A new condition monitoring digital service, tailor-made for predictive maintenance of conveyor belts has recently been launched.

Belt damage can cause significant production downtime in mines and processing plants with in-person inspections typically carried out to determine the condition of conveyor belts. The ABB Ability condition monitoring for belts offers a complete overview of an assets’ condition through continuous monitoring of belt health, generating alarms and warnings in the event of deterioration.

The technology is based on sensors installed in strategic points of the conveyor belt equipment and is specifically designed to withstand harsh environments while monitoring asset health and condition. It collects and tracks data from conveyor belts to provide real-time information about the health of the equipment, enabling planned and timely maintenance.

The digital service allows mine operators to track speed, misalignment, damage, thickness and wear, slippage and temperature of conveyor belts in real time in order to anticipate maintenance, avoid unplanned downtime and improve belt reliability and lifetime. It is designed to provide easy access to informative dashboards, allowing fault trend analysis, event alarms, data logs and reports to be monitored for single or multiple conveyors and by remote connection, text message and email.

“Real-time monitoring of the actual belt performance prompts the necessary corrective actions ahead of failure or further and more costly damage,” said ABB global materials handling service product manager Eduardo Botelho. “With equipment condition continuously assessed, operators can plan necessary maintenance only when certain indicators give the signal that the equipment is deteriorating, and the probability of failure is increasing. It will consistently catch misalignment or speed issues online, long before failure, and pre-empt issues such as falling material, energy waste, excessive belt wear, rupture or fire.”

The solution can work as a standalone option or can be integrated into any control system, as it is interoperable with existing maintenance tools and infrastructure.