Selecting the correct belt cleaner for an application

Wednesday, 28 September, 2016 | Supplied by: Kinder Australia Pty Ltd

Selecting the correct belt cleaner for an application

Carryback can cause inefficiencies on conveyor systems, with the potential to create personal safety hazards and cause excessive unscheduled production downtime. The manual task of removing carryback is both resource and equipment intensive, regardless of the length of the conveyor line or rate of belt speed.

To reduce the risk of carryback, it is important to select a belt cleaner type that suits specific material application and cleaning objectives. The first step in selecting a belt cleaner is to quantify the extent of the belt cleaning problem. Organisations should consider whether their conveyor operating environment is fit for purpose, including how much space is available for installation and service, whether there is a possibility that the application’s moisture content may fluctuate, and whether there are any cuts, gouges or rips in the belt surface. They should also look at whether there are any non-recessed or damaged mechanical splices present and how much belt vibration taking place may make it difficult to maintain a consistent pressure between a blade and the belt itself.

Organisations should also consider their belt cleaning objectives, such as whether they are experiencing ‘out-of-round’ build-up, roller bearing failure, shortened belt life or mis-tracking (spillage). Other factors to determine are dissatisfaction with the existing unit, whether there has been any prior belt cleaning experience, simplifying the blade replacement procedure, extending the service life of the blade, reducing maintenance requirements, inconsistent production schedules, and withstanding a harsh climate or highly abrasive application.

The second step for organisations is to confirm the dimensions of their conveyor. The knowledge required includes belt speed (tph), whether it is one direction or reversing, pulley diameter (mm), lagging type, and lagging condition and thickness.

The third and final step is to contact a reputable and reliable supplier of specialist conveyor belt cleaning componentry. Criteria to consider include checking that the supplier has a wide range of belt cleaning systems available (primary, secondary, v-plough and dewatering systems), checking the service life of the belt cleaning model by requesting a statement of the expected average life and cost of wear parts, and checking that any future replacement parts are easily accessible and support continuing ROI calculations. Organisations should also ensure that installation instructions are achievable with their resource allocation, and ideally that real-time support can be offered by the supplier. They should check the supplier’s warranty policy and ask for a guarantee of performance on the belt cleaning system that they have been recommended.

Kinder Australia fulfils all of these supplier requirements and constantly reviews emerging technologies for effective belt cleaning. Two belt cleaning systems that have recently been added to the range are PRTS Primary Belt Cleaner, which incorporates tungsten carbide, a lighter weight blade and spring tensioning for ease of ongoing maintenance, and XTC Reversing Secondary Belt Cleaning System, a rugged mainframe with single blade attachment for quick blade change-outs.

Image courtesy of Kinder Australia.

Online: www.kinder.com.au
Phone: 03 8587 9111
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