Kinder Australia’s highly specialised pulley products help protect conveyor belts and improve productivity.
Conveyor pulleys are the driving force for conveyor belts, but if they are chosen haphazardly, could cause chaos.
Bradley Owen, engineering manager at Kinder Australia, said its risky to take a one-size-fits-all approach, as there is an increased chance of unscheduled downtime, or worse, a dangerous failure.
“Kinder uses classical stress calculations via our own proprietary software to determine the stresses, deflections, factors and formulae for pulley design,” he said.
“Minimising stresses at critical locations around the pulley, such as the welded shell-end disc connection, is important to prevent fatigue cracking.
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“Each pulley undergoes dynamic balancing, with the welds fully stress-relieved and crack- tested with magnetic particle inspection and ultrasonic testing to ensure they will stand up to the pressures of their environments.”
Kinder’s K-Conveyor Pulley shafts are a highly specialised solution that are engineered to improve a site’s productivity.
The company’s primary goal with the design is to ensure the shaft has an infinite fatigue life under the expected operating loads, achieved by utilising Australian design standard AS1403.
The pulleys are manufactured for maximum service life and fit for purpose application, undergoing ultrasonic testing after machining where required to ensure quality and strength. They can be built to meet customer specifications using the latest software and comply with AS1403.
Lagging options
Conveyor lagging provides a protective layer that shields the pulley from wear and tear caused by the belt and materials it carries. Lagging also improves traction between the pulley and belt, preventing slippage and ensuring efficient operation.
Owen said Kinder provides a range of different lagging materials, each suited for specific environments and purposes.
“These include rubber lagging, polyurethane lagging, ceramic lagging, slide lagging, and more – all very durable and high quality,” he said.
Specialised pulleys
For difficult applications where build-up occurs on the pulley face, Kinder can provide several specialised pulleys. These eject fugitive material to either side of the pulley via a centre tapered cone.
K-Conveyor Spiral Pulleys are designed to be used for dry and free-flowing materials. The rotation of the pulley engages the self-cleaning action releasing foreign material through and on to the inner tapered cone which then ejects material outside the conveyor.
K-Conveyor Wing Pulleys can be used for large lump, sharp or sticky materials and are designed to be used in adverse, very abrasive and dirty applications, especially where there is material build-up on a solid conveyor pulley shell.
K-Conveyor HD Wing Pulleys are designed for applications where the standard wing design maybe inadequate for the duty.
“The success of your conveyor system hinges on the informed selection of the right pulley, not a cookie-cutter approach,” Owen said.
“For almost 40 years, Kinder have been leaders in the bulk material handing industry. With teams of Field Application Engineers and Specialists, as well as a dedicated Engineering Department.
“Kinder’s expert team brings their knowledge and a wealth of precision tools to the table, ensuring you get the correct pulley for your exact application.”