Traditionally, routine maintenance and monitoring of conveyor systems has been a low priority for operations. This is because usually, what are considered more urgent matters take precedence, such as pumps and mills. But it is also partly because conveyors often stretch for many kilometres, in remote locations that aren’t easily accessible by foot or vehicle. Typically, operators tend to wait until there is a fault with a conveyor and then conduct maintenance or replace on a timed basis (such as in the case of idlers) in the hope of avoiding failures. But the challenge with this approach is that unplanned downtime can result in catastrophic production and financial losses.The cost of unplanned maintenanceIn today’s increasingly cost-conscious manufacturing environment, companies are under greater pressure to improve equipment reliability to achieve operational objectives and reduce maintenance costs. Central to an efficient operation, however, is achieving a high level of capacity utilisation, with plants needing to make the best use of their existing capacity. By measuring overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), plant managers can identify gaps between ideal and actual operational performance. These issues, comprising quantifiable OEE gaps, can be converted into the tactical and strategic steps that influence productivity, which can significantly impact overall business results. And at sites like mines, ports, cement plants and iron and steel mills, materials handling can constitute a major contributor to the overall business results.Transporting products like iron and coal using conveyors is tough on these systems, resulting in the need for continuous maintenance and parts replacement. But scheduled maintenance on conveyors can easily fall to the last priority, as it is often labour intensive and difficult to monitor all areas, regardless of good intentions.The process of belt inspections typically involves a maintenance staff member, who walks the length of a belt to visually inspect for faults, or in some cases, drives alongside it. But when conveyor belts can be up to 50 kilometres long and in hard-to-reach locations, such as at high altitude in tunnels through mountains, this monitoring can be difficult to deploy. Such an environment makes it near impossible or expensive to adopt traditional conveyor monitoring techniques.But correlating with the drop in preventative maintenance can be a rise in shutdowns and unplanned downtime. Some operations have reported that conveyor outages account for up to 50% of their unscheduled disruptions. So when a shutdown could easily result in hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost production per hour, it is essential that conveyors operate as efficiently as possible, with maximum availability to an operator.Past approachesThere are a number of existing monitoring solutions that address specific aspects of a conveyor system, but none of these offer operators a complete picture of the health of their conveyor belt. Typical ‘point’ solutions can provide details about specific areas of the conveyor belt but may not assist in prioritisation or integration with other point solutions. In an increasingly resource-constrained environment, operations should consider the benefits of an integrated solution, combining measurement technologies with decision support capabilities, for optimal conveyor health.Managing the health of conveyor belts is complex, with numerous measurement requirements for complete monitoring of the system. This includes the detection of cover defects, edge damage, belt rips, pulley health, belt wear, internal defects, wander and steel cord damage. It also involves monitoring for drive health and idler health, as well as material off-loading and chute blocking. Moving from an ad hoc approach to conveyor monitoring to an online and integrated conveyor belt management system requires careful planning and a methodical approach.
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