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Routinely Occurring Conveyor Problems and How to Solve Them

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Routinely Occurring Conveyor Problems and How to Solve Them

2023/11/conveyor-system.jpg

Managing and maintaining an efficient conveyor system is full of challenges. These conveyors often run 24 hours a day 7 days a week and are continually at their design limit in order to meet production targets.

Effective maintenance and selection of the correct components is crucial to optimising the performance of the conveyor, but sometimes the hardest part can be identifying what the specific problem is and what caused it.

Our team of engineers have identified the 5 routinely occurring conveyor problems and solutions as listed below:

1. Belt damage

 

Causes and impact of Belt Damage

Conveyor belt damage can be caused by a number of factors, one of the most common is seized conveyor components. When a conveyor component such as a roller experiences a catastrophic failure, it can result in significant damage to the conveyor belt and increase maintenance and downtime.

PROK Solution

PROK’s belt friendly range of innovative conveyor rollers include a variety of features that reduce risk to conveyor belt damage. PROK’s in-house engineering design incorporates an anti-jamming end disc, which reduces roller seizures and improves the reliability of the conveyor belt.  Additionally, PROK is a leader in non-metallic roller technology and has a full range of belt friendly Composite, HDPE and Hybrid Rollers to support our customers along with the capability to provide online condition monitoring to protect your belt.

2. Mistracking

 

Causes and impact of Mistracking

Conveyor belt mistracking occurs when the conveyor belt comes off its intended track and can cause major issues for the conveyor system including material spillage, increased belt wear, conveyor belt damage and damage to the surrounding equipment.

Common causes of mistracking include poor loading and splicing, worn conveyor rollers, material build up and conveyor belt tension issues.

There are many solutions to track belts that don’t address the root cause of the problem, these are temporary solutions and should be used with the appropriate caution.

PROK Solution

As there are several causes associated with mistracking, it is important to conduct a thorough conveyor system audit in order to identify the problem.

PROK’s specialist team provide a comprehensive and careful assessment before conducting any work, to ensure we understand the problem and get the right resolution for your mistracking issues. PROK’s dedicated team of engineers and technical specialists can provide design audit services on-site.

In addition to this, our engineering services team can help fill any gaps by collecting the information required from the field to ensure your mistracking problems are identified and rectified on-site.

3. Material Carry back

 

Causes and impact of Material Carry back 

This is perhaps one of the most common conveyor issues faced by mining companies.

Carryback refers to the build-up of material that remains on the conveyor belt on the return. This can not only cause major issues for conveyor idlers and pulleys, it can also present a significant safety hazard, so it is a serious issue that needs to be assessed and rectified immediately.

The build-up of material on conveyor components results in increased wear which reduces the life of the conveyor components and increases maintenance requirements.

PROK Solution

While it is inevitable that some levels of carryback will exist on most conveyors, it is important to take the necessary steps to minimise the effects of carryback.

One of the most effective ways to manage carryback is to install belt cleaners which are specially designed to remove material stuck on the belt. PROK offer a range of belt cleaners suitable for all belt sizes and speeds. Belt cleaners must be maintained on regular intervals to ensure they perform well.

Additionally, the correct selection of idlers can assist in reducing carryback and lowering the total cost of ownership of the conveyor system.

The PROK Polyurethane Disc rollers operates by utilising high abrasion resistance and high Hydrolytic stability polyurethane discs positioned at regular intervals along the conveyor roller to assist in removing conveyor belt carry back build up.

This is done by breaking up the material on the return side of the conveyor belt which is normally concentrated in the centre of the conveyor belt. The discs are bunched together at either end of the roller to provide support and protection to the belt edges.

Highly effective, PROK Poly Disc rollers are a reliable and simple maintenance solution to this common belt conveyor problem.

4. Slippage

 

Causes and impact of Slippage

Belt slippage occurs when there is too much or too little tension in the conveyor belt, causing it to slip. It occurs around the drive/head pulley when there is not enough grip to turn the belt around the conveyor pulley.

PROK Solution

A common cause of slippage is incorrect or poor-quality pulley lagging.

PROK offer a range of high quality Pulley Lagging options to suit every application, including rubber, polyurethane, ceramic and direct bond ceramic lagging. The high-quality material and specialised application process ensure slippage is avoided which saves you from further maintenance and downtime in the future.

5. Spillage

 

Causes and impact of Spillage

Spillage refers to material that falls from the conveyor during operation, commonly occurring near the loading zone.

Spillage of material from a conveyor system has a significant effect on the environment and is one of the most common problems experienced on many conveyor systems. Spillage can become a hazard when material falls from heights and causes risks associated with slips, trips and falls on walkways.

PROK Solution

Consult your local PROK representative for a conveyor audit to determine and solve the root cause of this issue.  Spillage can occur for many reasons and there is no one product to solve this phenomenon in all cases.

Contact us to learn more about our market leading conveyor rollers, engineered pulleys and conveyor solutions.

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