A
Screw Conveyor Corporation Product
Food Grade
Conveyor Belt Cleaners
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Will the cleaning
segments (blades) wear my belts?
A: No! Polyurethane has a low coefficient of
friction. As a result, the segment wears;
not the belt.
Q: What kind of belts can
be cleaned with this Cleaner?
A: The belt surface to be cleaned is very
important. A flat urethane,
PVC or silicone surface is best.
Q: How effective is the
unit cleaning a wet surface?
A: The action of the cleaning segments
against the belt creates a "squeegee" effect;
and will wipe the belt surface more effectively than a scraper or
brush. In addition
to the cleaning segments, we have also developed a wiper blade
for oily and
wet surfaces and a brush with urethane fingers for dust and dry
powdery surfaces.
Q: Will heat affect the
urethane cleaning segments?
A: High temperatures will affect urethane.
Generally, we do not recommend using
the segments in air temperature that exceeds 250 degrees.
Urethane cannot be
installed in ovens. High ambient temperature will adversely
affect urethane.
Q: Will cold affect the
urethane cleaning segments?
A: Our urethane cleaning segments perform
very well in cold temperatures.
Cool or cold is better with urethane.
Q: How long does it take
to install a Cleaner?
A: A standard model will take 2 men two to
four hours.
Q: What kinds of residue
can be removed with this type of Cleaner?
A: Our food cleaners can be used to clean
most food products from belts.
Our cleaners are used in the confectionery, baking, sugar and pet
food industries.
Certain materials are difficult to remove. Examples are
marshmallow corn syrup,
ginger juice and moist corn starch. Some installations will
require a mist spray
add-on.
Q: Does the residue stick
to the cleaning segments and build up between the blades?
A: Unlike a brush, the spaces between the
blades do not clog, and unlike a scraper,
there is no "dam" effect and the material is not
smeared on the belt. Depending
on the type of residue, there may be some material which sticks
to the segments.
However, most of the residue spins off due to the high rotation
speed of the cleaning
segments. Depending on belt speed, our Cleaner will clean the
belt surface several
times on each pass compared to a one time wipe with a stationary
scraper.
At 700 RPM and 12 Power Blades, the COMMAND Cleaner wipes the
belt
8,400 times per minute.
Q: Will the belt splices
create a problem for the Cleaner ?
A: Splices should be flat with a minimum, if
any, protrusion above the belt line.
The ideal splice is one that is vulcanized. A mechanical
splice will damage the
cleaning segments.
Q: I have a dust problem.
Will the high speed of this unit create more of a problem'?
A: Any facility with a dust problem should
utilize a dust collection system designed
for their specific needs. Our cleaners will not cure a dust
problem. However,
these cleaners will reduce the amount of dust because they
will do a better job
of cleaning the belt.
Q: Where is the Cleaner
mounted in relation to the head pulley?
A: The cleaners are normally mounted on the
return side of the belt behind the
head pulley and ahead of any idler or snubber pulley. If there
are space limitations
at the head pulley or other reasons to install the Cleaner
elsewhere, the Cleaner
will work equally well at that location. In most applications the
cleaning segments
turn in the opposite direction of the belt travel.
Q: How big are the
cleaning segments?
A: The standard food size is 3 inches long
with a 4 inch diameter and weigh
approximately 1 pound. Other sizes, durometers and material
compositions
are available if there are space limitations or less aggressive
cleaning
action is needed.
Q: What belt widths are
available?
A: Our standard units are 6" to
60" belt widths, however, units with 96" belt widths
have been successfully deployed.
Q: What: kind of motor is
used with the COMMAND cleaners?
A: The standard motor on the food units will
be in the range of 3/4 to 1 1/2 HP
TEFC 3 phase 230/460 volt 60HZ 3450 RPM and a 5:1 gear box
reducer.
Some applications may require a lower RPM and HP rating. In some
situations,
it is possible to slave drive the Cleaner. The motor for the
cleaning system
should be tied electrically into the conveyor system so that the
Cleaner operates
only when the belt is moving. The user customer is responsible
for insuring that
the proper listed motor is used in hazardous locations.
Q: How heavy are the
units?
A: Without motors, the Cleaners have a
weight range of 50 to 125 pounds.
Q: What is the difference
between the industrial and food grade models?
A: The industrial models are constructed of
steel and the segments are made of
industrial grade urethane. The food grade models are constructed
of stainless
steel, weigh less, utilize less space and the segments are made
of FDA approved
urethane.
Q: Can the cleaners be
customized for special needs?
A: Custom designed units are available and
are priced on a time and material basis.
Q: How much space do the
units occupy?
A: Installation space required is
approximately 1 square foot of space running the
width of the conveyor frame.
Q: What is the speed of
the cleaning segments versus the belt speed?
A: Excluding special circumstances, the
speed of the cleaning segments is about
10 times the belt speed. Food applications normally run at 690
RPM
Q: Do these cleaners
require a lot of maintenance?
A: Very minimal, if any.
Q: How long will the
segments last before needing replacement?
A: The blade edge on our cleaning segments
is maintained for the life of the segments.
We have units installed for four years running 2 shifts 5 days
per week and the
segments show very little wear. Urethane has an exceptionally
high resistance
to abrasion, solvents, cuts and gouges.
Q: Is replacing the
cleaning segments difficult?
A: The cleaning segments are easily replaced
without removing the Cleaner.
Although the shaft can be removed from either side, it is
normally removed from
the non- drive side. Once the shaft is out, remove the locking
collar, and cut or
slide the segments off the shaft. The new segments are easily
mounted by sliding
them on the shaft. If you want to reduce your downtime, keep an
extra shaft with
segments in your storeroom. Then replace the old shaft when time
permits, and
install new segments on the old shaft.
Q: How often must the
surface of the cleaning segments be adjusted against the belt?
A: Once the Cleaner is properly installed,
any adjustments would be extremely rare.
Excessive pressure of the cleaning segments against the belt will
damage the belt.
Q: Will the Cleaner solve
my tracking problem?
A: No. The Cleaner should always be mounted
square to the frame and parallel to
the belt surface to avoid compounding any tracking problem you
may have.
Installing segments using a herring bone design will sometimes
improve tracking.
THE REAL COST OF DIRTY BELTS
I. How many production hours are lost because the conveyor system is stopped while the idlers, head pulley, and work area are cleaned? What is the market value of this product? How much profit does it represent?
II. How many man hours of clean-up labor are used per shift, per week, per year, etc? What does labor, including payroll taxes & benefits, cost per hour? Can the man hours saved be put to use on other critical maintenance projects?
III. How much is spent each year on replacing idlers or splicing belts? If the belts were cleaner, would the repair costs drop 10%, 20%? How many production hours would be saved?
IV. Does the plant have environmental or safety problems? Is the carryback contaminating the soil and eventually the water table? Does the carryback create dust and thus a health hazardous for the worker?
Copyright © 1998 Command Belt Cleaning Systems.
All rights reserved. Revised:
March 20, 2007.
