“Minding the Gaps” in Your Belt Conveyor Transfers to Increase Productivity
Guest blog by Todd Stewart from MHI Member Company Flexco
According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, online sales hit $204.62 billion in the 3rd quarter of 2021, and while much of that can be credited to pandemic-level spending, it doesn’t make material handling operations any less busy. Growth is the name of the game for any industries related to supply chain, warehousing, distribution, parcel handling, and more.
However, with rampant and growing success, come challenges as well. The need to be competitively productive is at an all-time high, with every minute of lost productivity is costing major players in the industry hundreds of thousands of dollars. The question is, “How can you address those pain points in a quick and effective manner?”
I can really only give you solutions as they pertain to optimizing the performance of your belt conveyors, but those solutions can increase your productivity enough to see some major cost savings, so let’s dig in.
What are your gaps costing you?
Conveyor transfer gaps are areas contributing to one of the biggest causes of conveyor downtime in the material handling industry. The gaps can lead to Foreign Object Debris (FOD) and small packages being caught in the opening, which leads to conveyed product damage or product loss. This can be especially problematic when working with the ever-tightening windows of time provided to get orders out to customers, sometimes delivering that same day.
Homemade solutions
The solutions available to the above-mentioned issues have been limited, with maintenance personnel often having to resort to homemade devices made from ultra-high molecular weight (UHMW) plastic. However, there are serious implications involved with this practice.
The first and most prevalent issue with the homemade UHMW solution is that it is common to see gaps of 6mm or more between the belt and UHMW plates. Installers are taught to do this because of the unforgiving nature of the solid UHMW plate, which is generally mounted to a stiff piece of angle iron. The required added gap allows FOD to make its way into the space between the UHMW plate and the conveyor belt surface, causing progressive damage to the belt, conveyor components, and even the conveyed package.
When this happens, there could be significant damage to the belt, or to conveyor system components. The damage can require hours, if not days, of downtime to make the necessary repairs. On top of this, the single UHMW plate can warp over time, creating a wavy plate with even larger gaps, opening up the opportunity for FOD and/or small packages and polybags to become trapped, further adding to the issues caused by this old technology.
The second issue is the cost and time associated with traditional UHMW transfer plates. Most of these plates, while relatively cheap to produce, have a life expectancy of only six months. Due to their short life span, time and resources must be allocated to replace the plates regularly. The installation process can be a timely and tricky procedure. As installation of the UHMW plates is often complex, requiring artisan-like custom fitment, it is not uncommon for the plates to be installed incorrectly, meaning additional hours of maintenance work in the future.
A third, and very important, issue is safety. While traditional UHMW transfer plates generally cover the gap between two conveyors, they are not effective at reducing nip hazards or pinch points in the transfer area. As noted earlier, the solid UHMW style of transfer plates are installed with clearances between the belt and the plate that sometimes exceed recommended OSHA guidelines, making them a serious safety hazard for employees working near the conveyor transition area.
With all these issues in mind, the conclusion is that homemade/OEM-installed UHMW plates are an inefficient solution that results in unscheduled downtime, lost productivity, potential harm to your belt, and reduced safety for your workforce.
An engineered solution
What can I use instead of homemade UHMW plates? The answer is easier that you may think thanks to newer, engineered solutions that provide longer wear life, meaning less maintenance and downtime. Looking for even less of a maintenance headache? An engineered solution with segmented plates is an attractive choice. In a scenario where a piece of FOD is caught in the transfer, a segment can dislodge, leaving the rest of the plat intact to do its job. Even better … replacement segments are easy to install, which means your downtime can turn from hours to seconds. Engineered solutions also come in a range of sizes, meaning the perfect solution for your site is easy to select and incorporate into your belt conveyor system.
In such a rapidly changing industry with an increasing demand for efficiency and volume, it may seem daunting when issues like conveyed package or product loss are encountered on your belt conveyor system. Luckily there is light at the end of the tunnel, and it doesn’t involve excess capital equipment spending or excessive maintenance. You just need to “mind the gap.”
