Construction is a vital process, and double-check everything before any selection. Talking about belt conveyors, you must settle midway between the related industry requirement and your company’s needs. Yes, don’t hurry, or else you will end up selecting something that you will regret later. Here you will find some essential unavoidable aspects to keep in mind before sticking to any belt conveyor.
- Material and Product Selection
How can you move ahead without looking at the product specification? While you check any production equipment, check its specification. When buying a belt conveyor, it becomes more important as any negligence may result in a huge loss. You know how important it is to collect weight and product size details, aren’t you? They help you to select the right belt conveyor. If you are dealing with heavy-accumulated weights, opting for a smaller conveyor belt is not good. It comes with a lightweight motor which will not work well with it. On the contrary, for not-so-heavy weight products buying a belt conveyor that matches more with 50 lb or more weighted products isn’t wise, right? Here a small belt conveyor will fit perfectly.
Packaging is equally important to determine. Remember, you need to check the friction between the packaging material and the product. The product may find it difficult to remain in place in its absence. Moving down from the product line can have a negative result. It may slip off the conveyor or around the belt resulting in great damage to the operator or attracting mishaps.
Integrations
Integration and the belt conveyor is a tough decision to make. What if your requirement demands it to get integrated with something? The second question that may stand here is about utilizing which kind of application. Will it be robotics or certain operators to interface with your product while it is involved in the production process? Does it demand a clean room to run during the manufacturing process? Is it going to work on sensors for inspection assistance, or will it take up indexing? Believe me; they will greatly impact your conveyor design decision.
Having a thorough understanding of the placement of products and conveyors along with other machinery is important. Consult other employees about it!
Environment
The importance of the environment is everywhere, and belt conveyors are no exception. Wholly understanding the environment in which you will place it adds the idea if you need any other compliance there. It also allows you to learn how it will adjust to the environmental condition. While talking about sanitary settings, you have no other choice but stainless steel. Some belt conveyors may help only with wiping down cleaning, while others have the expertise to manage chemical cleaning or high pressure if done regularly. If you choose only a wipe-down conveyor, expect it to handle high-pressure wash easily but with tremendous wear and tear with time. In short, the belt may break down soon.
Flexibility
Flexibility is as essential as any other factor for conveyors. Imagine getting one after investing a huge amount, but with the changing production environment, it fails to perform as required. What will you do then? Opt for one which is flexible to meet the need of your production process. What is trending today may not exist tomorrow. In such an environment, buy the one that is innovatively designed to be flexible. It should match the whole manufacturing process at go.
A good conveyor system can easily handle various materials and products even when the change is quick and surprising. Customize it for multiple processes to add perfection where any organization can bring changes into the production to match the on-growing demand. If machinery comes with several features to match the requirement of various products, it clearly indicates a budgetary decision. You will not be required to invest a huge amount every time you plan to add something new to your manufacturing routine.
Budget
Nothing can work without a set budget. Try to grab good deals within your budget or choose a customized one from good companies. It is going to be a huge investment that will add worth to your manufacturing process. You need to be wise and clear with your investment here. Do not compromise with the quality just because you can afford less, try to look for ways. Here, do not remain rigid to the initial cost only; consider the maintenance cost too! Sometimes some conveyor system comes at a cheap rate with desired services but has an extremely high after-cost. Avoid such buying!
Taking suggestions from the co-workers
Sometimes, people who are going to work on those machines may give you a better idea than anyone else. Give weightage to what they say and buy correctly. Sometimes people miss the minute suggestions which hold importance in real-time scenarios. Also, check if your human resource is capable of handling the new machine or not. In adverse cases, give them training beforehand to avoid any mishandling in the near future.
Noise pollution
Some traditional and present conveyor system adds too much noise all around, making it difficult to work on it for a longer duration. This is not a healthy feature. Opt for the one that is sustainable in your prevailing environment. Too much noise can disturb the other workers working around and can reduce their results.
Quality and durability
The life span of the conveyor system is highly important. You are going to set the whole system and train your employees for the same. Imagine it shutting down in a very short span! It will be like a recurring expense in regard to money and time. You need to train your workers again and make them adapt to the new one. It is not an advisable step. Buy a quality machine that lasts for a long and serves you better.
To sum up
A conveyor system remains with your organization for a long, and you need to be careful while grabbing ownership of one. Be wise and follow the elements carefully before you add one!
