A RELIABLE CONVEYOR
MAINTENANCE SPECIALIST
MAINTENANCE SPECIALIST
Conveyor belts in industry keep the business moving, whatever the sector. Without a means to safely and quickly transport materials across a site or building, processing and packaging are stalled.
A conveyor belt system is a simple concept, but a complicated piece of machinery with many moving parts. Given that the conveyor does much of the hard work on site, it needs to be robust enough to withstand constant use and high volumes.
Even with regular maintenance and professional servicing for belts, rollers, trainers and brushes, wear and tear or accidental damage can cause a belt to underperform or fail.
Unplanned downtime can cost a business thousands of pounds each day, through lost revenue, late deliveries, operational costs and increased lead times. In the UK and Europe, unplanned downtime is estimated to cost industries up to £157 billion in 2026.
One of the factors impacting downtime is the ability of employees to detect and identify faults quickly and then be able to repair or replace them where needed.
Knowing the signs and being able to solve common conveyor belt problems can reduce that downtime significantly.
Here are some of the most common issues with conveyor belt systems
Although vulcanised rubber belts are designed to be robust and last a long time, there are occasions when belts wear prematurely or experience damage. This type of accelerated wear can be caused by a number of factors, including:
Some of the issues causing belt wear can be prevented by proper installation of the rollers and correctly tensioning the belt. Regular inspection of both rollers and belt tension can stop further damage and wear from occurring.
Others require implementing procedures for preventing damage to the belt’s surface, such as keeping corrosive materials away from the belt or using the belt only for the intended materials.
If the belt is damaged, repairs can be done via conveyor belt repair specialists who can identify and mend the localised wear points. Alternatively, if it is beyond repair, it can be replaced by a new vulcanised conveyor belt with greater resistance to wear and chemicals.
If materials being transported by the belt are falling off and therefore not reaching their destination, it can cause safety issues as well as delays in production. Similarly, if materials get stuck on the belt, known as carryback, it can also impact production and wastage.
The causes include:
Make sure there is a procedure in place for correctly loading the belt with materials and train staff to use it. This will vary according to the materials and may include adjusting the speed or angle at which it hits the belt or using a different type of loading chute.
Ensure the correct type of belt is installed for the materials and transportation purposes. This may include using specific containment components on the belt conveyor system.
Install the correct type of rotating cleaning brushes at discharge points to prevent carryback by cleaning the belt before it returns.
Adjusting the belt speed, particularly for lighter or smaller grain materials, can prevent spillages and therefore prevent wastage and mitigate safety risks.
A misaligned belt or tracking issues can be caused by several factors, although the result is a less efficient transportation, accelerates wear and potentially can cause system failure. Here, the belt drifts off centre, and materials can fall off.
Causes of misalignment and tracking problems include:
Regular visual inspections and cleaning by operators, and regular maintenance by experts in vulcanised conveyor belt systems can prevent many of the issues caused by misalignment.
Areas of focus for inspections include the tracking systems, if they are not automated, checking and adjusting belt tension, and cleaning rollers and brushes.
If the issue is more structural, for example, frames and pulleys out of alignment, then a specialist team may be needed to correct the problem. In the worst-case scenario, such as catastrophic failure, a new belt conveyor system may be needed.