Method of making positive drive conveyor belt

A method of making an endless positively driven, pitch differential conveyor belt of the type used in a conveyor wherein an endless conveyor belt has drive bars or teeth on the inner drive surface of the conveyor belt that are configured to engage with drive elements of the conveyor such as grooves in a drive sprocket, the method comprising the steps of:

• cutting a conveyor belt having an outer surface and an inner drive surface to length to form a belt segment having two ends, the conveyor belt being formed from a first polymeric material;
• forming at least one drive bar mounted to the inner drive surface of the conveyor belt, the at least one drive bar being formed from a second polymeric material having a melting temperature that is at least about 15° C. higher than the first polymeric material;
• cutting the two ends of the belt segment to have fingers that are configured to intermesh with each other;
• placing the two ends of the belt segment together so that the fingers intermesh on a standard hot-plate vulcanizer that has been fitted with an alignment mold to contact the inner drive surface of the conveyor belt, the alignment mold having a plurality of recesses shaped to conform to the geometry and pitch of the at least one drive bar on the belt segments so that the at least one drive bar is received in a recess of the alignment mold;
• heating the two ends of the belt segment to a temperature greater than the melting temperature of the first polymeric material and less than the melting temperature of the second polymeric material while the alignment mold cradles the at least one drive bar to maintain its geometry and pitch;
• and
• cooling the two ends to form an endless conveyor belt.