Maintenance – Its Your Conveyor System's Health Care | At ...

We see it all around us. In nature organisms begin to breakdown as they age. The human body is no exception – our organs and systems are negatively impacted by the passage of time. Even facing that harsh reality, we humans continually strive to improve the care and maintenance of our bodies. Some of us are motivated to do it for strictly outside appearances, while others are on a quest to improve their overall health and longevity. Whatever the motivation, the concept at the centre remains the same.

Preventive measures to preserve health are aimed at trying to maximize our assets for the long term. Like the human body, conveyors are complex systems that are subject to both harms that originate outside the system, as well as internal failings. And like the human body, conveyor systems must be well cared for and maintained if we expect them to continue to operate well for a long period of time. By understanding the steps needed to maintain your conveyor along with some basic knowledge of the most common problems associated with conveyor systems, we can then recognize and correct many of our conveyor production problems.

There are a number of considerations to be taken into account when considering how to initiate and implement a proper program of conveyor maintenance. Frequent inspections should always be conducted. To ensure that conveyor products are up to high standards and functioning properly, constant checks should be carried out by experts, mechanics and regulatory bodies. A key measure of success in the conveyor industry is proactive sustainability.

Since down time can cost an incredible amount of money, another core characteristic to successful conveyor operation is having a backup plan and back up parts. If for some reason your conveyor or a component goes down you must be prepared to either repair the problem quickly or move to a contingency plan until the issue can be resolved.

The human factor is also important. We can greatly improve the efficiency of our conveyor by ensuring proper training procedures are in place, along with the right personnel. A team of bright capable minds and a properly trained workforce will provide for the supervision and maintenance that these complex conveyor systems need. With the right conveyor type, design and maintenance team in place handling and fixing some of the more usual conveyor problems should provide little problem.

Although it appears there are a never ending number of conveyor types and customizations being used in multiple departments and organizations, many of the same issues are encountered. Topping the list is the universal problem of the lack of lubrication. Conveyors, like all machines need grease and oil to run properly, indeed if anything, because of the stresses placed on conveyors, they need more attention than most mechanical systems in this area.

Contamination is another issue that needs to be confronted by almost every conveyor connoisseur. Not only, more often then not, are we battling all types of dust and grime in factory conveyor settings, but the units are also repetitively bombarded with products, moistures and temperature changes. A good cleaning can go a long way with prevention of future problems.

Tolerances such as timing and tracking also need to be monitored. Conveyor parts that go off track or off schedule it can cause serious delays or interruptions in the normal functioning of the conveyor system. Without regard to how we proceed to fix and account for the various conveyor concerns we will face, we must always assure that we are doing the absolute best job possible.

Conveyor maintenance and care is a daunting task that when taken seriously can sew significant rewards and benefits for a company. Identifying those things we can and should be focusing on in our conveyor plans will go along way towards helping us keep the conveyors working efficiently. In both life and on the conveyor floor, health can be a fleeting goal that only the utmost of attention to detail will help sustain. Constancy, durability and stability of the conveyor configurations will be largely based on our ability to care and maintain for these expensive and sensitive work horses.

Visit Wilkie Brothers Coveyors for more information on conveyors or to order Automatic Systems Pusher Dogs, Midwest Conveyor Chain or any other related replacement parts.