Washbox conveyor belt cleaner removes difficult carryback

The Martin® WashboxTM Cleaning System combines water spray and secondary cleaning blades in an enclosed and self-contained unit, draining residue safely away from the work area. Operators who have installed the system have drastically reduced dust and spillage from carryback, leading to a safer workplace and longer belt life with considerably less downtime.

“We design systems to eliminate nearly all carryback issues faced by every industry we serve,” said Dan Marshall, Product Engineer at Martin Engineering. “After extensive before and after testing, we developed the washbox to complement our standard products in some applications to further improve the life of the belts, idlers, pulleys and cleaning blades.”

In operations conveying solid material, normal belt wear can yield valleys and depressions on the belt. Dust and fines that get into these blemishes remain after passing under primary and secondary belt cleaning blades, and become dislodged by shaking from return idlers, causing excessive dust and spillage. Water makes bulk material easier to remove by softening it, keeping the cleaner blades free from buildup and extending blade life by minimising thermal breakdown due to frictional forces.

Available in two configurations, a Dual Cleaner System and a Single Cleaner System, the units are mounted on the conveyor frame directly after the return idler to ensure belt alignment throughout the cleaning process and to allow proper time for moisture evaporation on the return trip. Passing through a powder coated steel box with top rollers, the belt is gently washed by spray bars equipped with 10 to 30 nozzles delivering 5 to 60 psi (.34 to 4.14 bar) of pressure, using 5 to 54 gpm (20 to 204 L/min) of potable or non-potable water. The belt is then scraped clean by a polyurethane blade and/or a urethane squeegee blade, set on a tensioner for a tight and consistent blade-to-belt seal. Residue drains safely through an outlet funnel below the box, which can lead to a disposal unit or a settling pond/vessel for introduction of material back into the process.

Adapted from press release by Joseph Green

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/product-news/21062016/washbox-conveyor-belt-cleaner-removes-difficult-carryback-313/