The first conveyor belt was introduced in 1795, built upon a wooden slider belt, pulleys, a leather conveying belt, and a hand crank. Merchants used it to load products onto ships. Then, Thomas Robins designed a conveyor belt in 1892. Robin’s idea was a belt with segments sewn together with wire. The design got first prize at Saint Louis Exposition, Pan-American Exposition, and 1900 Paris Exposition. Different versions of the belt have been made and used since then.
In 1913, Henry Ford showed the world how to manufacture products faster by connecting the collection line with the conveyor belt. Other industries quickly adopted this. Today, conveyor belts are widely used in many industries and are available in an extensive range of polymer and rubber materials.