Receiving and using anything new and fresh from the box causes enough reason for excitement. New conveyor belts look good and offer more potential for increased and improved productivity. Whether replacing an old belt or diving into your first conveyor system, you expect your new belts to function at their prime with minimal to no mishaps. However, errors are part of the human experience.
Conveyor belt systems include various components and large mechanisms that work together simultaneously. With all the different parts at play, your chances of running into flaws increase. Here is a guide on how to replace and troubleshoot a new conveyor belt to maximize your equipment, leading to better productivity.
Replacement Tips
Replacing conveyor belts isn't always a simple task. It includes various essential steps that each affect the operation of your belts. Many issues that arise from your conveyor belt often lead back to the installation and replacement process. A successful installation and replacement of the belts guarantees you fewer mishaps and increases your chances of quality functionality. Some important steps in the installation process include:
Stringing the Belt
Stringing the belt essentially means threading the belt through the track system. As you string the belt across the conveyor's pulley mechanics, you determine the required length of the band you need to fully loop your belt and provide an adequate amount of tension. This process also sets your belt tracking, ensuring your belt band lines up over the rollers and centers in the middle of the equipment to avoid misalignment, excess material weight, and hindered movement.
Tensioning the Belt
The belt tension of your conveyor system further ensures your belt stays on track. It also affects other operational components of your machinery, including movement speed and the longevity of your belt. Learning how to properly tension your belt minimizes a range of potential issues that'll cause your production to halt, ranging from splitting belts to uneven wear.
Training the Belt
Before any fully committed and official use of your new conveyor belt, you need to put it through a test run. Training the belt helps you determine many essential properties affecting the operation of your conveyor system. Using some form of a weighted block, physical tracker, or stand-in product, place the item onto the start of the belt and watch as it moves along the system. During the test run, you figure out your belt's best speed, tension, and weight limits, producing the optimal operation conditions. Training the belt also helps you gauge the quality and properties of your belt material.
Potential Troubleshoot Issues
Troubleshoot issues often cause a halt in the production line. Knowing what to look out for as well as common belt problems helps you figure out potential causes and solutions, getting your system back up and running. Plus, prior knowledge of possible future mishaps equips you with preventative measures, optimizing your overall productivity.
Belt Slippage
As belts move along their set course, sometimes they can slip off their rollers and track, causing belt slippage and misalignment. Loose belts acquire more mobility, allowing them to move off-course easily and lack any hold onto the conveyor's pulley system that drives the belt's movement speed and direction. Improper fitting of the belt onto its tracking system usually occurs from inadequate tensioning during installation.
Inconsistent Speeds
Like belt slippage, inconsistent belt speeds arise from tensioning errors. Belts installed too tight or too loose onto the pulley system affect its speed. The tighter the belts, the more friction occurs between the bands and the rollers, creating more traction and slowing down the movement. Loose belts also slow down speeds due to the excess material catching and swinging onto other components and drooping caused by the weight of carried products. Inconsistent speeds also occur from choosing the wrong speed range for your belt. Matching your belt with the appropriate speed limit depends on the belt's width, material, and durability.
Consistent Carryback
When handling certain products such as food and chemicals, carryback causes a lot of concerns. Any residue left from carried products creates hygiene and safety hazards as well as cross-contamination risks. Although various factors affect the likeliness of carryback, including the product's packaging and cleaning methods, one of the primary reasons for carryback concerns is the type of material used. Certain belts provide a surface that's harder to clean, strong traction, and high absorption levels, increasing the chances of carryback. Urethane and PVC belts best suit chemical and food handling due to their material properties.
Cracked Surfaces
Cracking belts affect a conveyor's system productivity, decreasing its longevity and producing potential causes for concern and future issues. Cracked surfaces occur from a range of reasons, including a room's temperature, humidity levels, material durability, tensioning, and improper storage. Certain belts, like rubber-based ones, hold high susceptibility to their surrounding atmosphere. Ensuring that your warehouse's indoor temperature and atmosphere create ideal conditions for your belt's material minimizes the risk of your new belts cracking.
Product Slippage
Product slippage is when your carried products lack grip and move across or off the belt. Without a proper grip on the belt, products can collide with one another or fall off the system as the belt moves, generating numerous hazards and damaging the products. The chances of package slippage increase on incline and decline conveyor systems. The only solution to improving and fixing product slippage is to switch the type of belt you use. Specific decline and incline conveyor belts consist of high-grip and high- traction properties, accommodating the changes in levels within an inclined and declined track system. They also provide great traction for flat tracked conveyors.
Since conveyor belts function as a system containing multiple parts, each decision, change, and process concerning the conveyor system affects its functionality. Various factors play into how your new belt will work, from the installation process to the type of belt material you choose. Understanding how to replace and troubleshoot a new conveyor belt prepares you to optimize your new equipment and determine the best way to maximize productivity for your business.
