Industry News: What Can Wear Down A Conveyor?

Conveyor belts are some of the most integral pieces in industries and commercial applications. As such, they require a lot of maintenance and attention to detail. However, it’s not simply all about making sure your belt is stable enough to support the weight of what you need to transport; other, more intricate details require attention. If a belt isn’t maintained correctly, it will struggle with carrying out its job, causing issues for its users.

Conveyors are designed to last for months and years without needing replacement. They’re firm, hardy, and built to last. With the constant stress of large, heavy objects on your belt, there is always the risk of wear that can eventually compromise the tension with which your belt operates. When the tension of your belt falls below optimal tension, you’ll find that malfunctions are likely.

If you’ve ever worked with belt conveyors before, you’re probably well aware of how critical it is to keep your belt running at optimal efficiency without any tearing, fraying, or other issues. However, belts have their own unique set of problems and obstacles that they can encounter over their lifespan. As such, if you run a conveyor belt long enough, you’ll inevitably encounter some wear and tear and some symptoms of wear and tear. This article will focus on some of the things that can wear down a conveyor, as well as a couple of solutions to prevent them from occurring in the future on your machine so that your conveyor belt can run cleanly and efficiently for years to come.

Dirt

You’re probably well aware of what wear on a conveyor belt can look like. Dirt, grease, and grime cover your belt, which reduces the effectiveness by which it transports your objects. Sometimes, excess dust or dirt interferes with the tracking (which keeps your belt secured) and results in it not following its exact path. You may also experience misalignment of your conveyor belts if they’ve been knocked off their track.

Load

Conveyor belts have a tremendous number of functions in today’s manufacturing businesses. However, loads that often place an exceptional amount of stress upon conveyor belts can often cause excessive wear on the product being conveyed, significantly shortening their lifespan. Additionally, loads with irregular shapes might also damage your belt as these loads tend to slide around rather than roll due to their shape.

The load that your conveyor takes is the main stress point, and this can vary in many ways. Most of the time, it’s about identifying the different types of load you’ll see and then determining if you’re selecting the proper belt to handle each. If not, then your belt may wear out prematurely.

It’s important to keep a good check on your conveyor belts; you never know how long they’re going to last. This doesn’t just mean checking the physical integrity of the belt. You can do this by checking the surface of the belt for inconsistencies and make sure that there aren’t any cracks or defects in any links. However, the most difficult element to judge is usually how much load you have placed on your conveyor belt over time. If you think the conveyor belt needs to be changed, Check out this “Fluent Conveyors” blog content about conveyor belts replacement.

Rollers

The rollers on a conveyor belt serve an important purpose: they smooth out the ride for the conveyor belt, making it run smoother and, in turn, increasing efficiency. Conveyor belts consist of a smooth surface that moves at a consistent speed to provide its services. A belt that isn’t moving efficiently or effectively will cause a loss of material and product, not to mention a serious increase in overhead costs to replace the damaged belt.

The effect of rollers wearing down a belt conveyor causes friction which impedes the scheduled routine that the belt is supposed to run along. Essentially, if your rollers are insufficient or damaged, you’re going to experience issues with the performance and efficiency of your conveyor belt. If you’re not getting your product to its destination in a timely manner, this could affect customer satisfaction.

In a well-maintained, smooth working conveyor system, rollers should be a non-issue. However, surface faults like grease and dirt buildup can cause your rollers to become unruly. When surface faults are present, it’s difficult for you to ensure your belt is running as efficiently as possible. To fix this issue, you must remove all of the surface faults from the roller path.

Weak Link

So, a conveyor belt is designed to hold tension? But what happens when there’s a weak link?

Indeed, a conveyor belt is designed to hold tension. Tension is achieved through the adjustments of your engineers, enabling the smooth flow of your belt over time. The downside of this tension is that your belt will only ever be as strong as its weakest joint. If there’s damage to a particular portion of the belt, the combined action of the tensile force and a continual load can serve to make that damage worse.

Takeaway

Conveyor belts are an integral part of any facility that uses a warehouse storage system. They make it possible to move large amounts of product from pick-up to delivery, and they allow for automation so that the movement of products becomes more efficient. With useful information from these tips for reducing wear on your belt, you can avoid malfunctions and unnecessary downtime.

If you’re not sure where the damage is, call us, and we’ll find it. We’re experts at conveyor belt inspections. If your belt isn’t working properly, we have an unmatched ability to identify weak spots, repair damage, and get your conveyor up and running again.

The Author

Jeremy Axel is the founder of Fluent Conveyors; they design and manufacture conveyors for Waste and recycling industries, Manufacturing, and Distribution centers across the United States. He is also known for building trusted relationships with conveyor dealers and reseller networks and developing advanced technological processes and tools that help them do their jobs more efficiently.

Image source: Pixabay.com