Conveyor component manufacturer PROK has released a new high-density polyethylene (HDPE) roller which is lighter, more durable, and avoids secondary conveyor damage in the event of a failure.
Developed after 18 months of research and development, the rollers use a specially formulated reinforced polymer matrix, making them light weight, belt-friendly and ideal for heavy duty applications.
PROK has incorporated features to lower maintenance costs, including a high-performance bearing housing to ensure there is no risk of end-cap walk over time.
The HDPE rollers are suitable for corrosive environments and premium seal arrangement (with low friction properties to ensure low break away mass and run resistance during operation). The rollers come in a range of sizes to suit a variety of mining operations and applications.
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The new HDPE roller also includes visual wear indicator technology which assists mining companies to improve their maintenance planning. The original PROK yellow tube combines with a green inner layer to act as a visual wear indicator for maintenance teams.
PROK Global Product and Engineering Manager, Ray Anderson, said the new roller was specifically designed for high speed and large tonnage applications where reliability was crucial.
“Conveyor rollers are a big cost and can cause huge risk to an operations output. A mine or port facility with a large conveyor system will often need to replace several rollers in a day, and that requires a lot of maintenance manpower,” he said.
“If a traditional steel roller breaks it can damage the conveyor belt and the whole conveyor system can go offline, so the mining industry has been steadily moving towards lighter, more durable rollers made of advanced composite materials.
“Reliable rollers are crucial to maintaining production levels. If a conveyor stops due to roller failure you start losing money.”