Grooved rollers are cylindrical rubber tubes with patterns engraved into their outer-facing surface area. While v-grooved, u-grooved and spiral-grooved rollers are the most common types, there are many more obscure groove patterns such as herringbone, lateral-fluted or circumferential.
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Most often used to provide transportation to materials moving through machinery, grooved rollers are well-suited for applications such as belt driven conveyor systems as well as for use in many other types of industrial manufacturing and processing machinery. Additional industries that utilize grooved rollers include: metal processing, for applications requiring grooved heat treating rollers such as laminating rollers; pulp and paper, for processing, printing, converting and coating machinery; textile production, since the grooves can better catch the materials and thus, drive their movement better; and automotive manufacturing, for power transmission applications. In order to select which type of grooved roller best fits an application, it is essential to understand how the groove is defined. Grooves are defined by four key components: pitch, depth, width and angle. All of these factors must be considered before determining which grooved roller should be used.
Grooved rollers are typically formed through either injection or compression molding processes. In injection molding, small pieces of the elastomeric material, referred to as pellets or granules, are heated under high temperatures until a molten state is achieved. When molten, the material is then injected into the cavity of a split die chamber or mold through tiny holes. The mold is then clamped shut and water is run over the mold in order to cool it and form the part. In compression molding the elastomeric material is pre-heated to achieve a similar molten state as with injection molding. Instead of being injected into the mold, the material is simply placed into the open, heated mold. In order to form the roller, extreme pressure is applied when the mold is closed by means of a top force, which is also known as a plug member. The pressure causes the material to pressure up against the walls of the mold and both the heat and the pressure are maintained until the material has cured in the shape of the mold. While both methods may be used, injection molding can be considered to be the more common method of the two. The varying styles of grooves are determined when the mold is made and can include both a single and a double row of grooves along with the various patterns. In addition, grooves may also be cut into already fabricated rubber rollers.
