Conveyor Belt Scales: How They Work and The Benefits they Provide
Controlling the amount and rate of bulk material as it moves along and exits a belt conveyor is crucial in maintaining optimal productivity. Without a way to accurately measure feed rate and the weight of material flowing into your crusher, screens, stockpiles and other processes, the downstream equipment can become overwhelmed or starved. Too much or too little material leads to slowdowns in production as the equipment struggles to keep up, and in extreme cases production can be brought to a halt.
Wm. Neundorfer brings over 60 years of consulting experience working in industrial applications. Through our partnership with BulkPro Systems we are able to provide highly accurate belt scale systems that weight conveyor belt bulk materials as well as measure their feed rate. In this article we explain how conveyor belt scales work, industries they are utilized in, benefits they provide, and a guide to help choose the right scale for the application.
How Conveyor Belts Scales Work
Conveyor belt scales are devices designed to continuously measure bulk material as it moves along a conveyor. They function by calculating two key parameters: the weight of the material and the speed at which it travels on the belt. The system weighs a section of the loaded belt, subtracts the weight of the empty belt, and combines this with the speed data to determine flow rate and total material moved.
Benefits They Provide
Real-Time Monitoring of Production
Conveyor belt scales provide continuous, real-time data on the amount of material being transported. This allows operators to monitor production output in real time. With this data automated systems can be setup to make real time adjustments to processes, ensuring that targets are met and minimizing downtime.
Improved Operational Efficiency
By measuring material flow rates accurately, conveyor belt scales help optimize the use of machinery and resources. This leads to reduced waste, improved throughput, and lower operational costs, as production can be fine-tuned to meet demand.
Accurate Inventory Management
Accurate weighing data from conveyor belt scales ensures precise inventory tracking. Companies can more easily manage stockpiles, preventing overproduction or shortages. This is particularly important for industries dealing with bulk materials such as mining and aggregates, where large volumes need precise accounting.
Enhanced Process Control
The data from conveyor belt scales helps operators maintain precise control over processes like crushing, screening, and stockpiling. This results in more consistent product quality and a streamlined production process, reducing variability and improving overall product output.
Cost Savings Through Reduced Material Loss
Conveyor belt scales help identify inefficiencies, such as material spillage or overloading, allowing companies to reduce material losses. This improves profitability by ensuring that more of the raw material is used effectively in production rather than being wasted.
Compliance and Reporting
For industries with strict regulatory requirements, such as mining or energy, conveyor belt scales provide accurate data needed for compliance reporting. They ensure that companies meet environmental and safety standards by tracking material movement and output.
Industries that Use Conveyor Belt Scales
Mining
To track and monitor the transport of minerals and ores.
Aggregates
For measuring the flow of materials like sand, gravel, and crushed stone.
Steel
To control the movement of raw materials like iron ore.
Power
For monitoring coal or biomass used in power generation.
Wood and Paper
For managing wood chips and other raw materials in production processes.
Food
To measure grain, flour, and similar bulk commodities
Guide to BulkPro Conveyor Belt Scales
N-61 Belt Scale System
This is system provides the most economical price to accuracy ratio of the systems with its guaranteed accuracy of ±1%. Its lower cost, good accuracy, and ease of installation make this system the go to for non-critical applications where instantaneous reading of feed rate and totalized load is needed.
N-62 Belt Scale System
The N-62 steps up its guaranteed accuracy to ±0.5%. This makes it ideal for heavy duty belt conveyor weighing in plants and precise control applications such as feeding crushers, mills, screens and other processes. The N-62 can also regulate product load out, while monitoring production and inventory levels.
N-64 Belt Scale System
High feed rate, high capacity, highest accuracy. The N-64 is the most accurate of the three systems with a guaranteed accuracy of ±0.25%. Along with that accuracy this system is designed to handle high speed industrial belt scale applications. This is the go-to system for processes that move large amount of bulk material quickly and require precise measurements. It can also be utilized to monitor production and inventory by confirm incoming and outgoing product.
6101 Series Integrator
All of these systems come with the 6101 Series Integrator that acts as the brain. As the interface / controller of the system it comes with physical keys for easy operation with gloves. It is constructed to be able to handle both outdoor and indoor environments. The 6101 Series Integrator can also retrofit into most existing belt scales systems bringing increase control and data collection.
Understanding the amount and feed rate of the bulk materials moving across conveyor belts is critical. It allows for processes such as inventory management, incoming product confirmation, and outgoing product load out to be precisely measured and controlled. With these insights, you can optimize your production process and increase your productivity.
For more information or details on how we can help you select the right equipment for your application, contact Wm Neundorfer & Co today.
We have the expertise and experience to ensure you get the advice and recommendations you require for your specific application.
