Business owners often overlook the need for regular conveyor belt maintenance. From small businesses to large enterprises, fabric conveyor belt maintenance is the best way to extend the system’s lifespan.
Whether you are going for a full maintenance routine or occasionally calling in the best conveyor belt cleaners, here are five reasons why it’s something that shouldn’t be overlooked:
- Identify existing or potential issues
By conducting regular maintenance on your conveyor belt, you can see if it has any problems like rocks wedged between the belt and idler roller (something that can cause serious problems for your machine).
Small issues now can cause big problems down the track. Even a tiny rock caught between the belt and rollers will cause wear, as well as a worn carbide scraper blade stabbing through the belt and shredding the belt length.
- Helps increase the belt’s efficiency
Identifying conveyor belt issues now can help you produce optimising solutions for down the track. Not only will you be identifying potential issues with the belt’s operation, but you can also troubleshoot areas that could be more efficient for your business.
If you keep the conveyor system clean and without any obstruction, you can conduct routine maintenance and identify problems that could be optimised.
This can be anything from switching to more suitable belt products or product upgrades like switching from a standard scraper shaft to a retractable shaft for easier maintenance.
- It keeps your conveyor belt in the best condition
Regular conveyor belt maintenance ensures your system and its individual parts remain in top working condition. Neglect general maintenance and occasional cleaning leads to system problems which – if left unattended to – will no doubt lead to serious problems with the machine.
- Reduces conveyor belt wear-rate
Problems like a mistracked belt can occur if your conveyor belt encounters extra wear and is not immediately addressed. There are a variety of methods that can be utilised to reduce a conveyor belt component’s wear life and extend its lifespan.
For example, you want to install conveyor skirting to the belt, especially where the material is susceptible to becoming lodged underneath. This will reduce the risk of embedded material damaging the belt.
This is one of the most important aspects to ensuring the machine is working and not incurring unnecessary wear. Readjusting, realigning and recalibrating your conveyor belt is recommended to reduce the system’s wear rate (especially when it comes to mistracked belts).
To properly apply these measures, it is important to first practise regular maintenance for your system and identify areas of high wear.
- Improves conveyor belt visibility to easier identify issues
A poorly-maintained machine is often one that lacks visibility. If you are unable to properly see the machine then it can be difficult to troubleshoot any existing or potential problems with its operational system.
Regular conveyor belt maintenance – including a proper clean – can help improve machine visibility so that you can easily see the machine and where any potential problems could arise or have already arisen.
It’s just better for the workplace
Like any other piece of machinery, a conveyor belt should be running at full efficiency. It optimises workflow, makes the job easier and makes it much safer. Don’t run the risk of allowing your machinery to wear and become far too dirty over time – book your conveyor belt in for a regular maintenance and cleaning service to extend its lifespan and keep at running at full capacity!
