ULTRA X3

Details

Type and specification of Dunlop belt supplied

ULTRA X3

Current operating life of Dunlop belt:

9 months (still running)

Average life of competitor’s belt

2 years

This sugar plant operates a single low-angle conveyor with a gravity take-up.  The conveyor was fitted with a 1200mm wide European-made EP 500/3 6+2 D. Although the belt had been in use for two years, the conveyor maintenance team had been experiencing continual problems with elongation of the belt and with the gravity take-up caused by clogging on the tension drum and skating on the motor drum. The problems resulted in unacceptably high maintenance costs including repeated re-splicing and consequently significant loss of output caused by stoppages.

Following a technical consultation, it was proposed that the gravity take-up tension system be removed and replaced by a fixed screw system. This solution was only made possible thanks to the low elongation of the Dunlop Ultra X3 belt, which was fitted in June 2021.

The previous problems were immediately solved. The plant manager reports that the conveyor now runs very well and very reliably with far less maintenance and monitoring required and improved output thanks to a significant reduction in avoidable stoppages. It is also anticipated that the Ultra X belt will provide a considerably longer operational lifetime compared to its predecessor.