Conveyor belts have become a must-have tool for many industries. From construction locations to mining points and airports, you’ll see these belts everywhere. However, many people are unaware of how to clean a conveyor belt. Remember, over time, dust, grease, and other lubricants can cause the belt to appear messy and dirty.
If the conveyor belt remains unclean for an extended period, it can cause serious issues. For example, its performance will decline due to the accumulation of dust on the machinery. Additionally, the belt itself can wear out, resulting in a significant loss of efficiency. So, cleaning the belt regularly is mandatory. In this article, I’ll discuss the conveyor belt cleaning process in steps.
Why is Cleaning a Conveyor Belt Important?
Many people believe that cleaning is only helpful in improving the overall appearance of the belt. However, regular cleaning is also essential for the performance and hygiene of the conveyor belt. In the section below, I’ll explain why one should clean the conveyor belts:
- Maintain Hygiene: Conveyor belts are used to transport food items, such as flour, from one point to another. An uncleaned conveyor belt will have contamination on it. These contaminants can mix with food and make it unfit for consumption.
- Better Performance: Well-maintained and clean belts offer better performance. Remember, dust, debris, and dirt can accumulate on the motors, reducing their efficiency. Regularly cleaning the conveyor belt system will improve its operational efficiency.
- Improves Belt Lifespan: We use oil, grease, and other lubricants to maintain the health of conveyor belts. Additional dust & debris can also come on the belt. If we don’t remove these elements, they can cause the belt to wear out slowly. As a result, the lifespan of the conveyor belt will be reduced significantly.
- Reduce Maintenance Cost: Proper cleaning keeps the parts and components of the belt in good condition. They don’t wear out, resulting in reduced maintenance costs. This also ensures the parts of the conveyor system do not fail.. The well-maintained conveyor belt has no downtime, improving overall efficiency.
- Reduces Risk of Accidents: Imagine conveyor belts with grease or oil that make it slippery. During its operation, the material can slip off the belt. This will result in an unwanted accident. The chances of material slipping increase when using the conveyor belt at high speeds.
Material Needs for Cleaning Conveyor Belts
You might see people referring to the sanitation or disinfection of conveyor belts. Essentially, all these terms indicate the cleaning of conveyor belts. Cleaning is about removing dust, debris, and grease from the belt. Sanitation and disinfection refer to the removal of microbes to get a microbe-free environment.
In sanitation, we use dedicated sanitizers or sprays to remove the microbes. When cleaning conveyor belts, yYou’ll need some supplies for efficient cleaning. Here is the list of materials you’ll need:
- Degreaser
- Bristle brush
- Mild detergent
- Compressed air
- Vacuum cleaner
- Pressure washer
- Scraper or putty knife
- Disinfectant or sanitizer
- Microfiber cloth or sponge
Como limpar uma correia transportadora? (Guia passo a passo)
Cleaning the conveyor belt is easy peasy if you have the basic know-how. Remember, some steps are the same regardless of whether you want to clean or just sanitize the conveyor belt. In the section below, I’ll explain all the steps one by one for better understanding:
1- Disconnect it from power
First, disconnect the conveyor belt from the electricity source. Remember, during cleaning, you’ll use water and moisture. If the conveyor system is connected to an electric source, it can cause an electric shock. If you don’t have safety equipment, this shock can be severe and life-threatening. I highly recommend that you unplug the conveyor belt.
2- Remove Large Debris (Dry Cleaning)
The next step is to remove the debris and other dirt from the conveyor belt. It is noteworthy that some belts can have sticky dirt and debris. That sticky debris is the result of food scraps, packaging materials, dust clumps, dirt, or material residue. This stubborn debris can be challenging to remove without specialized equipment.
I recommend using a putty knife for efficient removal of such stuck debris. With a knife, you can easily scrape off the material. Once you have scraped off the debris, use a bristle brush to sweep it away. Generally, some debris can be in areas where you cannot put the knife to remove it.
In such cases, use a vacuum cleaner or compressed air to remove debris. The vacuum cleaner emits high-pressure air that removes debris smoothly. Once done, use a dry cloth to remove any small debris from the surface of the belts. This small dust is left over from the significant accumulations of debris.
3- Wet Cleaning (For Sticky or Greasy Belts)
Sometimes the dirt can have a strong bond with the surface of the conveyor belt. In such cases, dry cleaning may not be the best option. Therefore, you’ll need to use a wet cleaning method to remove such sticky dirt. For this, you’ll have to apply a mild detergent on the surface of the conveyor belt. If the belt has some grease on it, you can use a small amount of degreaser.
Once you apply this, leave it there for 3 to 5 minutes. The detergent and degreaser will weaken the bond of contaminants with the surface. After that, you take a sponge and clean the weakened material from the surface. After washing with a sponge, rinse with warm water on the surface of the belt. This will remove all the material left during the sponging step.
Destaque rápido: Some modern conveyor belts come with built-in CIP (Clean-In-Place) systems. Such belts have dedicated nozzles, sprayers, and rollers. These nozzles spray water and mild detergent, automatically to clean the belts. They have rollers that can remove the sticky dirt quite easily. Such belts don’t need an additional wet cleaning.
4- Sanitization & Disinfection
As I mentioned earlier, conveyor belts are utilized in numerous industries. They are also used to transport food materials. Such conveyor belts must undergo sensitization and disinfection processes. It will remove all the germs, bacteria, and other microbes from the surface of the conveyor belts.
Remember, Sanitization isn’t needed for belts used in construction or mining.
For this, you’ll have to spray sanitizer or disinfectants. Remember, the disinfectant you use must be food-grade. In this way, you can be confident that food transported through the conveyor belt is safe to eat. Apply disinfectant to the surface of the conveyor belt and leave it in place for 5-10 minutes.
During this time, sanitizers or disinfectants will kill germs, bacteria, and other contaminants. After that time, you can rinse with mildly hot water on the surface of the conveyor belt. It will remove the disinfectant from the surface, making it perfectly sanitized and hygienic. You’ll be able to use these sensitized belts for food transportation confidently.
5- Clean the Underside of Belts, Rollers, and Motors
One of the biggest mistakes people make is that they only clean the upper side of the belt. I know that most of the dirt, debris, grease, and contaminants are present on the top side. However, some dust is present on the underside of the belt. If not removed, this dust can accumulate over time, leading to mechanical failure of the machine.
For cleaning the underside, you’ll need to lift the belt slightly. In this way, you’ll get some space to clean the bottom of the conveyor belt. For cleaning, I recommend using a brush to clean all the debris and dust. You should also clean the pulley and rollers. If dust remains there, it would cause friction when the belt rolls on the pulley.
This friction can lead to issues in the conveyor belt system. Generally, the motor of the conveyor belt comes with a cover. So, it remains protected from external dust and debris. However, I still recommend cleaning them using a compressed air can or a vacuum cleaner. It will remove any dust from the motor components.
6- Dry the Conveyor System & Inspect
During wet cleaning, water can come into contact with the motor and pulley of the conveyor belt system. So, you should dry these parts before using the conveyor belt. Imagine that any of the motor parts have moisture, and the belt is switched on; it can cause an electric shock.
Additionally, the presence of moisture on pulleys can also cause corrosion. Therefore, you must clean the water after cleaning the belt. Once done, you can then inspect the overall conveyor belt system and check for dust or debris. If everything appears satisfactory, you can then start the conveyor belt according to your daily routine.
Do All Types of Conveyor Belts Use the Same Cleaning Method?
Yes! You can use water, detergent, and sanitizers to clean and maintain all types of conveyor belts. Remember, there are different types of conveyor belts. Some of those include:
When it comes to cleaning, you can use the same method for all these types. However, for a steel cord conveyor belt, you must ensure the belt is dry. There should be no residual moisture on the conveyor belt. Additionally, if the belt type is not used for transporting food-related items, you can skip its sanitization process.
Perguntas frequentes
How to maintain a conveyor belt?
You should regularly clean the conveyor belt. If you notice any dust buildup, gently brush it away. Additionally, keep the conveyor belt’s parts lubricated to ensure smooth operation. By following these tips, you can maintain and improve the life of the conveyor belt.
How often should a conveyor belt be cleaned?
You should clean the conveyor belt once a week to ensure smooth operations. However, a belt that is used for transporting food items should be cleaned daily. You should also use sanitizers to remove bacteria and other microbes.
Is it safe to clean a conveyor belt while it’s running?
NO! The conveyor belt should be disconnected from the electricity source before cleaning. Cleaning the running belt can result in tragic accidents. Additionally, you won’t be able to remove all the dirt if the belt continues to run.
Conclusão
Conveyor belts are costly, so it is mandatory to take care of them. If you leave the belt unchecked for too long, it will build up. Eventually, the conveyor belt will begin to malfunction. It is key to keep the belt clean for its better lifespan.
Unfortunately, many people are unaware of how to clean the conveyor belt. In this article, I’ve explained the whole process of cleaning the conveyor belt. Regardless of whether you have a fabric or steel cord based belt, you can use these steps to clean it properly. I highly recommend sanitizing and disinfecting conveyor belts to maintain hygiene.