has reached the end of its serviceable life. Our team can assess your belt and recommend the most cost-effective path. Contact us for a consultation.

We manufacture four main categories of conveyor systems: welded hinge steel belt conveyors (our flagship severe-duty product), industrial conveyors for general heavy-duty manufacturing, powered roller conveyors for parts and assembly line applications, and chain conveyors for heavy pallets, tooling, and fixtures. Within these categories, we offer specialized configurations including chip removal conveyors, scrap handling systems, and heavy-duty forging conveyors.

Steel belt conveyors use a continuous welded hinge belt to carry materials — ideal for scrap, chips, hot parts, and bulk materials where containment matters. Chain conveyors use single or multi-strand industrial chains to move heavy discrete items like pallets, tooling, fixtures, and large parts. The right choice depends on what you’re moving: bulk/scrap materials typically call for steel belt, while heavy individual items are better suited to chain.

Powered roller conveyors are designed for moving parts, trays, bins, tooling, and assemblies along production and packaging lines. They use motor-driven roller (MDR) technology or line-shaft configurations and can include zero-pressure accumulation, zoned stop/start control, sensor-based indexing, variable speed, and PLC integration. Common applications include assembly line part movement, work-in-process transfers, finished goods transport, and packaging or inspection lines.

Absolutely. Our welded hinge steel belt conveyors are specifically engineered for extreme heat environments like hot forging operations, where parts can reach several thousand degrees Fahrenheit. We use heat-resistant belt materials, reinforced frames for impact zones, high-temperature bearings, rollers, and drive components, plus specialized scale-handling chutes and collection sections. These systems integrate directly with furnaces, presses, and forge hammers.

Yes — custom engineering is at the core of what we do. We don’t sell off-the-shelf conveyor systems. Every Transcon conveyor is designed and built to your exact specifications, including layout (straight, incline, decline, Z-style, L-style, serpentine), mounting configuration (in-floor, above-floor, under-machine), belt type, drive system, discharge height, guarding, and integration with your existing equipment. Our engineers work directly with your team to develop the right solution.

We build conveyors in virtually any layout configuration: straight runs, inclines, declines, Z-style (up-and-over), L-style (horizontal to incline), and serpentine paths. Mounting options include in-floor installation (common for stamping press scrap systems), above-floor configurations, and under-machine setups for CNC chip removal. We can also design multi-conveyor integrated systems with custom transitions between sections.

Yes. We work hand-in-hand with our clients throughout the installation process and provide start-up support to ensure everything is running correctly. Our team can coordinate with your facilities team, verify proper alignment and operation, train your operators and maintenance staff, and troubleshoot any issues during commissioning. Many of our working partnerships are decades old because we stay involved long after the sale.

Our forging conveyors are built to handle extreme conditions: red-hot parts reaching several thousand degrees Fahrenheit, heavy impact from drop zones, and abrasive scale material. We use heat-resistant belt materials, reinforced frames at impact points, high-temperature bearings and drive components, and specialized scale-handling chutes and collection sections. These systems integrate directly with furnaces, presses, hammers, and trim operations to keep production moving.

Our chip removal conveyor systems are specifically designed for CNC lathes, mills, machining centers, and multi-axis machines. They handle all chip types — stringy bird-nest chips from turning, coarse broken chips from milling, fine chips from drilling, and oily or coolant-laden material. Configurations include in-floor and under-machine installations, perforated belt sections for coolant drainage, and integration with filtration units. Our welded hinge design prevents chip jamming that plagues conventional belt systems.

For metal stamping operations, we offer below-ground conveyor systems that collect scrap from multiple press lines, floor-level conveyors for individual presses, under-press in-floor scrap systems, and high-capacity discharge configurations. Our conveyors handle everything from small trim scrap and skeleton material to large heavy offcuts. Enclosed or open-frame designs are available depending on your facility layout and material handling requirements.

Yes. Our heavy-duty conveyor systems are well-suited for recycling and waste processing operations where equipment must handle varied, abrasive, and often unpredictable materials on a continuous basis. The durability of our welded hinge belt design — rated for up to 600 lbs/ft — makes it ideal for the demanding conditions in recycling facilities where conventional conveyors fail prematurely.

An effective conveyor maintenance program includes daily visual inspections (unusual sounds, vibrations, material buildup), monthly belt tracking, alignment, and tension checks, regular lubrication of bearings and drive components, periodic hinge and wear surface inspections, motor, gearbox, and sprocket evaluations, impact zone monitoring, and safety component checks. We provide detailed maintenance guidelines and can help you establish a schedule tailored to your specific equipment and operating conditions.

Yes. Our technicians can train your maintenance staff on proper inspection procedures, routine maintenance tasks, troubleshooting common issues, and best practices for maximizing conveyor lifespan. Hands-on training helps your team catch potential problems early before they become costly breakdowns. This service is available for both Transcon conveyors and equipment from other manufacturers.

We recommend stocking critical wear components specific to your conveyor type and application — typically drive sprockets, bearings, belt sections or connecting hardware, and motor components. Having these on hand can mean the difference between a quick repair and days of unplanned downtime waiting for parts. Our team can help you build a recommended spare parts inventory based on your specific equipment. Download our Spare Parts RFQ Form to get started.

The two biggest factors in reducing unplanned downtime are implementing a proactive maintenance program and maintaining a critical spare parts inventory. Regular inspections catch developing issues before they cause failures, and having key parts on hand eliminates wait times when repairs are needed. We also recommend documenting your maintenance activities and tracking any recurring issues — patterns often reveal underlying problems that can be permanently addressed.

You can request a quote several ways: fill out the form on our Request a Quote page, call us directly at 440-255-7600, or email sales@transconconveyor.com. To help us provide an accurate quote, include details about your application, material being conveyed, required dimensions, operating environment (temperature, moisture, chemicals), and any integration requirements. We also have downloadable RFQ forms on our Resources page for conveyor systems, replacement belts, and spare parts.

Yes. In addition to our direct sales team in Mentor, Ohio, we work with two regional distributors: Smith Industrial Group covers Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, Michigan, Western New York, Northern Illinois, and Western Pennsylvania. South-West Accurate Machine Inc. covers Arkansas, Louisiana, Southern California, Oklahoma, and Texas. Visit our Contact page for full distributor contact information and territory maps.

For a replacement belt quote, we need your conveyor’s manufacturer and model (if known), belt width and overall length, belt pitch (distance between hinges), material type and thickness, any special features (side wings, cleats, perforations), and the application (what the belt carries, operating temperature, exposure to coolant or oil). If you’re unsure about specifications, we can work from photos and measurements. Download our Replacement Belt RFQ Form for a complete checklist.

We maintain a comprehensive Resources library with downloadable brochures for all our conveyor types, service and parts manuals, RFQ forms for new conveyors, replacement belts, and spare parts, technical documents on conveyor take-up design and overload protection, our ISO 9001:2015 certificate, quality policy, and master supply terms and conditions. All documents are available as free PDF downloads — no registration required.

Yes. We service and repair conveyors from any manufacturer, not just our own. Our repair capabilities include frame repair and reinforcement, belt section replacement, motor/drive/sprocket replacement, side wing and wear surface repair, tracking and alignment correction, and roller/bearing replacement. We understand that downtime costs money regardless of who built your conveyor.

A repair addresses specific issues — a damaged frame section, worn belt area, failed motor, or alignment problem. A full rebuild is a comprehensive restoration that includes complete belt replacement, full structural refurbishment, replacement of all wear components, drive and motor upgrades, safety guarding updates, and potential layout modifications. A rebuild restores your conveyor to like-new performance at a fraction of the cost of a complete replacement.

Yes — this is one of our specialties. When we rebuild a competitor’s conveyor, we can upgrade it with our exclusive welded hinge steel belt design, heavier-gauge materials, improved drive systems, and reinforced structural components. Many customers come to us after repeated failures with their original equipment and find that a Transcon rebuild eliminates the problems entirely while extending the conveyor’s service life significantly.

In most cases, a full rebuild costs significantly less than purchasing a new conveyor while delivering comparable performance. The rebuild option is especially attractive when the conveyor frame and structure are fundamentally sound but the belt, drive components, and wear surfaces need replacing. We assess every situation individually and give you an honest recommendation. Request a quote and we’ll evaluate your specific equipment.

Our exclusive welded-loop hinge design eliminates the traditional hinge pin entirely. Instead of relying on pins that can shear, loosen, or wear out, we create a continuous welded connection between belt sections. This distributes load forces more evenly across the belt, resulting in superior strength, better alignment and tracking under load, and dramatically reduced belt stretch and deformation.

Traditional conveyor belts use piano-style or pin-based hinges to connect belt sections. These pins are the weakest point in any conventional belt — they shear under impact, loosen over time, and create alignment problems. Transcon’s welded hinge eliminates pins completely. The result is a belt that handles up to 600 lbs per linear foot compared to approximately 20 lbs/ft for typical pin-hinge competitors.

Our welded hinge steel belt conveyors are rated for up to 600 pounds per linear foot — roughly 30 times the capacity of conventional pin-hinge conveyor belts, which typically max out around 20 lbs/ft. Combined with material up to 4 times thicker than competitors, this makes our belts ideal for severe-duty applications like hot forging, heavy scrap handling, and high-impact environments.

Three factors set our belts apart: our exclusive welded-loop hinge design that eliminates the weakest failure point (hinge pins), material thickness up to 4x greater than competitors, and our in-house engineering that allows us to tailor every belt to the exact demands of the application. We don’t make off-the-shelf conveyors — every system is built for the specific loads, temperatures, and materials it will handle.