Modernizing Conveyor Alignment
The first and most crucial step in conveyor training involves checking and aligning the structure. To initiate this process effectively, a detailed survey of existing conditions and the original design criteria should be conducted. This approach enables precise corrections to be implemented, ensuring the system returns to its original specifications, rather than adopting an unplanned "let's 'tweak' the idlers a little more today" approach.
Traditionally, alignment checks have relied on stretching a piano wire from one end of the conveyor to the other, using it as a baseline for measurement. However, this method presents several potential issues. The wire is susceptible to shifts in its alignment, influenced by factors such as ambient temperature variations or even its own weight, leading to inaccuracies. Additionally, measuring a precise 90-degree angle from the wire is challenging, as any movement during the process can compromise subsequent measurements when using a square ruler against it.
In contrast, modern laser-surveying technology resolves these drawbacks. Beams of light emitted by a laser transit, set in parallel to the conveyor structure, offer an unobstructed and consistent reference for aligning conveyor components.
This technology generates a perfectly straight beam with a range of up to 150 meters (500 feet) and allows for multiple setups over unlimited distances. To assess objects set at angles to the baseline, prisms can bend the laser beam accordingly. Unlike the piano wire method, which is prone to human error, a laser beam cannot be inadvertently moved during readings, ensuring accuracy.
Due to the specialized nature of laser surveys, many operations lack the necessary equipment and expertise to conduct them effectively. Therefore, it is advisable for operations to engage a specialty contractor or service with the requisite hardware and experience. A specialty contractor will perform a laser survey of the conveyor belt, mark permanent benchmarks or alignment points, compile a detailed report, and provide recommendations for addressing major tracking issues.
The report should specify which components are misaligned and to what degree, enabling the plant maintenance crew or specialty contractor to make adjustments that enhance belt tracking. Conducting repeat surveys at regular intervals, such as annually, allows plant management to monitor the conveyor structure's condition consistently. These surveys can reveal structural deterioration or external factors like ground subsidence or changes in counterweight mass. Such insights empower engineering and maintenance staff to address emerging issues proactively, thereby averting unexpected shutdowns and minimizing production losses.