Material conveyor system bucket comprising a wear band and method for making the same
A material conveyor system container and method of making same. The container comprises a wear band generally disposed at the points of contact of the bucket with the material being conveyed by the bucket that is made from a highly abrasion resistant material and the rest of the bucket is made from a less expensive polymer, such as polyethylene.
1. A material conveyor system container comprising:
an elevator bucket having a back wall, opposed sidewalls, a bottom wall curving upward into a front wall spaced from the back wall, and a wear band;
the front wall being joined to the bottom wall to form an open top;
the front wall and bottom wall portions being joined to the opposed sidewalls by arcuate corner parts,
the wear band extending entirely across a top portion of the front wall and integral corner parts to protect the top portion of the front wall and integral corner parts from a flow of material wearing the elevator bucket; and
the wear band extending across a forward portion of a top portion of the opposed sidewalls, wherein the wear band is made of a highly abrasion resistant material and a remainder of the elevator bucket is made of a polyethylene material.
2. The material conveyor system container of claim 1 , wherein the highly abrasion resistant material is nylon plastic.
3. The material conveyor system container of claim 1 , wherein the polyethylene material is a high density polyethylene plastic.
4. The material conveyor system container of claim 1 , wherein the highly abrasion resistant material is overmolded or ultrasonically welded onto the polyethylene material.
5. The material conveyor system container of claim 4 , wherein the highly abrasion resistant material is overmolded or ultrasonically welded onto the polyethylene material to form a single homogenous elevator bucket.
6. The material conveyor system container of claim 5 , wherein the highly abrasion resistant material is a different color than the polyethylene material.
7. The material conveyor system container of claim 1 , wherein the highly abrasion resistant material is removably attached to the polyethylene material.
8. The material conveyor system container of claim 7 , wherein the highly abrasion resistant material is removably attached to the polyethylene material with fasteners.
9. A material conveyor system container, comprising:
a single uniform body formed of two polymers, comprising:
a back wall, a pair of opposed sidewalls, a planar bottom wall forming a front wall and an upper opening made of a first polymer; and
a wear band made of a second polymer to protect the top portion of the front wall and integral corner parts from a flow of material wear the elevator bucket;
the wear band extending entirely across a top portion of the front wall and arcuate corner parts;
the wear band extends across a portion of a top edge of the pair of opposed sidewalls; and
wherein the second polymer is overmolded onto the first polymer.
10. The material conveyor system container of claim 9 , wherein the first polymer is thermoplastic polymer.
11. The material conveyor system container of claim 10 , wherein the thermoplastic polymer is a high density polyethylene plastic.
12. The material conveyor system container of claim 9 , wherein the second polymer is a highly abrasion resistant material.
13. The material conveyor system container of claim 12 , wherein the abrasion resistant material is nylon plastic.
14. A method of manufacturing a material conveyor system container, comprising:
forming an elevator bucket comprising a lip, a back wall, opposed sidewalls; integral corner parts, and a front wall; wherein the front wall is joined to the back wall forming an open top, wherein the elevator bucket is made of a material comprising polyethylene;
forming a wear band, wherein the wear band is made of an abrasion resistant material to protect the top portion of the front wall and integral corner parts from a flow of material wearing the elevator bucket; and
attaching the wear band to the lip of the bucket part, wherein the wear band extends entirely across a top portion of the front wall, arcuate corner parts, and extends across a portion of opposed sidewalls extending from the front wall towards the back wall.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the abrasion resistant material is nylon plastic.
16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the polyethylene material is high density polyethylene.
17. The method of claim 14 , further comprising attaching the wear band to the elevator bucket with fasteners, adhesives, tongue and groove system, or a combination thereof.
18. The method of claim 14 , wherein the attaching the wear band to the elevator bucket comprises overmolding the wear band onto the lip of the elevator bucket.
19. The method of claim 14 , further comprising attaching the wear band to the elevator bucket with ultrasonic welding.