With the outbreak of the epidemic, e-commerce has flourished. In such a constantly changing and progressive world, incidents like the epidemic are not only in the parcel processing industry, but also in distribution and distribution centers, A facility that sorts thousands of items and distributes them to customers. According to Tech Crunch citing data from IBM’s US Retail Index, the epidemic has accelerated the transformation of e-commerce for 5 years. It helped Wal-Mart drive 97% of e-commerce sales, Target set a sales record, and its same-day delivery service increased by 273% in the second quarter of 2020.
However, along with rampant and growing success, it also brings challenges. The demand for competitive productivity has reached unprecedented heights, and every minute of lost productivity will cost major players in the industry hundreds of thousands of dollars. The question is, “How do you solve your pain points quickly and effectively?”
One of the biggest challenges facing these industries is how to keep the conveyor belt running smoothly and uninterrupted. In the parcel and logistics industry, conveyor transmission gaps are one of the biggest reasons for conveyor downtime. The gap may cause foreign body debris (FOD) and small packages to be stuck in the opening, resulting in damage to or loss of the product being shipped. This can be a particular problem when the time for placing orders to customers is getting tighter and sometimes delivered on the same day.
1. Why home-made belt transfer solutions are not always effective
The solutions to the above problems are limited, and maintenance personnel often have to resort to self-made equipment made of ultra-high molecular weight (UHMW) plastics. However, this approach has serious consequences.
The first and most common problem with self-made ultra-high power solutions is that it is common to see a gap of 6mm or more between the belt and the ultra-high power board. The installer must do this because strong ultra-high-strength steel plates are usually installed on hard angle irons. The additional clearance required allows foreign body debris (FOD) to enter the space between the ultra-high power board and the conveyor belt surface, causing continuous damage to the conveyor belt, conveyor belt components, and even the transported packaging.
When this happens, it may cause major damage to the conveyor belt or conveying system components. Damage may require hours or even days of downtime for necessary repairs. In addition, a single piece of ultra-high-strength steel plate may bend over time to form a corrugated steel plate with a larger gap, which provides opportunities for disabled objects and/or small packages and plastic bags to be trapped, further increasing this problem caused by old technology.
The second issue is the cost and time associated with the traditional ultra-high power transfer version. For most of these plates, although the production cost is relatively low, the average life span is only 6 months. Due to its short service life, time and resources must be allocated for regular replacement. The installation process can be a timely and tricky process. Since the installation of UHMW boards is usually complicated and requires craftsman-like custom installation, board installation errors are not uncommon, which means additional hours of maintenance work in the future.
The third and very important issue is security. Traditional ultra-high power transfer plates usually cover the gap between two conveyors, but they cannot effectively reduce the risk of biting or pinch points in the transfer area. As mentioned earlier, the strong, ultra-high-strength transmission board installed in the gap between the conveyor belt and the transmission board sometimes exceeds the OSHA recommended guidelines, which is a serious safety hazard for employees working near the transition area of the conveyor belt.
Homemade/OEM installed ultra-high power boards are an inefficient solution that can cause unplanned downtime, reduced productivity, potential damage to the belt, and reduce employee safety.
2. An engineering solution transfer point product loss
What can I use instead of a self-made ultra-high power board? The answer is much simpler than you think, thanks to newer engineering solutions, which provide a longer wear life, which means less maintenance and downtime. Want fewer maintenance headaches? Engineering solutions with segmented plates are an attractive option. In one scene, a piece of FOD is captured during the transfer, and part of it can be left, leaving the rest of the platform to complete its work in its entirety. Even better, replacement parts are easy to install, which means your downtime can go from a few hours to a few seconds. Engineering solutions are also available in various sizes, which means that the perfect solution for your website is easy to choose from and incorporate into your belt conveyor system.
3. Segmented transfer version
In such a rapidly changing industry, the demand for efficiency and volume is increasing. When your belt conveyor system encounters problems such as transportation packaging or product loss, it can be daunting. However, the tunnel is not completely dark.
Recently, a package handling agency discovered that many packages including a car tire had fallen from the transfer point, causing significant safety risks and productivity losses. In this case, Beltcare suggests using two separate sets of transfer plates. Due to the installation of the segmented transfer board, the function transfer between the suspension bridge and the fixed conveyor, there is a paper-thin gap between the belt and the new transfer board. As an added benefit, these license plates are yellow, and maintenance managers see a huge benefit when it comes to safer operations. Although the current plates prevent packages and other items from falling into the gap, they also reduce the risk of operator injury at the transfer point of the moving conveyor belt. For more success information, please click here.
Using innovative technologies such as segmented transfer plates can create a complete solution for product loss and improve the safety of operators at the transfer point. With this solution, each plastic segment is directly positioned on the conveyor belt to prevent product ingestion and reduce the hazards of biting points and pinching.
When installed correctly, a light seal against the belt can prevent the FOD from getting stuck between the belt and the plate. In the rare cases where the disabled are indeed between the section and the conveyor belt, the section will rise, allowing smaller disabled friends to pass or eject in more extreme situations. It only takes a few seconds to replace the plate after it has been damaged.
As a result, there is no damage to the belt, conveyor structure, or packaging, which reduces conveyor downtime.
