An Australian iron ore mine has dramatically improved conveyor performance and safety by partnering with Flexco and its local distributor to address persistent carryback and belt misalignment issues on a key incline conveyor.
The site had long struggled with wet, sticky material accumulating along the conveyor structure and floor, triggering belt misalignment and excessive wear to rollers, belt edges, and pulleys.
Scheduled six-week shutdowns required extensive labour and equipment to manage cleaning carryback, including vacuum trucks, skid steers, and manual shovelling.
Plus, on average, 15 return rollers had to be replaced each shutdown, requiring elevated work platforms and posing serious safety risks.
A site inspection by the Flexco team revealed that existing cleaners were inaccessible for regular tensioning due to guarding, compromising their performance.
Flexco and its distributor proposed to replace the ineffective secondary and tertiary cleaners with a CBS Continuous Blade Secondary Belt Cleaner and an MDWS Dry Wipe Heavy-Duty Secondary Cleaner, separated by a Live-Shaft Hold-Down Roller to stabilise the belt.
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To ensure constant cleaner pressure, both were paired with Flexco’s EZ-Air Tension Kit (EZK), which allows safe tension adjustments outside the guard simply using a handheld compressor.
To further assist with monitoring the belt cleaners, Flexco Elevate i3 devices was installed on both belt cleaners. This technology enables remote monitoring of belt cleaner performance and predictive maintenance insights.
The results were immediate. Carryback was virtually eliminated, belt tracking improved, and component wear significantly reduced. During the next shutdown, only three return rollers required replacement, which was completed in just 1.5 hours.
The area is now described as “the cleanest it’s been in five years,” and 95 per cent of the labour previously allocated to clean-up has been redirected to other parts of the site.
With strong on-site support from Flexco during installation and clear improvements to productivity and safety, the mine is now exploring wider adoption of the CBS cleaner and EZK system across additional conveyors.