Socially Distance Yourself From Belt Cleaners

The term “social distance” is one we are all too familiar with given the global COVID-19 pandemic. Maintaining social distance from others in public will minimize your exposure and keep you safe and healthy. Keeping safety in mind, I would like you to think of your conveyor belts and how often plant personnel or contractors are exposed to them and why.

Belt Cleaner Maintenance

One common reason for exposure to belt conveyors is regularly maintaining belt cleaners. Depending on wear rates/timeframes and material characteristics, some belt cleaners may need frequently tensioned and others can get by with a quick visual inspection to make sure nothing is glaringly wrong. We all understand the importance of a clean belt so we pay very close attention to belt cleaner systems. We also understand and see the other side of this where there isn't enough manpower to inspect and maintain belt cleaners as needed.

We know that a common method/misconception is that belt cleaners only tend to require service when carryback is observed. But if you rely only on the “visual” test for carryback, it is too late. At this point, you have lost material that has already been handled and is creating a mess on the structure and the ground below for plant personnel to clean up.

If we can minimize exposure to or “social distance” from belt cleaners, we can reduce the risk of someone getting injured. We have always strived for safety and led the way in innovation, and our new intuitive "N2" technology is another example of this. The adapts familiar consumer smart technologies to the industrial environment, applying the same enhanced user experience and information-rich insight—making bulk materials handling not only cleaner, safer, and more productive but also more instinctual and predictable. N2^® technology also reduces and limits direct human interaction with mechanical equipment and hazardous environments by providing live monitoring. These new products are a great example of innovative systems that allow monitoring and auto tensioning to encourage “social distancing” from belt cleaning systems. These systems can be monitored via Andriod or IOS app from the comfort of your office or home if needed. Having real-time information on the status of your belt cleaner systems allows for proactive planning instead of "firefighting."

Additional Benefits:

1. Monitors position of the blade to estimate blade life so you can better schedule ordering and maintenance
2. Provides alerts through our mobile app when abnormal changes in position occur, ensuring maximum cleaning performance
3. Retrofits directly to existing mainframes from any manufacturer
4. Sends notifications when re-tensioning or blade replacement is needed, eliminating the need for manual checks
5. Immediate warning in the event of a failure or substantial change in temperature

Technology & The Future

Autonomous vehicles, remote monitoring technology, drone stock pile inventory, and automated tensioning of belt cleaning systems are all examples of how technology is the future of our industries. I am proud to be with a company that is positioned at the forefront of innovation and technological advancements.