Page 20 - MetalForming July/August 2009

18 METALFORMING
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even occasional abuse. As a result, some components must eventually be replaced.
Consider Outsourcing Conveyor Maintenance
A metalformer might add conveyor maintenance to the task list of its main- tenance staff, but this may not represent the optimum use of those valuable resources. And, the staff may be highly competent yet lack the specialized skills and expertise needed to keep a scrap conveyor running efficiently. Also, maintenance personnel typically focus on keeping the plant’s more expensive and highly visible production equip- ment up and running, pushing scrap flow well down their list of priorities. This is particularly true in more recent times, when many companies run lean on maintenance resources, and trained personnel are scarce.
Further, many shops charge their facilities department, rather than pro- duction, with purchasing, operating and maintaining their scrap systems. Facilities personnel may not be focused on maintaining an efficient and lucra- tive production operation; rather, they might be more concerned with keeping the lights on and maintaining the cli- mate-control system. The same holds true for metalformers who hire a scrap- hauling contractor to install and main- tain the scrap system.
For many shops, the best solution is to let the conveyor vendor develop a complete preventive-maintenance (PM) agreement covering inspection and main- tenance, and including a service com- ponent covering emergency repair and the availability and cost of spare parts.
PM 101
Conveyors should undergo regular- ly scheduled PM every six months, and include key measurements of system performance as well as inspection of wear components. Cleaning the con- veyor is a key element of any PM activ- ity—removing excess material prolongs belt life and the service life of the bear- ings and reducer, and ensures that limit switches and other electronic sensors will perform as-designed.
Conveyor PM