Conveyor belts are known for a variety of uses, such as in food cooking applications where the belt is used to convey objects continuously through a cooking or heating zone of high temperatures. One particularly useful application of a flexible belt is as a belt wrapper in a contact toaster device such as the one shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,960,704, herein incorporated by reference, that incorporate a metal-linked conveyer belt to convey food objects, such as buns, along and against a heated platen to toast the buns. The buns may be undesirably marked by the heated metal belt or overly compressed against the platen.
Silicone rubber-coated fiberglass fabrics and polytetrafluoroethylene (“PTFE”) coated and/or laminated fiberglass fabrics, are commonly used in conveyor belts for diverse applications. Smooth polymer coated belts are capable of eliminating markings, but typically do not exert sufficient lateral force to move food objects consistently and reliably through the toasting device. Silicone belts have been used in overlapping combination with metal-linked conveyor belts, such as using molded flights on both sides of the silicone belt to interact with the food on one side and the metal conveyor belt on the opposing side. However, over time, grease buildup and/or molded flight wear can increase slipping of the silicone belt with respect to the metal belt. In addition, the flexibility of the belts can provide tracking issues, resulting in an off-center and damaged belt. There is a continuing need for improved belting for cooking and heating operations.