Scraper handles faster conveyors

The new BMS scraper system from Wyko provides users of belt conveyors throughout industry with large savings from material recovery and extended operating life.

The new BMS scraper system from Wyko provides users of belt conveyors throughout industry with large savings from material recovery and extended operating life.

The innovative scrapers remove material right down to the belt surface, cleaning the belt and recovering even the last 0.1mm of carry back material.

The self-adjusting design uses a torsion mount to apply low contact pressure, extending the life of belts, mechanical fasteners and scraper blades and resulting in more efficient operation at higher conveying speeds.

The new design of scraper has recently recovered a remarkable 864t of coal per annum from one 1050mm wide belt operating at 1m/s.

The value of recovered material is estimated to have paid for the new scraper system within one month.

The scraper's effectiveness at material removal is due the use of individual self-sharpening steel blades inclined against the direction of belt travel, similar to how a hand-held paint/wallpaper scraper is used.

The principle allows the blade edge to cut through any carry back material on the belt surface while exerting a low tracking pressure due to the cantilevered spring-arm action of the holder.

The close contact of the blade edge to the belt surface has also led to success in cleaning belts transporting fine and delicate material such as powders, vegetable oils and tobacco.

The new design is significantly more effective than alternative scrapers using solid blocks on fixed arms or sprung trailing arm scrapers with blunt blade edges.

In both instances, the older designs allow stubborn carry back material to build up on the front of the blade thus making the scraper ineffective.

Material then passes the scraper and builds up on transmission components, particularly on return rollers, this material is then deposited on the floor along the length of the belt causing excessive wear on conveyor components and costly maintenance problems.

The BMS scraper from Wyko removes all carry back material and retains it within the material flow of the conveyor system thus there is no loss of saleable final product.

Other major problems such as limited material recovery and short wear-life for conveyor belts due to obstacles on the belt surface are also solved by the BMS design from Wyko.

BMS estimate that over 80% of industrial raw material conveyor belts have been fitted, or repaired and refitted, using metal fasteners or seam clips.

These lower cost, convenience methods of joining a belt are often used instead of the recommended vulcanising process and leave metal obstacles standing proud of the belt surface.

The lightly sprung cantilever mechanism employed in the BMS Holder design allows the blade to deflect in a 45-degree arc away from the belt surface, allowing obstacles to pass without causing any obstruction and maintaining maximum material recovery.

In comparison, fixed scrapers have to be set with adequate clearance to compensate for belt obstacles.

The result is that large quantities of material stay on the belt and fall off the reverse side of the belt along the length of the conveyor line, thereby wasting product and causing costly maintenance problems with debris covered transmission components.

Trailing arm scrapers also cause problems because they are heavily sprung in order to achieve adequate material removal; the added pressure causes higher friction leading to reduced wear life for transmission components, excessive belt wear, frequent belt breakages and inefficient operation.

Wyko is offering the BMS belt scraper system in three versions to allow for light, medium and heavy-duty operation.

All versions are extremely stable and due to the light contact pressure allow belt speeds of up to 8m/s, compared with less than 2m/s for more basic designs.

The units are ideally suited to use in mining and aggregate industries, woodworking, farming, food processing, confectionary plastics and pharmaceuticals.

Where hygiene standards and frequent wash downs are applied, there is also a full stainless-steel option available.

Back to top