Generally, we all know the importance of preventative maintenance for industrial production and there is no exception for conveyor belts.
Taking preventative maintenance can not only reduce the chance of unplanned downtime resulting from conveying malfunction in the manufacturing process but also protect the equipment from damage, which in return can extend the service life of conveyor belts by 10 to 20% on an average level. These two factors are great helps to improve productivity and cut costs. The data show that preventative maintenance can save the cost of a new conveyor belt in about 5 years.
Based on this fact, we honestly suggest all users make a regular preventative maintenance plan to do themselves a favor. Here Bsbelt is also glad to help you with some practical tips for conveyor belt preventative maintenance, which gained from our 17 years of experience as a professional conveyor belt factory. Have a quick scan to check if you have missed any.
Tip 1: Check the condition of conveyor belts before use with our list
To ensure that preventative maintenance is easy to conduct, we suggest you start with a visual inspection to have a quick idea about what condition your conveying system be like. When inspecting the surface of conveyor belts and parts of facilities with your eyes, you can go with our checklist.
1. Does the conveyor belt remain intact without damage, deformation, or breakage?
If the belt is partially worn and damaged in the process of transporting materials, you need to cut off the damaged section and reconnect the belt. By doing so, you can prevent production accidents that may happen when the belt breaks in two parts during transportation.
2. Are the joints of the belts in good condition?
If not, you need to make a new joint.
3. Check whether the belt is water-splashed or not.
Due to the relatively long transportation distance of the conveyor belt, there will be water splashing in some areas, which may cause the conveyor belt to slip during operation. If it is not dealt with in time, the slip will easily lead to a broken belt accident.
4. Check whether there is material spillage on the running line of the belt conveyor.
The excess material accumulation in a local area indicates that the belt conveyor has a material failure. At this time, it is necessary to check if pulleys, rollers, and bearings are functioning, and deal with related problems timely.
5. Is the conveyor belt centered on the roller?
By locating at the center laterally and vertically, the conveyor belts provide optimal transportation
performance. So you need to ensure its central place and check that it is positioned precisely between the rollers. Also make sure the pulleys, wheels, and rollers are installed and aligned. If not, the conveyor belt may start to mistrack.
6. If the belt functions well both in the empty and loaded condition?
A conveyor belt may work well when empty but then starts to slip under the weight of the load. If it slips or rubs at some point, the heat from the friction can build up and, in the worst case, will melt the material of the belt. Therefore, the adjustment of the conveyor belt is carried out both in the empty and loaded condition.
Tip 2: Check the facilities run the belts
As a part of the whole conveyor system, besides the problems with the belt itself, machine failures can also cause malfunctions. In order to avoid the loss caused by hastily replacing the belt, we should include machine maintenance in it.
When a conveyor system fails it is often thought to be a problem with the conveyor belt, but the fact may turn the opposite. If the conveyor belt appears to be in good condition, but the problem persists, you should carefully inspect all parts of the machine. Some possible problems such as clogged rollers, bearing damage, fabric damage, or conveyor belts getting stuck or slipping frequently. These conditions do not necessarily mean that your conveyor belt is damaged, and you need to adjust the facilities to solve problems.
Tip 3: Cleaning work
The conveyor belts applied in some industries required higher hygienic standards than others, such as those used to convey food, tobacco, and medicine. Therefore, it is vital to clean the conveyor belt and its parts. As bacteria are easy to grow in the part of the belt with uneven surfaces, cracks, or crevices. If the cleaning work fails, the conveyor belt can cause product contamination. Therefore, you should always carefully inspect and clean your conveyor belt.
Tip 4: Regular maintenance
What we suggest you add to your maintenance plan to help your conveying system run smoothly and last longer are listed as follows:
- Make sure the sealing ring of the idler roller of the belt conveyor is filled with grease, and the idler roller rotates flexibly;
- Make sure the reducer, hydraulic coupling, and other devices do not leak oil;
- Make sure the fastening parts are firm and reliable;
- Check the conveyor belt joints, and repair or replace them in time if they are found to be broken.
How often should a belt be inspected?
Though we know the importance of preventive maintenance, regular inspection work also counts, so we need to help you to find out the proper frequency.
It needs to take a number of factors into consideration, and we suggest you decide upon the following factors:
- Is the environment in which the belt will operate tough?
- Is the size and weight of the products the belt carries large?
- Is the product corrosive?
- Does the belt at full load often?
If the answer to these questions is yes, then we suggest you inspect the conveying system once per week; if not, you can arrange the inspection work once every ten days.
Conclusion
By adding our practical tips to your daily maintenance plan, you can turn yourself into a conveyor belt expert that discovers possible faults, and get them repaired timely, so as to minimize the belt conveyor malfunctions to improve the economic benefits of your business.
If you want not only a maintenance guide but also need new belts for replacement, we take pride in introducing ourselves as the largest professional conveyor belt manufacturer in China, offering high-quality products for various industries, mainly in logistics, airports, food, ceramics, stone processing, wood processing, automobile tires, tobacco, fitness, and entertainment.
