Installing cleats for belts

[SeagullOne]

While I'm also considering plastic conveyor belting for my robots tracks, I'm also looking into something that would take more work, but be more cost effective (hopefully).

Suppose I took this mini chevron conveyor belt profile:

http://www.belting.cc/slittable-belting.htm

...then had it welded endless by my local belting shop (CIR). Then installed my own "cleats" on the inner lining, like this:

http://www.superdroidrobots.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=862&catid=55

Some questions I'd like to ask:

1) what should the cleats be made of? I've considered wood, but wood rots if it gets wet, also pieces of aluminum bar stock  and drill holes in them for screws, but I'm not sure.

2) Then there's the sprockets (wheels). I've also thought of making them out of wood, but again I don't like wood. I've also thought of having them manufactured by Big Blue Saw or eMachineShop... For each wheel, I'm thinking of having two discs made of aluminum or hard plastic like acetal or polypropylene, drill several holes just behind the circumfrance of the discs, and thread them together with aluminum spacers for the "cogs."

I'll try this out with some planning. In the mean time, does anyone have any suggestions or pointers for me to improve my design?

[Joker94]

for the cleats go for the aliminium as it should be strong enough for your use  and like you said wood rots, and that would be bad.

The only problem you may face is the machining, depending on the thickness. What thickness do you think you might need

[spizzak]

Custom making the wheels will be quite expensive and for your current design its probably not even necessary. Just try to make it yourself, you'll just have to be really exact when drilling and installing the cleats as a small error can add up after a few rotations

[SeagullOne]

Thanks guys.

I'm looking at about a quarter-inch thickness for the cleats, maybe 3/16 of an inch. I want to space them 1.5 inches apart each for the pitch

I'm just not one-hundred percent sure how to design the wheels. How would I make them perfectly round? Or at least as round as I can get them...Should I draw a four-inch wide circle and use a band saw to cut it? Or is there a more precise way? Any suggestions on how I would make the cogs on the wheels? I've thought of threading aluminum spacers between two aluminum discs and using those to mesh with the cleats. Then there's the bore and I'm not sure how to make a keyed bore...or a square bore.

Right now, if I do go this route, I'm also thinking of making two pitched sides on either end of the belt for better tracking (I hope). And have sort of a double drive wheel per track. Also, for quieter operation, I'm thinking of coating the cleats with rubber.

I'm also tempted to just pay for two A-section V-guides with two H-pitch timing pulleys welded on the inner side of these belts and buy four H-pitch pulleys from Brecoflex...but they're not contacting me about my quote and its been nearly a week. Plus, it would be more expensive. Easier and certain it would work, but it'd just cost a bunch...hmm...

[spizzak]

For the wheels you can cut them out of aluminum stock using one a hole saw



then just drill your holes around the circumference and bolt two of them together with some aluminum spacers between

[SeagullOne]

Wow! I didn't know one hole saws got that wide. Thanks, I'll seriously consider that!