Problem: Material build-up on interior components

Symptom: Conveyor is stalling, motor burns out, v-belts slip, rope assembly pulls apart, wire rope breaks. Powders that are cohesive, contain oils, fat, or have a high moisture content are many times the types of powders that will build up and cause problems in the conveyor. Since this conveyor runs at a high speed, it is critical that the discs be free to move through the tubes. Many times the build-up occurs where the discs sweep around in the sprocket housing. This is most evident in the discharge housing. The added drag put on the rope and discs can cause the drive to burn out, or if a belt drive is used, the belts may slip. If the conveyor speed slows down, the situation worsens. The area between each disc which normally would have a maximum of 40% product fill, will have a higher percentage of fill, and may be completely filled with product. When this happens, the conveyor is doomed to stall or the rope to fail. Remedy: First it is important to remember that some powders do not handle well in aero-mechanical conveyors. Powders that tend to pack and contain high moisture or fat content are very difficult to convey with this and any other type of conveyor. If this problem occurs, possible solutions are to polish or coat the surfaces of the sprocket housing to obtain a smooth surface that product will release better. Also, compressed air can be injected to critical areas of the housing to dislodge material. There are some products that will not release and should not be handled by this type of conveyor. There are special designs that enable this conveyor to handle cohesive powders that use fluidization technology to eliminate areas of potential product build-up.

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