Once you have your conveyor system embedded into your process, whether than be food, drinks or product manufacturing, there are certain steps you can take to ensure it will serve you well. Below we outline 5 tips to get the best from your belt and ensure it has a long and fruitful life in service.
1) Tension. A belt needs to set at the correct tension. This is something we take an enormous amount of care and attention with, both in the planning, installation and testing phases. Too tight and it will be over stretched, and this can cause issues that you can do without, and the same goes for when a belt is too slack.
2) Track and trace. Belts need to follow the correct trajectory, which means it should follow an intended path. If a belt doesn't follow the correct path then it can be subject to coming into contact with areas of the system that it is not designed to do so, repeatedly. This leads to wear and it can ultimately lead to a failing belt, and stress upon other areas of the system. Check you're tracking regularly to ensure everything is as it should be.
3) Guards. This follows on from the above point. Guides and guards should not be contacting the belt in a constant fashion. You can imagine if a belt is rubbing against a guard constantly then the risk of failure and damage is heightened significantly. This again is something we take great care in avoiding in our installation and testing process. Ultimately though this starts with design to ensure it doesn't happen in the first place.
4) Cleaning. Under the belt, especially when you're system deals with materials that have the potential to damage rubber (or other belt materials), you should ensure regular inspection occurs, and as a result of the inspection, cleaning. If you refrain from inspection and cleaning then again the risk of damage will be heightened.
5) Keep it smooth. Sharp edges of your system are a bad idea. Makes sense really, not only can a sharp edge damage your belt, but it also introduces the opportunity to hurt and injure your workforce. We ensure that in our design process sharp edges are eliminated and minimised, which means that you're set up for a smooth ride from day one.
Here at CCL we are committed to providing you with the best conveyor systems, and an after service that can't be beat.
As always we hope you have enjoyed our blog, we are always here to answer any questions you have about our design, manufacture and install processes. Feel free to get in touch.