Electrical Safety and Maintenance: A Vital Aspect of Conveyor System Care
Conveyor systems are complex. They don’t just rely on mechanical parts, but electrical systems too. These systems are crucial for operation. Regular Preventative Planned Maintenance (PPM) enhances performance and ensures safety.
Electrical faults can disrupt operations and pose safety risks. For instance, a short circuit might start a fire. This could endanger personnel and infrastructure. Further, malfunctions in electrical components could damage the mechanical parts. The result? Costly downtime and repairs.
So what can you do to prevent any issues with your conveyor systems?
Regular maintenance: A key to safe operations
Regular electrical maintenance is essential. It makes sure your conveyor system operates safely and efficiently. The process helps identify and fix potential issues before they escalate. This proactive approach boosts reliability and reduces the chances of unexpected failures. Above all, it ensures employee safety.
At Conveyor Systems, we offer maintenance services in all aspects of conveyor systems including electrical and mechanical servicing, breakdowns and spare parts. We aim to ensure our customer’s conveyor systems are working as efficiently as the day they got them.
Electrical Safety FAQs
Why is conveyor safety important?
Issues with conveyor systems can cause more prominent problems later on if not tended to immediately. This can be both costly and harmful to employees. By ensuring your conveyor system is regularly maintained, you can have peace of mind knowing any issues will be flagged immediately mitigating any serious problems in the future.
Why do most conveyor accidents happen?
The most common causes of conveyor belt accidents are a lack of guards and poor assembly. This can cause accidents such as employees getting their hair or clothes caught in areas of the conveyor belt. To ensure your conveyor system is installed properly, we recommend going to professionals with accreditation to ensure all safety guidelines are followed.
At Conveyor Systems, we follow safety guidelines rigorously to protect not only our engineers but also our customers. If you would like a team of professionals to install your next conveyor system, get in touch with us and we will be happy to provide our recommendations.
How do you inspect a conveyor system?
Along with regular maintenance, you should also inspect your conveyor system daily. This involves visually inspecting the conveyor for any debris or damage, listening out for any unusual sounds and checking the conveyor belt is working correctly. This daily inspection can also be a method of early detection for any issues, preventing more serious conveyor system problems in the future.
How do you identify electrical hazards?
Different conveyor systems come with unique electrical hazards. In belt conveyors, the motor can cause issues if not properly maintained. Overheating motors can lead to electrical failures and even fires. Roller conveyors, on the other hand, depend on sensor systems. Faulty sensors can cause product pile-ups, leading to increased wear and potential equipment damage.
What should I expect from an electrical service?
What does an electrical service involve? It includes inspecting and testing all electrical parts. These parts include motors, sensors, and control systems. Any worn or damaged parts will be replaced. System updates are also performed to enhance efficiency and safety.
At Conveyor Systems Ltd, we understand the importance of the electrical safety of your systems. Our Conveyor Care contracts offer tailored maintenance solutions. With the tiered packages there’s an option for every requirement and budget. By choosing CSL, you ensure your conveyor system gets the best care.
What are the signs that indicate our conveyor system may need repairs or upgrades?
Signs indicating the need for repairs or upgrades include increased noise, decreased throughput, frequent breakdowns, excessive wear on components, and safety hazards. Our technicians can assess your system and recommend appropriate solutions. Find out more here.
Our Maintenance options include:
- Annual service contracts
- Ad-hoc/reactive service visits
- Visual inspections Scheduled/Preventative maintenance visits
- Wear part replacement programmes
- System health checks
- Remote dial in health checks
Breakdowns
We understand the importance of your conveyor system within your warehouse/fulfillment centre/factory, in the rare event of a breakdown we will organise one of our qualified/experienced engineers to visit site ASAP and carry out the repairs needed to get you operational again.
We can repair conveyors installed by ourselves and other integrators, our engineers specialise in equipment manufactured by Conveyor Units (Uni-XU), Interroll, Ambaflex, Qimarox, Intralox, etc.
Spare Parts
Having a supply of consumable and critical spare parts on site is always highly recommended, we estimate that more than 85% of equipment breakdowns can be repaired on the initial engineer visit if parts are held on site!
The supply of spare parts could involve anything from adhoc ordering of individual parts, “front line” breakdown spares kits, critical wear parts or comprehensive spares packages to suit your bespoke system which can fitted by either your in-house maintenance engineers or fully experienced CSL engineers. Spare parts packages can be mechanical, electrical or control based or even a mix to suit your system and requirements.
We can supply both from our own stock of critical genuine spares and a large inventory from our suppliers. Expedited delivery options are also available.
Modernisation & Upgrades
However well designed a conveyor system layout is, sometimes changes in products, company direction, increases in throughputs or changes in scope occur, meaning the previous conveyor system will need changes.
These changes often include:
- Re-configurations
- Upgrades
- Extensions
- Relocations
- Fire escape route changes
- Change in routes/scope or function
- Safety system upgrades
- Improvements in energy efficiency
- Control and software changes
Our continual improvement programs will help you to optimise workflow while also reducing the operation costs. CSL understand the importance of your conveyor system and will define a detailed plan of implementation to minimise downtime and disruption.
By carrying out these changes not only does it save money over a new system it also cuts down on downtime and environmental wastage.
Safety
Over time safety requirements and legislation change, to help keep your conveyor system compliant and operationally safe CSL can carry out modifications to an existing system and its safety functions.
Often the suggested safety upgrades and modifications include:
- Electrical
- Pullcord e-stop systems
- Additional & relocation of e-stops
- Safety barriers & bump stops
- Pedestrian barriers including gates
- Traffic barriers
- Build back sensors
- Walk over structures
- Retro fitting lift up gates
A lot of these changes are simple and can help organisations remain safe and complaint with health and safety legislation. A quick on-site survey can help us identify possible improvements and make suggestions for these changes.
Relocations & Decommissioning
For multiple reasons materials handling systems need relocating, this is usually within the same building or to a new facility. Our project team will carry out a site and equipment survey and will produce a project plan. This would be similar to the work carried out when the system was initially installed and will ensure the equipment will fit in the new location either in the same layout or with a re-configuration.
The equipment will then be disconnected and moved to the new location before being re-fixed and re-connected, this might also involve adding to the system or making software and control modifications.
Our projects and engineering teams can also assist with complete end of usable life decommissioning prior to recycling, this includes disconnecting and making safe the electrics, removal and palletising before collection.
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