Transmin-ConveyorPro has designed a range of safety guards that provide the industry a lighter, zero maintenance, sustainable alternative to steel.
The ConveyorPro team is constantly looking for feedback to achieve its goal of becoming a one-stop-shop for its customers.
Key account managers meet with site and operations teams across Australia to learn more about the issues they’re facing on the ground, and there was an especially common problem identified by the team.
According to Arun Sutrave, a mechanical engineer on the ConveyorPro team, clients were constantly asking to see the latest designs in safety guarding.
“The frequent requests and inquiries made us want to design a unique product that could meet the requirements of the mining industry,” he told ABHR.
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Conventional guards are made from steel mesh and mounted on machinery to restrict access to hazardous areas. These guards are often heavy, requiring multiple people to remove them and regular maintenance to avoid issues with rust.
Mounting the steel guards can also be complicated, necessitating specific tools to properly remove or replace them.
To solve these issues, ConveyorPro has designed a range of safety guards made from higher grade high-density polyethylene (HDPE) – GuardlitePro.
Sutrave said the design went through several alterations to find the most optimised version in terms of its weight and easy mounting.
“We wanted to design lightweight guards that were strong enough to meet the requirements for the Australian Standards,” he said.
“We used a high-quality grade of HDPE for the GuardlitePro. It is suitable for outdoor duty – UV rays won’t weaken it or make the colour fade, it has a better tensile strength, and it is rust-free.
“Most importantly, it is 100 per cent recyclable.”
Safety guards are often deployed along the length of a conveyor to protect the idlers, belt, pulleys, drive system and take-up tower. They can also be installed on machines like stackers-reclaimers, spreaders, shiploaders-unloaders and in underground operations.
It can also be implemented in the oil and gas, and food industries to safeguard people from hazardous equipment or zones. GuardlitePro comes with a UL94HB rating for fire resistance and has chemical resistance properties.
Each of these new guards is around 40 per cent lighter than an equivalent steel mesh guard, which makes handling and manufacturing significantly easier. Sutrave said they weigh in the range of 7kg to maximum 20kg, so that a single person can lift them while performing maintenance. Guards are available in various sizes and can be used in a variety of combinations to fit almost any application.
“The guards were also designed with a unique mounting mechanism, which allows them to be placed on a new and existing applications easily,” he said.
“The posts they are mounted on are optimised to take up less space, and it only requires four screws to remove a single panel.”
Transmin also manufactures feeders and knows the costs and effort involved when it comes to manufacturing steel guards. This is why it is working to implement GuardlitePro into its range of Low Profile Feeders (LPFs).
Amerander ‘Reddy’ Emmadi, business development manager at ConveyorPro, said the company is in a good position to get firsthand information about what the industry is looking for.
“We go on-site and identify the problems our clients have,” he said. “We can then try to design a better product that is simple, workable and easy to manufacture.”
“The team is constantly working to improve our existing designs. At the moment we are looking to release our new range of GuardlitePro to the market and work with greenfield projects to help them adapt it into their models.
“By getting involved with the engineering, procurement and construction management businesses early, we can find ways to incorporate the new guards, or come up with custom solutions with them.”
ConveyorPro also offers a range of other equipment as part of its goal to be a one-stop conveyor shop. It specialises in providing everything an operator needs, including belts, idlers, rollers, pulleys, impact tables and scrapers.
The company has a presence in South Africa, India, and Canada, and can supply products around the world.
Emmadi said the brand is always looking to expand its offering, inspired by the success of its GuardlitePro.
“ConveyorPro is expanding new range of composite rollers to its current offerings, as market willing to adopt lighter products,” he said.
“In the long term, we are looking at how we can provide full turnkey solutions for small-to-medium-sized conveyors.
“Innovation is key to ConveyorPro’s success, so we are investing heavily into our research and development.”