9 Ways to Keep Your Belt Conveyor in Good Shape

Belt conveyors are among the most frequently used components of the food processing industry and are used to transport everything from heavy containers for food products to small potato chips to fry. The versatile machines are straightforward and, when bought from a reliable manufacturer are fairly solid.

There is no conveyor that is completely safe from trouble. Motor burnout, belt slippage and damaged components are a result of wear and tear, or occur when the conveyor is used improperly.

Keep Your Belt Conveyor in Good Shape

Maintaining your conveyor’s belt efficiently over time is achievable with the help of the nine tricks in the following article:

Select the best conveyor

The first step is choosing the best belt conveyor for your particular needs. The product’s weight as well as the speed and the direction in which you wish to convey the product and whether you require the detection of metal, weight or sorting are all aspects to consider when deciding on the belt conveyor.

Speak with the experts at the manufacturer of conveyors to find out what you require to meet your needs for your particular product or application. Another benefit is buying a conveyor that has the capacity to handle more than you require. It allows you to expand production without damaging the conveyor.

Keep your belt clean

Cleaning the conveyor belt is more than food security. A worn-out belt, especially on its side that is under it, is more likely to slide, which can reduce the capacity of the conveyor for carrying weight. Additionally, accumulation on components of the conveyor, such as belt rollers, could decrease the belt’s and motor’s lifespan. Regularly cleaning your conveyor belt can prolong the lifespan the conveyor.

Think about buying a conveyor with components that are easy to clean such as belt lifters, belt scrapers CIP systems, and belt scrapers – all designed to clean your conveyor belt with no hassle and effort of dismantling your belt.

Make sure the motor is clean.

A motor soiled with dirt, dust or food waste frequently results in the fan vents to get blocked, which can result in the engine overheating. A motor that is overheated will eventually wear out and require replacing. Be sure that your sanitation staff regularly cleans the conveyor motor to prevent overheating.

Verify your alignment

Inspect the bearings frequently that are on the conveyor. Dry or loose bearings are the most common reason for breakdown of your conveyor and should be lubricated regularly on every other day as part of your routine maintenance. It is also possible to invest in self-aligning seal bearings that require minimal or no oiling.

If you own a belt that needs the use of lubricant, be sure to remove any lubricant that got into contact with the belt. Certain types of lubricants may cause damage to your conveyor belt in the event that they are left on for too for too long.

Verify the alignment of your pulleys and wear

Pulley alignment plays a significant part in ensuring your belt conveyor is functioning properly. An aligned pulley will result in equal belt tensioning on each side of the cross-sectional belt and helps prolong the lifespan of the belt. If the pulley is not in of alignment or worn unevenly, the belt’s tension isn’t equal and you’ll begin to notice premature stretching either side of the belt, which can cause the need for an upgrade sooner.

The way you load your item onto the conveyor may make the conveyor stretch. Continuously loading items on the same edge of the belt may cause the other side to wear the belt faster. The product should be loaded towards the center of the belt as often as possible.

Check for belt slippage

Incorrect tensioning of the belt (like the one mentioned earlier) or loading a product that is too heavy on the conveyor belt may result in belt slippage and decrease the lifespan the conveyor. Inspecting your conveyor on a regular basis for slippage and tightening the belt tensioning will solve these issues and prolong the lifespan that your belt conveyor will last.

If you’re placing excessively or heavy of a load onto the conveyor that it’s not able to handle It’s time to consider investing in an entirely new conveyor. The excess load a conveyor can take on beyond the amount it’s rated for can eventually result in belt, bearing and motor problems, and result in your process to stop.

Check that the motor and drive are of the proper dimensions.

If you are considering purchasing an entirely new conveyor, as well as moving an old one to a different section within your plant, ensure that the drive and motor have the proper dimensions for the product that you’ll be transporting. When you load the product onto a conveyor that’s not capable of handling the weight could result in failure of the drive or motor.

You should are aware of how much weight is the item that you’ll be transferring before buying an equipment, and then choose the right conveyor to carry more weight than you require. This will enable you to gradually increase the output of your product without investing in an entirely new conveyor.

Check for wear and replace components

Wearing parts are among the main reasons for conveyor breakdowns, and could cause extended delay while you wait for the replacement part to be delivered. By regularly checking the conveyor’s condition for wear components and replacing them promptly can reduce the chance of downtime for your conveyor.

It could be helpful to contact the conveyor manufacturer to discover the parts that are more likely to break and have replacement parts in stock right from the beginning. This will minimize the time in the event that the worn component breaks because you already have the replacement part available.

Implement preventative maintenance

The most effective way to keep your belt conveyor operating efficiently is to perform preventative maintenance. Follow the manufacturer’s suggestions to schedule preventative maintenance. check all components, replace any worn components and upgrade the components like cables and wires to better quality replacements. These easy tasks can extend the lifespan of your conveyor belt and help avoid costly breakdowns. It’s beneficial to keep a log of every belt conveyor in order to make sure that preventative maintenance procedures are in place.

A simple and easy method to monitor the preventative maintenance methods you employ is to integrate Snaptivation in your facility. With a low set-up cost and monthly payment that is low, Snaptivation puts the power of asset management and preventative maintenance tracking in the hands of each employee. Find out more about this powerful tool.

Extending Conveyor Life

These 10 suggestions will assist you in extending the lifespan for your conveyor belt, and keep it operating smoothly for many long time to be. If you are considering purchasing the purchase of a new conveyor, or transferring an existing one to a different section of your facility, you should make sure to check with the manufacturer first to ensure the conveyor is designed to handle the load and follow their maintenance and maintenance guidelines. This will help keep your conveyor at the best condition for running.

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