Monday, June 24, 2013

How Can Conveyor Belts Increase Mining ROI?


Canada’s mining industry is strong. The Toronto Stock Exchange and the TSX Venture Exchange makeup 58 percent of the world’s public mining companies, and Canada ranks in the top five in producing nickel, platinum, aluminum, diamonds, and many other resources.

There’s always room for improvement. If your technique is slowing down the process, it doesn’t matter what minerals you’re mining or how well the industry itself is doing. Although there are many ways to mine a product, don’t you want to know the best way to add to existing capacities while increasing the return on investment?

Here’s an example of how to boost production: Say your company uses a slope—most are rectangular with a wide span for the floor and roof—to remove goods because drilling directly down isn’t an option. You notice it’s increasingly tedious to bring mined goods up to ground level, and you’re looking for a solution. This is where installing conveyor belts can help speed up production and increase the ROI as an end result. Conveyor systems are an easy-to-use, consistent way to raise production levels, and they allow workers to better inspect minerals as they head to the surface.

Check out this model of an underground mine with a conveyor system:


We at Furnace Belt have been working for almost four decades to offer the highest quality round-wire woven and flat metal belting for mining operations. In order to maintain a high level of mineral production and boost your company’s profit, we hope you’ll turn to us for all your custom conveyor belt needs.

Monday, June 3, 2013

Recognizing the Importance of Conveyor-Belt Safety

If you’ve ever seen the “I Love Lucy” famous candy factory scene, you know how fast-paced conveyor belts can move. Although it’s funny to watch Lucy and Ethel frantically shove chocolate in their faces to avoid getting fired, those aren’t practices most food processing companies would find acceptable. June is National Safety Month, so we are highlighting the importance of conveyor belt safety.

Ensuring safety for our employees and customers begins before work begins. All conveyor parts are assembled, stabilized, and tested. Safety features such as rails and netting are put in place to protect workers from objects that might accidentally fall off the belt.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety & Health Administration lays out the safety and health regulations for using conveyors, and here are a few key points:

• Systems must have a stopping mechanism at the operator’s station
• A warning signal must sound immediately before starting up the machine
• Emergency stop switches should not allow the conveyor to start again until the stop has been reset to an “on” position
• Each crossover, aisle, or passageway must be marked with a sign
• If machine isn’t suitable for use, a clear “Do Not Operate” tag must be visible

Furnace Belt makes safety a priority, and we encourage you to check out the video below to learn about the National Safety Council’s Journey to Safety Excellence:

Image courtesy of I Love Lucy's Facebook page