Superior Industries has reworked the design of its conveyor idlers, incorporating an upgraded bearing seal and weld procedure.
One key factor has always stood out to Riley Arndt as he approaches ten years at Superior Industries. The strategic accounts manager admires how Superior always puts the customer first.
“Everyone has a culture around their company, but what makes us special is the emphasis we put on the customer and our interest in trying to improve our products for their operation,” he said.
“This focus creates a great feedback channel, and I think it gives us a uniqueness that connects us with the customers and the industry; I enjoy that.”
This customer-centric approach led to Superior redesigning its conveyor idlers. In 2020, the company unveiled a series of upgraded bearing seals to help its conveyor idlers withstand the different elements its customers were facing.
Four years on, it has partnered those changes with a new-designed idler. The new design eliminates a common pain for customers by removing an exposed weld, which can cause premature roll failure.
Arndt said he believed customers would be impressed by the new idler entering the market in March.
“Through feedback from the industry and our customers, we’ve seen an opportunity to improve on what we have,” he said.
“We think we’ve created the next generation of idlers.”
UNDERRATED IDLERS
Idlers can be overlooked in a conveyor set-up, especially when the focus is on the material being shifted rather than how it gets there.
However, the malfunction of just one idler can cause delays to material delivery or damaged belting, which is expensive to replace.
One of the main reasons for idler malfunction is pinch points. The exposed weld, usually between the end of the stand and the outside of the roll, can snag foreign material and cause the roll to seize up. Other designs have lip at the end of the roll, which also is a well-known catch point.
It results in downtime and lost production and adds expenses to businesses already dealing with rising costs in other areas.
Riley is a strategic accounts manager
for Superior Industries. Image: Superior Industries
Arndt said the new design of the Superior Industries’ conveyor idler changes that.
“That exposed weld has been a potential pain point for customers, and we’ve taken the weld and put it where it can no longer be a point of attack for foreign materials,” he said.
“The weld itself is fully contained and cannot be damaged by the belt; it should give customers peace of mind that their belting, which can be very expensive, is safe.
The design of the product enables the end disc to sit flush on the idler roll. Traditionally, many rolls feature an inset weld, where rocks and material can catch and seize the rollers.
The foreign material can damage the seal and the idler and create more resistance to the idler, which slows down throughput and increases energy. Superior’s new design prevents material from being trapped between the roll and idler frame, a time and money saver for quarries.
“It’s essential to keep your roll spinning freely and prevent any damage or pinch points,” Arndt said.
The new idler rolls will be available at all Superior Industries’ dealers, including Tricon Equipment in Australia.
Arndt said the key to Superior’s quality standards was the idler had to work in all environments, from high-tonnage mining and quarrying to humid and arid markets.
“The markets these idlers are going into will be tough and abrasive, but through the years of testing that we’ve done, the idler itself has been better than the competition,” Arndt said.
“The longer that idler and roll can run, the more you’ll be able to use your maintenance time elsewhere.”
SEALED AND DELIVERED
Superior launched four specialty seals to help its customers tailor their conveyor set-ups. The seals, alongside the company’s regular seal, came about after a customer contacted Superior Industries with a problem.
The customer’s tunnel, which housed a conveyor, would not stop flooding. This caused the belt to be underwater for a significant time.
The team at Superior went to work and returned with four seals. The SpinGuard Wet Seal is for high moisture environments with frequent washdowns and dredging; the SpinGuard Dry Seal is designed for environments with high dust concentration; and the Spin Guard Eco Seal is best for lower power consumption on long-distance, overland conveyors.
The SpinGuard Titanium Seal is considered Superior’s top-draw seal.
It is a combination of wet and dry seals for a premium design meant to significantly extend idler bearing life.
“It offers protection against any moisture or dust and fines which could penetrate the seal and cause them to fail quickly,” Arndt said. “Some people call those applications extreme, but I see cases of moisture and dust effecting traditional idler performance at most quarries I visit.”
“The four types are built to help each operation have their choice to suit their situation best because not every conveyor is the same and not every application is the same. Our approach allows them to be application specific.”
RETROFIT REWIND
Operators in the past may have replaced the entire idler, but as the industry tries to keep downtime to a minimum, many are replacing or retrofitting rolls during maintenance hours.
Arndt said the new idler technology could be retrofitted to existing Superior idler frames and most other brand frames as well.
“If you have a current idler of Superiors, these will easily be implemented into those frames. And with our manufacturing, we can retrofit or make custom rolls to fit other frames just as fast as we make our own,” he said.
“This ensures you can get the new technology without investing more into a new idler set-up.”
Arndt believes it boils down to one thing when asked what his favourite part of the new idler technology is.
“We’ve been able to make this innovation by really listening to the voice of the customer,” he said.
“When you pair the newly designed roll with the seal technology, we launched in 2020, it’s effectively a super roll.” •
For more information, visit superior-ind.com
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