AirScrape is a contact-free conveyor skirting and sealing system. Image: Kinder Australia
Kinder Australia is helping quarries eliminate spillage and dust with a skirting system that doesn’t touch the belt.
Traditional methods of containing dust and spillage often involve skirting systems which touches a conveyor belt to stop material from spilling over the side.
The skirts themselves are a consumable component due to the constant friction of the belt’s movement they endure before, eventually, being worn away by it. This friction goes both ways and can put additional stress on the carcass of the belt.
Tim Storer, field applications specialist at Kinder Australia, said quarries are looking to minimise their maintenance – which is why the company offers AirScrape.
“AirScrape is a contact-free conveyor skirting and sealing system that has emerged as a game-changer, providing an innovative and highly effective solution to address challenges associated with dust emission, spillage, and material loss at critical transfer points,” he told Quarry.
“The distinctive feature of AirScrape lies in its unique diagonal arrangement of hardened lamellae. This design ingeniously guides external air into the middle of the conveyor belt, generating a powerful suction effect.
“As the material moves along with the belt, the suction effect captures and contains fine dust particles within the conveyor section. “Moreover, the lamellae redirect coarse materials back towards the middle of the belt, significantly reducing spillage.”
The design helps drastically reduce material spillage, curbs dust formation and eliminates skirt friction. The reduction in these factors extends the service life of critical conveyor components. It can accommodate both large and fine particles, making it versatile for a range of applications. Hardened steel blades effectively reduce skirt wear, ensuring durability and longevity.
AirScrape guides external air into the middle of the conveyor belt, generating a powerful suction effect. Image: Kinder Australia
One key benefit, Storer said, is the system’s ability to handle wandering conveyor belts.
“Traditional skirting can become ineffective if the belt becomes misaligned, often leading to damage to the skirting system too. It’s a key issue for our quarry clients,” he said.
“If that happens with the AirScrape, there won’t be any damage to equipment – there might be a reduction in air pressure until the belt is returned to the right position.”
Kinder has ensured that installation is straightforward and cost-effective. AirScrape clamping systems require minimal mounting area, so it can be easily integrated into conveyor systems. The system comes in pairs of left and right-hand side two-metre interconnectable pieces, offering flexibility to form any required length.
The installation is facilitated by spacers for the initial set-up, allowing the blades to float freely above the belt. The attachment to the outside of the chute employs lifting tensioners via a simple screw system. The system is also longitudinally and laterally adjustable, ensuring a precise fit that follows the contours of conveyor belt rollers and the belt trough angle.
The company can supervise the installation process and offers post-installation inspections to ensure everything is working properly.
Storer said the system the set and forget nature of the system has made it popular in quarries.
“Because it’s designed to hover over the belt, they don’t wear. Our clients can install them and don’t need to worry about adjusting or replacing them. Over the long term, that adds up to a huge cost saving,” he said.
Kinder also provides TailScrape, a system that fully integrates with AirScrape to deliver improved dust control. It features a proprietary blade structure on the underside to ensure a negative pressure environment within the conveying area. This negative pressure means dust and spillage is trapped and cannot escape through the gap.
“TailScrape had been designed to integrate with the side skirt component, following the contour and profile of the belt across the back section of the feed tube,” Storer said.
Kinder’s specialists work with quarries to determine the source of any pain points.
TailScrape fully integrates with AirScrape to deliver improved dust control. Image: Kinder Australia
One Australian quarry recently installed the TailScrape and AirScrape system – initially as a trial. Kinder’s team installed its equipment across three feed stations, along with the K-Sure belt support system.
After installing the system, Kinder’s team returned to the site to check how it was performing and found that the client had only needed to make one small adjustment. Since then, the system has been in place for several years and has been working without issue for two years. This allowed the site’s maintenance team to focus on other areas of the site and drastically reduce downtime.
Storer said unplanned maintenance and product loss are some of the most common problems quarries face.
“In today’s bulk materials handling landscape, operators are focused on environmental protection, workplace safety, and operational efficiency,” he told Quarry.
“Airscape helps to minimise product loss, reducing maintenance and replacement costs and contributes to a cleaner working environment.
“AirScrape sets a new standard in conveyor technology and innovation, proving that progress and sustainability can go hand in hand.” •
For more information, visit kinder.com.au
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