Belt Conveyor Requirements for the Mining Industry

Industries related to material handling and mining have been using belt conveyors for a long time now. Belt conveyor systems are comprised of powered and unpowered pulleys that are intended for moving the conveyor belt and the material. A conveyor belt is the carrying medium of belt conveyor systems that is mainly responsible for transporting materials like boxes, grain, salt, coal, ore, sand, and others in a factory or processing facility.

Belt conveyors are typically customised in a wide variety of configurations so that they can conveniently help in the processes of handling materials. Their configurability and customisability allow them to assist in feeding process operations, transporting material to the storage, and navigating material through loadout. With belt conveyors, industries can easily automate strenuous tasks, reduce labour requirements and human-material interaction, and manoeuvre through spatial restrictions and difficult terrain.

Given the functionality and importance of belt conveyors, various industries typically look for two requirements in choosing these machines.

Safety of the Belt Conveyor

The safety of all the things and elements found in the mineral and material handling industries is heavily regulated by the authorities. These authorities make sure that any damages and accidents will always be minimised or avoided. The safety regulations mandated by known agencies extend to the way belt conveyors are designed and protected.

Belt conveyors have moving components that can carry inherent risk and danger. And so, to protect workers moving parts, belt conveyor systems must have efficient and effective equipment guarding. Believe it or not, one of the most frequently cited violations at mining and material handling industries is the lack of guarding for belt conveyors and other equipment. Without any protection, workers will always be susceptible to danger and accidents.

According to authorities, some conveyor components that require guarding include head and tail pulleys, take-up and bend pulleys, return idlers, power assembly components, skirtboard areas, and sides of the conveyor.

Reliability of the Belt Conveyor

Aside from safety, another important element that industries must look into is the reliability of the belt conveyors. As mentioned, belt conveyors play a huge role in the whole mining and material handling processes. If the belt conveyor cannot work under tight deadlines and harsh conditions, then every step of the process will be ultimately delayed, causing a negative impact on the whole business.

Belt conveyors at mine sites usually work with large capacities of material under strict timeline and tough conditions. They must be engineered to minimise downtime and operate for a long time despite facing tough conditions. For them to be effective, the use of high-quality components and materials is very much recommended in assembling belt conveyors. Rugged materials, reinforced loading areas, wear liners, dust suppression mechanism, and heavy-duty components must be all present in constructing a reliable belt conveyor.

Any added customisations like support structures, channel or truss frames, weather covers, gallery enclosures, service platforms and walkways, belt cleaners, safety cables, belt scales, and others can also enhance the reliability and performance of the belt conveyor systems.

The safety and reliability of a belt conveyor are vital in the mining and material handling industries. Belt conveyors with these elements can certainly perform their functions without compromising safety. For more information about belt conveyors, you can always contact us at Hawk Machinery.

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