Please visit our website for more information on this topic.

When properly set up, the right scrapers will extend the life of your conveyor belts while reducing maintenance and cleaning. Conversely, scrapers that are badly adjusted or not suited to the material being moved will wear the belt faster, limit the lifespan of your belts and leave the area around the conveyor dirtier than it should be.

Scraper systems can be as crude as a length of angle iron pressed against the belt. A better solution is an engineered mechanism that applies a constant load through a material that's matched to what the conveyor is moving. Here's some advice for getting it right.

WHY SCRAPE AT ALL?

Not all the material dropped onto the belt gets discharged. A proportion ' how much depends on the material ' stays on the surface and gets taken back on the underside. Some will drop off along the way and leave a mess. Some will instead cycle round and round, gradually building up until it falls off under its own weight. This carry-back is bad for your conveyor system. More specifically, it:

• Increases weight on the belt and thus the power drawn by the motor
• Increases belt loading through the extra weight
• Leads to uneven loads that strain the motor, reducer, and belt itself
• Causes mistracking, which accelerates belt wear
• Spreads dust and dirt that get into bearings and reduce component life

HOW AND WHERE TO SCRAPE

A scraper is a blade pressed against the belt surface. This knocks off material stuck to the belt. The force applied to the belt is a function of the material. Dry, granular materials stick far less so the scraper doesn't need to be pressed as firmly against the belt as if it's carrying a bituminous or tarry material.

The scraper should be applied where the belt is flat. The best place for this is at the head pulley where the drive is connected. Often this primary scraper is mounted at a 3 o'clock position relative to the pulley shaft.

A secondary scraper is used on the return side of the belt where it leaves the discharge pulley. This two-scraper arrangement effectively removes almost all material. Some conveyor operators like to have a third inner scraper to keep the underside of the belt clean.

OPTIMIZING SCRAPER LOAD

If the scraper isn't set up to apply enough force to clean the belt you'll get material carry-back, which the scraper is intended to avoid. Conversely, apply too much force and:

• Belt and scraper will both wear faster than is necessary
• The load on the belt and drive will be higher
• The scraper will heat up
• There's an increased risk of snagging a tear and making it worse or catching and damaging a spliced joint

To avoid these problems every scraper needs an adjustment mechanism. The simplest are adjusted manually but better systems are either spring-loaded or use a counterbalance system. These ensure a constant load is applied. The best will ride over bumps and splices without being damaged or damaging the belt.

Whatever system is used, each scraper should be inspected daily for correct adjustment and operation.

SCRAPER SELECTION

Every scraper has two main parts: a blade that presses against the belt and a mechanism that holds it in place. Both should be appropriate to the material being conveyed. 

A belt used for dry, granular material that doesn't stick needs less load on the scraper and can therefore be lighter duty, perhaps with manual adjustment. A heavy sludge or tar that sticks to the belt needs the scraper to apply more force, which requires heavy-duty construction and ideally, a constant force mechanism.

A complete scraper system for a 30' belt should cost around $2,500.

The blade should be made from a material that deforms enough to avoid doing any damage but at the same time applies enough force to scrape away clingy material. It should also resist abrasion without softening excessively if it heats up. Some applications may also need water or chemical resistance.

For most applications, these characteristics are provided by a urethane blade. Scraper manufacturers produce urethane blades in durometer values of 70 to 90 Shore A. (That's about as firm as a shoe sole or the leather in a belt, but not as firm as a golf ball.)

Blade length is important. While a 6' blade will work on a 24' diameter pulley, a 12' blade will last longer and do a better job. Poor quality blades can flip or twist, which makes them ineffective. Expect to pay $220 or more for a good 6' blade and $600 for one 12' long.

ADVICE ON CHOOSING THE RIGHT SCRAPER

A conveyor system with the wrong scrapers, or worse, no scrapers, is going to cost more to operate than one where belt cleaning has been addressed properly. There will be more wear and tear on the belt and other components, more cleaning will be needed around the structure, and it will consume more power.

As conveyor system experts, West River Conveyors is familiar with the selection and installation of scrapers and scraper blades. We carry primary and secondary scrapers and blades from several manufacturers. We can review your application, explain your options, and help determine what will work best. The result will be lower costs and longer-lasting belts.

For more advice on maintenance to reduce belt wear and tear, click below. 

Mining Conveyor Belt Maintenance

Conveyor Belt Cleaners: A Guide

The food processing industry depends on conveyor belts. This critical machinery moves raw materials from trucks to storage, transports stored raw materials to production lines, and moves finished goods to packaging.

Originally, conveyor belts carried coal and other heavy-duty products, but in the early s these handy devices made their way to food processing to transfer food products from one area to another.

Conveyor belt systems for food processing evolved to become more efficient and effective. Wooden and metal conveyor belt systems served their purpose but challenged the food industry, which needed belt conveyors that used a food safe material.

In the s, Intralox designed and patented a plastic conveyor belt to solve food safety concerns. The invention revolutionized the food processing industry. Today modular plastic belt and stainless-steel versions minimize sanitation risks.

Material and design innovations do not eliminate the need for conveyor belt cleaning. The potential to collect disease-causing germs during food processing creates a need for regular conveyor belt cleaning to keep food safe.

There are different methods of belt cleaning. The article shares methods of conveyor belt cleaning and sterilizing to keep conveyor systems free of contaminants.

A little Dirt Can Hurt

First, determine how often to clean a food processing conveyor belt.

• Belt Soil. The faster soil builds up on conveyor belts, the more often cleaning is necessary. The longer the soil remains on the belt, the harder it is to clean. And contamination will spread to other items if companies leave soil untouched.
• Material Volume. How much volume the conveyor belt carries also impacts cleaning needs. The higher the material volume, the more contaminated the belt becomes. Cleaning should be more frequent in situations where belts get used a lot.
• Food Types. The type of food carried on conveyor belts also impacts cleaning needs. Sticky foods are more prone to carrybacks than dry goods.

Hygiene and food safety are the best reasons to clean food processing conveyor belts. However, cleaning also provides mechanical advantages. Regular conveyor belt cleaning also can prevent mistracking, material spillage, carrybacks, and slippage to reduce material loss, unplanned downtime, and increase production time.

Types of Conveyor Belts

Common food-grade conveyor belt types include:

• Flat Belt Conveyors. Food processing facilities most commonly use food-grade conveyor belts. Their smooth, continuous conveyor belt surfaces are easy to clean, making them ideal for food handling.
• Wire/Plastic Mesh Conveyors. These conveyor systems use food-grade stainless steel or plastic which can withstand high and low temperatures. Products do not stick as easily to mesh. Depending on the application, mesh belt conveyors come in any length, width, or speed.
• Trough Belt Conveyors. When moving bulk materials long distances, trough designs keep materials in the center.
• Roller Conveyors. Food package handling applications use stainless steel or powder-coated carbon steel roller conveyors built for specific applications.

Regardless of the type of conveyor, they still must be kept clean.

Conveyor Belt Cleaning Methods

Manufacturers design food-grade belt conveyors for heavy wash downs to achieve optimum sanitation safely and efficiently. There are three different ways to clean conveyor belts. The type of food conveyor and contamination levels determine which one to use.

Goto 成钢 to know more.

SPECIAL NOTE: Removal of conveyor belts is a labor-intensive and lengthy process, which reduces efficiency and raises costs

Manual Cleaning

Manual cleaning is labor and time intensive. But it is one way to keep a conveyor belt clean. The tools needed to clean are a water brush, brush cleaner, roller and wash box.

Facility managers can use manual cleaning to:

• Sweep and brush out debris and carrybacks
• Scrape off sticky foods and food fragments with a belt scraper
• Scrub off stains
• Rinse off debris
• Wipe and vacuum to remove residue

This method offers both pros and cons.

Pros

• Scrubbing by hand with the right tools and equipment can accomplish deep cleaning.

Cons

• Requires training and experience for best results
• Can be very time consuming increasing cleaning time and labor costs
• Loss of production efficiency

Semi-Automatic Cleaning

Food processing plants can automate part of the cleaning process to make the cleaning solution more efficient and safer. Tasks that can be automated include:

• Dry vacuuming
• Spraying
• Rinsing

The main tools needed for semi-automatic cleaning include cleaning brushes and a wash box.This method offers a few benefits and disadvantages.

Pros

• Faster than manual cleaning
• Produces reliable, consistent results

Cons

• Requires training and experience for best results
• Can be very time consuming increasing time to clean and labor costs
• Loss of production efficiency

Fully Automatic Cleaning

Fully automatic conveyor belt cleaning reduces downtime by using a clean-in-place system to keep things clean.

This method works better than semi-automatic and manual cleaning.

Pros

• Frees staff to perform other work
• Produces reliable, consistent results
• Most cost effective as it reduces time to clean and labor costs
• Increases production efficiency

Guide to Conveyor Belt Cleaners

For most applications, automated cleaning is the best option. Here, Goodway offers three types of PureBelt' conveyor belt cleaners to meet the needs of various conveyor belt systems used in food processing. These food-grade conveyor belt cleaners use low moisture, dry steam to deliver high-quality cleaning and sanitation.

PureBelt' Portable System 

A fully automated system that cleans mesh-style, plastic modular, or metal conveyor belts using dry steam to remove soils and obliterate fats, oils, mold, and bacteria.

The portable design works well on most mesh conveyor belt systems. Programmable dry steam patterns deliver complete control over cleaning and sanitation.

Dry steam technology uses little water, and dries immediately, reducing the need for water pickup. The ultra-low moisture solution works well in dry clean environments such as bakeries, confectionery plants, and snack plants.

PureBelt' Fixed Brushless Belt Cleaning System

Cleans flat conveyor belts in place in dry clean environments such as bakeries, snack plants, confectionery plants, and industrial settings. The system removes fats, sugars, oils and more from conveyor belt systems.

The secondary conveyor belt cleaner system attaches to the conveyor belt frame and leverages the power of dry steam to clean conveyor belts continuously. Fixed cleaning systems speed production times, decrease downtime, and increase output.

The system works well for contract manufacturers with multiple products and limited production lines. It improves production line flexibility, reduces changeover times, reduces labor times and water usage. When cleaning is complete, belts are dry and ready for sanitation.

Goodway can customize this system to meet exact conveyor belt configurations and applications. Vacuum extraction options are available for better results.

PureBelt' Portable Brushless Belt Cleaning System

Cleans flat conveyor belts in dry clean environments such as bakeries, snack plants, confectionery plants, fulfillment centers, pharmaceutical plants, and medical device manufacturing facilities.

This cleaning system combines dry steam with vacuum extraction for quick cleaning and sanitation to remove soils, allergens, mold, glaze, oil over spray, bacteria, fats, grimes and soils. The low-moisture dry solution leaves belts dry and ready for sanitation. Its portable design works well for single or multiple line systems.

Next Steps

Keeping food-grade conveyor belt systems free of debris and contamination keeps food safe and reduces downtime. Goodway PureBelt Conveyor Belt Cleaner Systems come in three different types to accommodate a food processing operation's unique needs. Call a Goodway Industrial expert to discover the best option for your conveyor belt system and food processing operation.

The company is the world’s best Conveyor Cleaner supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.