Maintenance… When you work with the conveyor belt, this is the reality of life. Safety maintenance is the most important part of work. Although you cannot control all the variables, working with tough conditions-inclement weather, abrasive materials, etc.-you can control how to prepare your seat belts for safe maintenance. Accidents in the workplace cannot be taken lightly-they can cause injuries to workers and severely affect your productivity. In addition to locking and tagging your belt system and wearing appropriate personal protective equipment, properly clamping your belt is one of the most important steps you can take to avoid catastrophic events.
1. When to clip
Let me make it clear… Every time you repair the belt, it is necessary to clamp the belt. Whether you are 100 feet above the ground or 100 feet underground, clamping is one of the most important safety precautions that can be taken during maintenance. Whether you are putting the ends of the belt together to install joints or working on your lazy person, clamping the belt is the safest way to start your repairs.
2. Homemade vs. Engineering Belt Clip
If proper tools and product clamping are not used, serious injuries may result. Usually, people use c-clamps and wood to fasten the belt. Although this may seem attractive for quickly solving problems, many things can go wrong. The wood bends easily, resulting in only two points in contact with the belt. The c-clamp is also prone to slipping, and if the belt falls to the ground, it may cause injury or delay maintenance.
Engineering belt clamps are specially designed to work with conveyor belts. They are made of durable materials and are more reliable than a piece of wood that can easily break under pressure. Trust me, you don’t want to find that using a device that doesn’t fit your belt is a recipe for disaster.
The engineered belt clip provides the entire belt width and even tension. The belt conveyor system settings are also available in a variety of sizes, so you can choose what works best.
3. What kind of belt clip do I need?
I hope so far, I have convinced you to adopt an engineering solution to meet your belt clamping needs. It is important to know that there are many different styles of belt clips out there, and they are used differently.
When choosing a belt clip, the first and most important thing to consider is the weight of the belt you support. This depends on many factors, such as conveyor layout and clamping position. Once you know this, you can choose from the belt clip to process your application. Remember to remove your belt to reduce the extra load on the clamp.
A modular system is the next option you want to find your belt clip. Considering that you might drag them underground, on a catwalk, or in a small space, you need to make sure that they are movable and easy to move. Most belt clips are made of aluminum rods for easy transportation.
Furthermore, you need to pay attention to the grip pattern in the future, after all, the grip is the most critical aspect of the clamp lever. Squeeze, non-slip grip or built-in groove is your best choice, excellent holding ability.
Finally, you will want to look at the type of belt you are repairing-flat, sidewall, herringbone, etc.-and width to determine if the belt clip you are interested in will work.
4. Type of clamping mechanism
There are different ways of belt clips, and they are actually clipped to your belt. Scissors pliers are usually better for low-load applications above 3 tons, which is a common aggregation. They can accommodate belts of various widths up to 72 inches (1800 mm) wide and are constructed of heat-treated extruded aluminum to resist corrosion and prevent jamming in humid and corrosive environments.
The belt clamp on the top is designed to clamp it in higher load applications, from 6 tons to 8 tons of greater strength, making it ideal for mining applications. Excessive grip also allows them to grab more belts, which helps wear belts up to 96″ (2400mm) and sidewall belts. The trapezoidal thread on our new TUG belt clip provides superior grip, But it also allows the operator to slowly release the belt after maintenance.
5. Check your clips
Another safety measure we often recommend is to check your belt clip when you first receive it and before each use. When you use a tool, you can’t be too careful, because it will loosen your belt without any warning, causing harm to people along the way. When conducting a safety assessment, the following points need to be checked:
- The clamping surface of the clamp rod: should not be damaged in any way.
- Cracks on the clamp rod, chuck or scissors: only one crack is needed to open the clamp rod, chuck or scissors and let your belt fly.
- Bending and bending of the clamp rod: Once again, this is something that needs to be taken seriously, because it affects your holding integrity.
- Scissors connection or hardware damage or missing pieces: If the equipment is damaged or missing pieces, do not operate the clamp.
- Missing fixing pins: They are used to ensure that the scissors are still fixed on the rod. If they are missing, there is no guarantee that your scissors will not slip.
In addition to the clamp, you also need to make sure that the other tools are in good shape. Make sure you have the proper wrench to tighten your belt, your product is in the proper working order, and there is no overrated work.
