MATERIALS HANDLING
with belt cleaners, it was becoming increasingly difficult to prioritise which cleaners might need attention, with a significant portion of service time taken up by visiting all of the units and inspecting blades that turned out to be working well. Fortunately, Martin Engineering was
already well on the way to devising a solution using digital wireless technology, and by 2020 was ready for large-scale customer adoption of its pioneering remote monitoring system, the N2 Position Indicator (PI).
SENSOR SENSIBILITY Designed for primary belt cleaners that use a polyurethane blade, the N2 PI system employs sensors to track the condition of each belt cleaner and notifies users in real time when servicing is required via the cloud-based mobile app or a PC desktop dashboard. Te system eliminates needless inspection visits, reducing the necessity to physically access each belt cleaner unless the system shows that servicing is required or the blade needs retensioning.
It’s the ideal solution for large-scale material processing facilities with many difficult-to-access belt conveyors over a wide area. Singleton Birch was among the first companies worldwide to adopt N2 technology, starting with a trial of half a dozen PIs on key conveyor belts. Te PIs are supported by one central cellular ‘gateway’ through which all the data is communicated to the cloud, where it is collated, analysed and fed to the user- friendly app or dashboard. “Soon after installation we were able to track performance data on the first belt cleaners fitted with the PI device,” says Howden. “Trough the app we can clearly see whether each blade is correctly tensioned against the conveyor belt and when it might be nearing the end of its life and will need replacing. “We can also see if there’s an anomaly or potential problem with the cleaner, and we can quickly send a member of our maintenance team to take a look, figure out what’s going on and see if they can resolve it. In that respect, N2 is like an
early warning system that’s invaluable in helping to prevent unexpected breakdowns or the need for emergency stoppages,” he adds. “If we need a technician to come out
and service belt cleaners or replace blades, we can usually coordinate visits to take place when our regular maintenance is scheduled to minimise unplanned downtime. And whoever does the inspection and servicing, whether it’s us or Martin, they can go straight to the belt cleaners that the app is telling us need attention. “Previously it would have taken several days for someone to go around the entire works and inspect, service and replace blades, and record the condition in each case. Now we can do an overall assessment at a glance and prioritise the locations for inspection on a single maintenance visit.”
PATHWAY TO PRODUCTIVITY With the success of the first N2 PI installations, the number of PIs installed on the site’s conveyors was increased to 43, almost half the belts in the plant.
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