10 Tips To Improve Conveyor Belt Efficiency And Prevent Downtime

Perhaps more than any other piece of manufacturing and inventory management equipment, conveyor systems have the potential to make workers safer and more productive. When designed and operated efficiently, conveyors streamline the movement of finished products, components, packaging, and more. A conveyor belt malfunction, however, has the potential to throw production floors and warehouses into chaos; bottlenecking workflow, piling up material, damaging valuable inventory, and potentially endangering workers.

All organizations strive to keep production humming along and create safe work environments. Ensuring optimal conveyor belt efficiency goes a long way toward achieving those goals. Stalled conveyor belt systems are costly and stressful, so it is vital to do whatever it takes to keep them moving.

Pre-production belt selection tips

Even before your plant goes into operation, considering various factors can positively influence your conveyor efficiency.

1. Consider the loads your belts are handling – The size, weight, dimensions, and other characteristics of the load your conveyor will be transporting will help determine the belt material, motor, drive, and hardware that is right for your application. Other product aspects such as temperature and material can also affect the selection. To start, learn about the differences between conventional belting and plastic modular belting. Overall, it is a good idea to review design options with a belt expert to consider all different belt options.
2. Set your conveyors to pull rather than push – Pulling is a lot more efficient than pushing. Your conveyor belt can lose up to 50-70% of its load capacity when pushing.
3. Consider the flow rate – How fast and how precisely you need materials to be fed or removed by the conveyor may require specific equipment. For instance, in the distribution and airport industries, a fast-moving conveyor belt is paramount. For fast moving belts, you will likely need fasteners, endless splicing equipment, segmented transfer plates, and maintenance tools.
4. Know the requirements of your industry – If you will be moving food and beverage products or pharmaceutical ingredients, then material density must be considered, along with hygienic and sanitation factors. In many cases, you will need an FDA approved conveyor belt.

During production conveyor belt selection tips

Taking the time to inspect your conveyor belts and perform preventative maintenance saves money in the long run and could prevent a major failure that spoils products, puts employees in danger, or causes downtime.

5. Make it routine – Follow the conveyor belt manufacturer’s recommendations for daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly inspection of bearings, pulleys, and other components. Insist that your maintenance team, whether internal or hired externally, record each inspection and the preventative actions taken.
6. Keep it clean – While this is critical for food, dairy, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical companies, all industries will see their conveyor belt efficiency rise through regular cleaning and lubrication. A cleaning regimen will reduce energy usage as well as friction and slippage that can drain the life from motors, rollers, and other moving parts. Depending on your business, investing in a clean-in-place system may be worthwhile.
7. Replace parts before they break – Predictive maintenance can not only help you avoid catastrophic breakdowns, but also maintain productivity. Bad parts are more likely to break, creating production binds. But they are also often responsible for less-than-optimal workflow that eats into revenue and profits. To practice predictive and preventative maintenance, we recommend having critical parts on hand, or at least having a conveyor belt supplier in your corner that can get you back up and running quickly.

Safety, training, and logistics tips

Conveyor systems are integral players in many production, distribution, and supply chain environments. But to reach a conveyor belts full productivity potential, organizations must ensure they are placed and used correctly.

8. Inspect and calibrate – When first setting up conveyors and at regular intervals during their operation, inspectors should ensure all safety mechanisms – pull stops, machine guards, housings, railings, warning labels, etc. – are in place and secure. Conveyors should be calibrated and adjusted to ensure they remain easy for workers to use and they meet standards. Vibrations, contact with people or handcarts, and other day-to-day working conditions can throw belts out of alignment or otherwise diminish their value.
9. Design safe and efficient workstations – If your conveyor is part of a workstation where workers pick, pack, assemble, or inspect items, then ergonomic conditions must be considered. Design the stations to help employees become more productive and at less risk of injuring themselves. The less time spent bending, reaching, and twisting, the better their performance. Design the conveyor height to suit your tallest operator. Provide platforms so shorter workers can be comfortable working there, as well. Make sure items they need to access are within easy reach.
10. Foster a culture of safety – Encourage your workers to report any safety concern they have and to make suggestions for making their conveyor work easier or more productive. Adopt a zero-tolerance policy for misusing conveyors, and make sure every employee knows how to stop the belt in an emergency.

Belt Power can help with conveyor belt efficiency

Conveyor belt efficiency and longevity can only be achieved through proper planning and maintenance. Pre-production planning and regular maintenance can seem inconvenient, but in the long run, it will ultimately help prevent halts and downtime in the production process, which translates to higher profits and less wasted time. 

Belt Power is committed to helping you make your conveying systems reliable, durable, and efficient. We are extremely passionate about this industry, and all our products and services are led by innovation, quality, and expertise. We continuously rise to solve the toughest production challenges and are available 24/7 to help you from start to finish with all your conveyor belt needs. Contact us today or call 800-886-BELT (2358) to learn more about how to choose, set up, and operate the right conveyor belt system to make your facility the most efficient and productive it can be.