Proven in practice

Idler optimization to increase the efficiency of belt conveyors

Summary: The demands placed on idlers have increased significantly over the past few years. In addition to a long service life, a lower rolling resistance is also increasingly a requirement. In this article, a practical example illustrates that the efficiency of belt conveyors can be increased significantly by defining suitable idler parameters according to the application and through the consistent implementation of an optimal fabrication process.

1 Introduction

In order to meet the continually growing demands placed on idlers, the company Artur Küpper GmbH & Co. KG has partnered with several technical universities over many years to research the resistance generated by belt conveyors and idlers. An idler construction distinguished by highly effective sealing as well as extremely low rolling resistance was developed within the framework of this intensive partnership. At the same time, an average idler service life of 10 years with a simultaneous reduction in the energy consumption (up to 15 %) was ensured. Considerable investments and...

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