Dyna Engineering has unveiled a new, sustainable development to protect people from conveyor belt spillage.
Under conveyor guards (UCG), often called drop objection protection, protect personnel, wildlife and the environment from falling debris.
The are designed to stop and contain spillage and other objects from falling off the conveyor belt and down through the conveyor structure when in operation.
Dyna Engineering’s (DE) general manager, Thomas Greaves, said until recently, UCG panels were always made of steel mesh.
“This had several disadvantages for maintenance and operations teams in terms of safety and high maintenance costs,” he said.
“The main problems being heavy to lift and fit; easily damaged and deformed; vulnerable to corrosion and rust; needing regular repainting; not sustainable nor environmentally friendly.”
DE has been successfully developing and introducing conveyor components made with high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic instead of steel mesh at its dedicated Western Australian HDPE fabrication site since 2018.
The company began manufacturing conveyor guards made from 100 per cent recycled and recyclable HDPE plastic rather than steel in 2019.
The HDPE panel is engineered so it can be removed from the support system. Image: Dyna Engineering
Since then, the company has launched several other conveyor components made from HDPE rather than steel, saving conveyor owners mainly in the bulk handling, mining and construction industries huge savings and providing greater efficiency.
In addition to being kinder to the environment through the use of the 100 per cent recyclable and sustainable HDPE plastic, these new UCGs overcome several difficulties encountered with steel.
The new HDPE panel
The panel is designed to capture objects greater than the slot size and prevent them falling to the ground. The mesh allows fine/small material to fall through, as it generally doesn’t pose a risk of injury and can be easily washed down during maintenance.
DE designs each UCG HDPE panel to suit the application. The company’s team considers the customer’s expected impact forces and deadloads which will be applied to the system.
Greaves said a special design innovation was incorporated into a particular UCG.
“It incorporates a hinge design to allow different access to the conveyor,” he said.
“The need for a hinged panel arose because the available space at the customer’s site was unsuitable for our existing panel solution; specifically, there was no side access to the panels.
“To address this, we collaborated closely with the customer to develop a hinged panel design. This solution allows the panel to be released at one end and safely lowered using mechanical aids, providing easier access for maintenance and inspection” he said.
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The HDPE panel is engineered so it can be removed from the support system which allows access to the guarded area without removing the support bar from the structure. This ensures easy access for cleaning and equipment change-outs.
The panels are 10mm thick HDPE with an estimated service life of 10-15 years. They can be made in any colour although black is recommended as it’s the most resistant colour to ultraviolet radiation.
Support bar
The steel support bar is designed to be retrofitted around the conveyor truss or other structures with little or no modification to the existing structure. The panel simply slides into two support bars and is lightly clamped between the panel retaining frame and panel mounting channel.
The mounting assembly is designed to suit many different conveyor trusses and stringer structures. Other standard steel variations are available. The support bar is hot dip galvanised and has a service life of 15 years.
Support for sustainability
Greaves said customers have responded positively to DE’s HDPE developments and have been impressed with their sustainability benefits.
“Our customers want to use a product made out of plastic that can be recycled, that isn’t going to end up in landfill,” Greaves said.
“And our HDPE products are fundamentally sustainable, assisting the mining industry establish sound environmental outcomes.”
