Overcoming the Problem of Incorrectly Specified Conveyor Rollers
KINDER & Co.
- In today’s global market, the industrialised world should be able to turn to recognised international standards to ensure that the replacement of conveyor rollers can be accurately and easily achieved, regardless of where in the world the conveyor components originally came from. Unfortunately, the conveyor industry seems to be lacking in this initiative, which can cause major headaches for conveyor maintenance engineers.
In Australia there are no industry broaching and dimension standards for conveyor rollers. Over the years there have been a number of Australian manufacturing companies producing conveyor rollers which only fit their unique frame dimensions and the increase in imported plant and machinery in recent times, means that it is almost impossible for machinery operators to adhere to even local standards. Imported mobile machinery can lead to expensive roller replacement, as rollers are often supplied as a “machine spare part” and not just a standard conveyor roller.
To reduce their maintenance cost, conveyor operators then turn to the local market for spares such as conveyor rollers and this is where problems can occur. To the untrained, a small variation in the length or diameter of a conveyor roller may seem insignificant, but the effect of installing the wrong size roller can ultimately be quite costly.
For example, even a small variation in the between the slot of a conveyor roller, can destroy the design principles and lead to belt tracking and fitting problems. Then in an effort to make the correction, transoms are either sprung bent or shafts ground back to make the roller fit.
If correctly done, modifying the roller supports to accommodate the length of the roller replacement roller may allow the new roller to be installed and operate properly. But what happens the next time this roller is replaced? If the same part isn’t supplied, a sloppy or incorrect fit may result, leading to belt tracking and other major high maintenance problems.
Correctly specified conveyor rollers minimise downtime, reduce maintenance labour costs and reduce the often hidden additional costs associated with lost product. And correctly specifying conveyor rollers means more than just supplying “rough measurements”. Providing an accurately measured roller length to a supplier can be the difference between a quick installation and a long maintenance shut down and the direct benefits in operational efficiency can be measured in financial terms.
Conveyor belt tracking is arguably one of the most common headaches for conveyor maintenance engineers and accurately specifying the correct diameter of a conveyor roller can eliminate one potential cause of this problem. Again, with so many options available “rough measurements” will lead to the wrong diameter roller being supplied, so accurate measurement of the diameter is essential.
For more than 25 years, Kinder & Co has built an excellent reputation for customer service that is second to none. As Managing Director Neil Kinder explains, “we are not just a me too supplier. Our experienced staff can assist in the correct selection of any conveyor parts, not just rollers, ensuring that our customers maintenance problems are quickly solved and kept to a minimum”.
To ensure your conveyor rollers are correctly specified, click on the above drawing to download a pdf version of the drawing.
