Product Group: Mechanical Belt Fastening Systems
Product Line: FXC™ Steel Cord Belt Fastening System
Industry: Coal
Application: Temporary Belt Splice
Product: FXC™ Steel Cord Belt Fastening System
Objective: Reduce product waste, Reduce downtime, Reduce maintenance time
Conveyor Detail:
Belt type: ST2250
Troughing: 45 degrees
Cleaners: MMP Medium Mine-Duty Precleaner & MHS Heavy-Duty Secondary Belt Cleaner
Problem:
When a top-performing coal transport facility based out of the eastern United States was faced with increasingly frustrating downtime incidents, the decision to find a solution went from a want to a need. Each time a belt went down, repairs took maintenance teams a minimum of one day or more as they had to wait for a vulcanizing crew to become available. Furthermore, due to the physical nature of the material and how it was loaded and conveyed throughout the process, the belt was susceptible to catastrophic damage. In turn, loading coal onto the boats for port transportation would continually be delayed, and downtime incidents were deeply affecting their profit margin.
Solution:
Having worked extensively with Flexco in the past, the site manager consulted with a member of the Flexco sales team on potential solutions. After an on-site walkthrough with key members of the processing team, Flexco’s product experts pointed out areas that needed attention and provided ideas for long-term solutions. For a more immediate solution, the FXC™ Steel Cord Belt Fastening System was suggested. The main concern expressed by the plant was conveyor downtime. On average, the FXC allows maintenance teams to get belts back up and running in five hours with just four workers, so it is the ideal choice. Plus, with pre-splice capabilities, repairs can be made quickly when they are needed most.
Result:
Later that winter, with peak season causing increased stress on their system, a ship loader belt was torn apart, halting the entire belt conveying process. With an extensive collection of FXC kits for their various belt specifications in the plant’s maintenance crib, the maintenance team was able to swiftly jump into action. After just a few hours, they were able to get the belt back in operation to finish loading the waiting boats. The plant manager noted that the FXC Steel Cord Belt Fastening System decreased potential downtime from multiple days to just a few hours for the maintenance team, which allowed them to schedule the belt to be vulcanized during the next gap in the boat loading schedule. After successfully deploying the FXC from its pre-spliced state, their facility decided to purchase a few more units for future downtime incidents, effectively acting as an insurance policy for future production.