--- title: "Conquering Conveyor Issues: Dust, Spillage, and Downtime Resolved with a Material Handling Overhaul" description: Keep conveyor systems precisely aligned in the load zone, increasing efficiency and preventing fugitive material. Learn how belt support and alignment and sealing increase productivity. image: https://blog.martin-eng.com/hubfs/transferpointtransitionzonetailboxsealingapronsealbeltsupportimpactcradletroughingidlers.png --- [Skip to content](https://blog.martin-eng.com/problem-solved-papers/conquering-conveyor-issues-dust-spillage-and-downtime-resolved-with-a-material-handling-overhaul#main-content) [![Martin Engineering](https://blog.martin-eng.com/hubfs/Martin%20Engineering%20Logos/martin-sig_white.png "Martin Engineering")](https://www.martin-eng.com/) ## Problem Solved Paper call 800.544.2947 # Conquering Conveyor Issues: Dust, Spillage, and Downtime Resolved with a Material Handling Overhaul [Martin Engineering](https://blog.martin-eng.com/problem-solved-papers/author/martin-engineering) December 19 2025 [Safety](https://blog.martin-eng.com/problem-solved-papers/tag/safety), [Material Spillage](https://blog.martin-eng.com/problem-solved-papers/tag/material-spillage), [Dust & Material Spillage](https://blog.martin-eng.com/problem-solved-papers/tag/dust-material-spillage), [Dust Management](https://blog.martin-eng.com/problem-solved-papers/tag/dust-management) ### Problem One of the largest silver producers in North America was experiencing excessive [dust](https://foundations.martin-eng.com/knowledge/dust-management) and [spillage](https://foundations.martin-eng.com/knowledge/material-spillage) on the conveyor leading from the crusher to the surge pile, which lowered air quality, required 5-10 man-hours per day to clean, and caused unscheduled downtime from premature equipment failure. “There’s a long fall going to the secondary crusher, and that creates a huge disturbance in the material flow,” explained a plant supervisor. “We were seeing a lot of dust and spillage in that area, which meant putting personnel in close proximity to the moving conveyor for cleanup.” The operations staff also noticed belt damage occurring as a result of fugitive material. ### Solution Over a 7-day period, [5 Martin® Combination Cradles](https://www.martin-eng.com/content/product/206/evo-combination-cradle) were installed to absorb the impact of the falling load, along with [5 Slider Cradles](https://www.martin-eng.com/content/product/179/slider-cradle) to stabilize the belt line. Forty feet (12.2 m) of modular chute wall replaced the old structure, with a tail box and integrated dust curtains. At the bottom of the wear liner, installers mounted 84 linear feet (25.6 m) of [Martin® ApronSeal™ Double Skirting](https://www.martin-eng.com/content/product/184/apronseal-double-skirting). To maintain a consistent belt path, technicians then installed a [Martin®  Belt Tracking System](https://www.martin-eng.com/content/product_subcategory/473/conveyor-belt-alignment-products). A dual belt cleaner system was mounted on the face of the head pulley, with a [Martin® Torsion V-Plow Plus](https://www.martin-eng.com/content/product/15254/) to protect the tail pulley. Completing the upgrade was an integrated [air cleaner](https://www.martin-eng.com/content/product/226/air-cleaner), incorporated directly into the dust generation point. ### Results The results were immediately apparent. “We’ve gone from an everyday battle with this conveyor to almost no clean-up at all,” said the supervisor. “Now we have a guy go down there with a broom every few days. That’s it.” The firm is currently evaluating 5 additional conveyor areas for its next upgrade, with a plan currently under development to address those locations. “We’re extremely happy with the system,” the supervisor concluded. “The installation was well done, and the guys were very professional and safety-conscious. It’s changed a nightmare into an extremely functional system that operates at a high level.” [![Learn More About Transfer Point Solutions](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/5156573/interactive-203010247330.png)](https://blog.martin-eng.com/hs/cta/wi/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLKTuvUDLdl4ng1yC%2FC7RhBeJSlB3npzf9ZDRDndmsCdeA5tFipeFdcn6mGprmlmAbkyZRMR2%2BgCzuE2c5iQkBnrHeuyVODGnqcJYbZbOKeQQfjQI76ZkUyQPZeas%2BEamOrxSAdnRPIA4enWVzp%2Fp2L68RY7ydW9aC4TDFPq3c7caIre2F6RIYN6C%2Bs3tnGgz30BHg%2FS0GAaSl8OnyOF1UPT1mnwBGBeUqhxGAohXB1BIxiqf6DwxN7mx8%2Bd&webInteractiveContentId=203010247330&portalId=5156573)   [![Martin Engineering](https://blog.martin-eng.com/hubfs/Martin%20Engineering%20Logos/martin-sig-rgb_300px-wide.png "Martin Engineering")](https://www.martin-eng.com/) Martin Engineering is the world leader in making bulk materials handling cleaner, safer, and more productive since 1944. © 2025 Martin Engineering Company. All rights reserved. ###### SOLUTIONS [Belt Cleaners](https://www.martin-eng.com/content/product_category/463/conveyor-belt-cleaners) [Transfer Point Products](https://www.martin-eng.com/content/product_category/469/conveyor-transfer-point-solutions) [Air Cannons](https://www.martin-eng.com/content/product_category/465/bulk-material-flow-aids) [Vibration](https://www.martin-eng.com/content/product_category/468/industrial-vibration-solutions) ###### RESOURCES [Learning Center](https://foundations.martin-eng.com/learningcenter?hsLang=en) [Training](https://foundations.martin-eng.com/en-us/training-options?hsLang=en) [Blog](https://blog.martin-eng.com/?hsLang=en) [Videos](https://www.youtube.com/@martinengineering) ###### CONTACT US 800.544.2947 [info@martin-eng.com](mailto:info@martin-eng.com) [martin-eng.com](https://www.martin-eng.com/)   ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Martin Engineering", "url" : "https://blog.martin-eng.com/problem-solved-papers/author/martin-engineering" }, "dateModified" : "2026-07-06T19:20:33.725Z", "datePublished" : "2025-12-19T17:48:30.000Z", "headline" : "Conquering Conveyor Issues: Dust, Spillage, and Downtime Resolved with a Material Handling Overhaul", "image" : [ "https://blog.martin-eng.com/hubfs/transferpointtransitionzonetailboxsealingapronsealbeltsupportimpactcradletroughingidlers.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.martin-eng.com/problem-solved-papers/conquering-conveyor-issues-dust-spillage-and-downtime-resolved-with-a-material-handling-overhaul", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.martin-eng.com/hubfs/MartinEng_Sig_2c_RGB-1.png" }, "name" : "Martin Engineering" } } ```