A Deeper Look at Choosing Conveyor Rollers
By: Scott Bahr
When we looked at conveyor rollers earlier in the year in “Conveyor Rollers 101,” we went over the broad generalities of conveyor rollers and their uses. Today, we want to look deeper into the specifics of what elements stand out in the rollers themselves, in terms of quality, longevity, and performance.
When choosing conveyor rollers, it’s important to keep in mind that each application and specific mining environment may have different criteria that dictate and define which high performing roller and conveyor system is best to use. We will look at the range of offerings from ULMA Conveyor Components and touch on the ways their wide available variety can accommodate every need.
Loading capacity
If the only criterion is load capacity, and it never usually is, then it would make sense to select rollers in a system based on these requirements alone. The variables of axle diameter and design, bearing design load, and strength of the tubing all play into the overall load capacity of the roller. Through the product range that ULMA offers, they are divided into a Medium Duty (MDA) range, as well as a Heavy Duty (HDA) range based on load and duty ranges. These are generally divided by the load capacity, with all exhibiting low frictional forces and low Total Indicated Runout (TIR), which provide efficient energy requirements and low overall noise levels.
Bearing seal
Quite often, the mining environment that the conveyor will be used in will range from an unforgiving mix of hot, dusty air underground, all the way to frigid snow-covered exposure on the surface. These conditions, combined with water and other factors, require the rollers to have superior sealing for the bearings to have a long service life. ULMA utilizes a patented combination of a special lip and double labyrinth seal to protect the bearings by keeping contaminants out of the internals. These are tested and qualified at ULMA’s laboratory facility before being introduced into a new application, ensuring the life expectancy of the rollers meet the user’s high expectations of the products.
Noise levels
In some cases, the noise levels generated by a conveyor system can be a primary concern during the design and selection. Due to the high level of design and build quality, in many cases, the standard MDA and HDA rollers from ULMA meet the requirements. However, sometimes an application presents additional challenges. In this case, ULMA provides its roller offerings with an additional upgrade to a Low Noise variation so it can meet the most stringent application the customer required for its conveyor systems. This is achieved through looking closely at tube ovality, bearing selection and control, eliminating vibrations, and adding dampening, in addition to increases in process and inspection controls. The result is a roller which exhibits significantly reduced noise levels for the application.
Quality control
End-users require a quality product. This is a universal requirement and something which every manufacturer strives to achieve. This is one area in which the conveyor roller offerings from ULMA Conveyor Components are known to excel at. It has been a primary focus for the company, having been manufacturing conveyors for the world market since 1958. To ensure the levels of quality and innovation are consistently high, they have inspections and a development laboratory on-site. They can perform a full range of examinations from theoretical loading and finite element stress analysis to physical testing. These combine to perform a wide variety of testing, including loading, bearing seal testing, life cycle, and manufacturing inspection. This full-service capability ensures they can meet the needs and demands of customers in its unique applications.
We invite you to ask us how Bit Service and ULMA Conveyor Components can provide solutions to your material conveying challenges and bring peace of mind to your operation.