Investing in quality conveyors and conveyor belting is necessary for any quarry operator looking for optimal productivity and efficiency. Thankfully, major manufacturers have a lot new to offer in 2025.
As a leading endless belt supplier to premium material handling manufacturers globally, Smiley Monroe is on a mission to help customers protect the lifespan of their whole conveyor.
With close to 25,000 conveyor belts produced annually across Smiley Monroe’s three production sites, and more than 45 years of experience in the business, the experts at the company are regularly called on to troubleshoot common conveyor issues such as belt misalignment, spillage, or material build-up. Many of these issues, which lead to premature belt wear, roller damage and unplanned downtime, can be prevented by choosing the right conveyor components at the outset.
“Many people assume the key to successful, efficient conveying is simply down to using the correct belt for the correct application, and of course, this is important,” Smiley Monroe head of product support, Chris Jones, said. “We spend time speaking to our end user and manufacturing customers about the types of material the machine will be conveying, the belt speed, the expected output, and many other factors before choosing the right conveyor belt from our wide range of stock. However, we also believe in protecting the belt’s lifespan and achieving efficient, safe conveying over a long period, so we offer a range of complementary conveyor components.”
For example, Smiley Monroe recommends that its customers fit skirting rubber, especially at loading zones, to prevent material spillage. Such spillage creates waste and can cause material build-up and damage to other conveyor components, such as rollers, causing wear to the belt.
Choosing a skirting rubber with lower shore hardness than the belt is also important. Skipping this step can cause the skirting rubber to damage the belt’s top cover over time. Smiley Monroe stocks a range of skirting rubber to suit many applications, and supplies CNC-cut parts ready to fit alongside other rubber, PE and PU parts such as gaskets, chutes and wear liners.
Belt misalignment is another common conveying issue that can be linked to straightness or improper tensioning. After ruling out these issues, fitting a Smiley Monroe GlideTracker can help prevent future misalignment problems, increase the lifespan of the belt, minimise spillage, and maximise the conveyor’s output.
Switching to Smiley Monroe’s Polymer Rollers also offers up to 40 per cent weight reduction compared to steel rollers. According to Smiley Monroe, the polymer rollers will not rust in dusty, wet conditions, which can create sharp edges against the belt’s running side. The Polymer Rollers are designed with a triple ‘labyrinth’ seal, and the bearings are also protected from rust, dust and moisture, which often causes steel rollers to seize and fail.
Smiley Monroe will showcase its range of flat and chevron conveyor belts, including ZIP CLIP Replacement Belts and ToughFlex, alongside its entire range of conveyor components at bauma 2025 (Hall B2.127) in April. Throughout the show, it will offer package discounts for customers who enquire about complete conveyor ‘kits’, including belts and cut rubber or plastic parts, and welcome enquiries from new and existing customers.
Mitigating stockpile segregation
Material segregation within stockpiles remains a persistent challenge in aggregate production. Consistent product quality is critical for base materials, asphalt, and concrete applications.
Superior Industries (Superior), which designs and manufactures innovative material handling, crushing, screening, and washing solutions, has developed advanced technologies to mitigate this issue. One is the TeleStacker Conveyor, a telescoping radial stacking conveyor known for its effectiveness in addressing segregation.
“Material segregation occurs when particles of different sizes separate within a stockpile,” Superior Industries aggregate applications specialist, Michael Dunne, said. “This can lead to inconsistencies that compromise the quality of asphalt or concrete products.”
Understanding the causes and solutions to this problem is essential for producers striving to meet stringent specifications and improve operational efficiency. Segregation typically begins during stockpiling and can worsen during handling and transport. Factors such as particle size variation, conveyor design, and environmental conditions like wind contribute to the issue.
“Segregation is most pronounced in materials with a range of particle sizes. Larger particles tend to roll to the edges, while finer particles settle in the centre, leading to uneven gradation,” Dunne said,
Consequences go beyond aesthetic or structural concerns. Depending on whether it’s fine or coarse particles, a segregated aggregate product may result in stiff or runny concrete mixtures, compromising structural integrity and shortening the lifespan of roads and other structures.
Preventing segregation during stockpiling is more effective than attempting to correct it afterwards. Techniques such as layering and windrowing play a pivotal role in achieving uniformity. The windrow method involves depositing material in smaller, overlapping piles, which helps distribute particle sizes more evenly.
Superior’s TeleStacker Conveyor is capable of creating layered windrow piles.
“Combining constant movement radially with telescoping capabilities of the conveyor allows for building a stockpile layer by layer with precision,” Dunne said.
“This process significantly reduces the occurrence of overrun and ensures better material blending.”
Automation has changed stockpiling processes and provided operators with greater control and efficiency. The TeleStacker Conveyor can have programmable logic controllers (PLCs) that manage radial, height and extension movements. These automated adjustments allow the conveyor to create fully desegregated piles with minimal operator intervention.
“By customising the conveyor’s movement, operators can eliminate overrun and produce a stockpile with consistent gradation. This not only improves product quality but also reduces labour and equipment costs,” Dunne said.
Superior’s TeleStacker Conveyor has advanced automation features to ensure each layer’s size and shape align perfectly. For example, as the pile grows, the conveyor’s discharge point adjusts to minimise material freefall, further reducing segregation.
Telescoping conveyors offer advantages beyond improved product quality. They allow producers to build customised stockpiles in various shapes and sizes, reducing the need for a dozer, which is valuable for sites with space constraints.
“When producers switch to automated telescoping conveyors, they see significant savings in labour and equipment use,” Dunne said. “More importantly, they gain confidence in their ability to consistently deliver high-quality products.”
Superior Industries continues to help producers meet the demands of modern construction projects by providing equipment like the TeleStacker Conveyor.
“Stockpiling may seem like a minor step in the production process, but it’s a critical link that can make or break product quality,” Dunne said. “Superior’s TeleStacker Conveyor is designed to eliminate the challenges of segregation, allowing producers to focus on what matters most – delivering reliable, top-grade materials to their customers.”
The right tools and techniques allow aggregate producers to adopt advanced conveyor technology to overcome the challenge of stockpile segregation and achieve operational efficiency.
On the return side
Martin Engineering process engineer, Dan Marshall, told Aggregates Business how quality conveyor belt return-side care can improve safety and efficiency.
“The return side of the conveyor may be the most deceptively hazardous part of a conveyor system,” Marshall said.
“With long gaps between rollers and carrying no cargo, there is an extensive list of injuries inflicted on workers from the return side of conveyors in the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration [OSHA] database.
“Caused by nip or shear points, belt contact and reach-in hazards from working around a running conveyor, these injuries stem not only from a lack of satisfactory protection of both the worker and system but also inadequate training.”
Marshall said many experts attest that efficiency and safety are inextricably linked. This means emphasising safety translates to reduced operating costs and increased production.
“Clean return systems using modern equipment mean less spillage and clean-up under and around the belt, which mitigates labour costs, downtime and exposure to work hazards,” he said.
“A well-maintained belt return yields less dust and fewer fouled rolling components. It also allows for a centred belt entry from the tail pulley into the loading zone.”
‘Nip points’, Marshall said, are created where a moving element of the conveyor machinery meets another rotating or moving component. Based on common belt speeds and average human reaction times, a shovel or other tool in an entrapment situation will pull the worker using the tool in with it before the person can even let go. The same applies to loose-fitting clothing or long hair when working beside or under a running belt.
‘Shear points’ can occur when the edges of two machine parts move across or close enough to each other to cut a relatively soft material. An example is when the belt quickly passes a stationary beam or component, which can trap a limb, abrading or severing it.
“The fugitive material hazards posed around the belt return begin with the discharge at the head pulley. An insufficiently cleaned belt can cause carryback to drop along the entire belt path and spill into walkways or on the return belt,” Marshall said.
“This produces a trip hazard and a possible violation. In addition, dust can get into cracks and divots in the belt, release along the belt path, and foul gears and bearings of rolling components, causing them to seize and creating a possible fire hazard.
“Inadequate cleaning technology and tensioning systems allow carryback to collect directly beneath the discharge zone. If not addressed, material accumulates quickly until the belt runs along the top of the pile, creating carryback across the entire profile. At the same time, abrasion degrades the belt face and frays the edges. In extreme cases, encapsulation can move carryback to the inside of the belt, fouling pulley faces and causing them to slip, leading to mistracking and component wear.
“Fugitive debris on the return side of the belt can rapidly reach the tail pulley. Once caught between the belt and the pulley, these material chunks can be recycled over and over, each time putting a new divot in the belt, and gouging and fouling the pulley face. This material can be ground into fine dust or ejected from the pulley. Plows are often used to clean the inside of the belt and protect the tail pulley and belt from damage.” [Figure 1]
Marshall said there were other equipment hazards of which operators needed to be aware when operating the equipment.
“Many operators focus on cargo side issues and neglect the return side, where belt tracking should be of pivotal concern. When left unchecked, the belt can drift into the structure, causing fraying and the potential for a fire hazard,” he said.
“Moreover, if the belt is off-centre on the tail pulley, it will likely enter the loading zone unevenly and cause the cargo to be loaded off-centre, exacerbating cargo-side belt tracking issues.
“While issues from fugitive material to belt tracking can cause a number of mechanical problems, each one also represents a safety hazard. If components are not functioning at 100 per cent, there is an increased likelihood of a situation that may put a worker in danger while trying to fix the problem.
“An operation’s interests are best served by taking actions intended to prevent the mechanical problems and the accompanying potential for injury, rather than just protecting the worker from hazards that will likely be present with guarding.”
Marshall said that according to OSHA, operators should adhere to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards, which recommend detailed inspections of the entire conveyor mechanism. The first step is identifying potential problems before they occur [Figure 2 A&B].
The second step should emphasise training and enforcing strict lockout–tagout procedures for any activities on or around the conveyor system.
The third step is for operators to choose the proper equipment to minimise accidents. New equipment designs dispel the myth that conveyors are inherently dirty and need constant maintenance. Marshall said that today’s equipment is safer and easier to maintain, engineered to improve production and efficiency, and designed to reduce the cost of operation.
“In the past, belt cleaners were rigid, linear pieces of hardware made out of various materials from brick to plastic that earned the name ‘scrapers’ or ‘wipers’ because that’s what they did. They had a low operational life, broke or cracked often and significantly contributed to belt wear,” Marshall said.
“Modern primary cleaners are usually mounted at the head pulley and made from engineered polyurethane, which is forgiving to the belt and splice but still highly effective for dislodging cargo. Typically supported by mechanical or pneumatic tensioners designed to meet the application’s needs, the designs require significantly less monitoring and maintenance of blade tension.
“At least one modern primary cleaner design requires no tensioning at all after initial installation. Featuring a matrix of tungsten carbide scrapers installed diagonally to form a three-dimensional curve around the head pulley, it typically delivers up to four times the service life of urethane cleaners without needing re-tensioning.” [Figure 3]
Marshall said as conveyor speeds and cargo volumes increase to meet production demands, secondary belt scrapers are often installed immediately after the belt leaves the head pulley to address dust and fines that escape the primary cleaner.
Secondary cleaners are generally equipped with spring or air tensioners that easily adjust to fluctuations in the belt. They are particularly efficient for applications that produce wet, tacky or dusty carryback.
“In most applications, normal belt wear can yield valleys and depressions in the belt,” Marshall said. “Dust and fines that get into these blemishes often remain even after passing under primary and secondary belt cleaning blades, becoming dislodged by the impact of any return idler the belt meets [Figure 4]. This causes dust and spillage in areas away from the head pulley.
“In such cases, operations may choose to install a washbox cleaning system, which combines secondary cleaners with water spray bars enclosed in a self-contained unit that captures residue and drains wastewater safely away from the work area.” [Figure 5]
Marshall said that mistracking is another concern even on a clean belt, especially for operators of long conveyors.
“Previous belt tracking systems were reactionary pieces of equipment designed to help prevent belt contact with the mainframe. However, these designs have historically experienced problems with friction heat, edge degradation and belt curling. To avoid these expensive and hazardous consequences, operators can now specify modern tracking equipment designed for the belt return,” he said.
“Shorter single-direction or reversing conveyor systems may only require a crowned roller that uses a ribbed lagging made of durable polyurethane. The moment the belt wanders off-centre, the assembly tilts to the opposing side and steers it back toward the centre.”
Marshall said some longer systems may require modern upper and lower trackers hung from the mainframe every 21–50m and on the return run directly before the tail pulley. These designs utilise innovative multiple-pivot, torque-multiplying technology with a sensing arm assembly that detects slight variations in the belt path and immediately adjusts a single flat rubber idler to bring the belt back into alignment.
“Tail pulley protection from build-up riding on the return side of the belt using a V-Plow or diagonal plow can extend the entire system’s life by minimising fouling of the pulley face that can lead to mistracking,” he said.
“Attached with dual steel crossbars bolted to the conveyor frame ahead of the tail pulley, the units employ a unique torsion arm suspension system, which adjusts to fluctuations in belt tension to maintain consistent pressure for effective cleaning in all stages of wear. Lightly riding on the belt, the diagonal design deflects debris away in a specific direction, while the V-plow design deflects debris to either side.
“Where large lumps or broken idlers are getting on the return side of the belt, a tail protection plow designed for high impact is used, often in addition to or in combination with a return belt cleaning plow.”
Marshall said installing adequate guarding that encloses the system and has the correct mesh size and mounting distance from the hazard also helps protect workers from fugitive material and reach-in injuries.
For systems considered ‘guarded by location’ (ie too high to reach), gates may not be needed, though most countries have standards that require guarding against falling bulk materials.
Marshall said return roller guards, though seldom seen except over roads and walkways, improve safety and meet the growing demands of government regulations. Build-up under the conveyor or on work platforms can negate the guarded by location criteria, so best practice is to guard all known hazards or eliminate the hazard by design.
“From head pulley to tail pulley, return side belt care is essential to maintaining an efficient and productive system,” Marshall said. “By installing modern equipment that helps remedy common return-side problems, operators reduce the time workers spend near the system servicing and cleaning it. This mitigates hazards, reduces downtime and improves compliance.
“In addition to resolving many mechanical problems, these improvements will help prevent injuries caused by incidental contact with a moving belt that can pull a worker into pinch and shear points. Hundreds of projects directly address return side issues using modern equipment, and operators have reported a quantifiable return on investment.
“Decreased labour hours for system cleaning and downtime for maintenance enable a lower cost of operation, translating into a return on investment in as little as 12–24 months. If an injury is prevented, the payback is instantaneous, but even without considering the cost, the improvements pay for themselves over time.”
Breaking transport barriers
Telestack, a global leader in material handling solutions, looks forward to presenting its latest innovation – the TSR40 Radial Telescopic Conveyor – at bauma 2025 (stand No FN.1219).
Designed to overcome the long-standing logistical challenges of transporting radial telescopic conveyors, particularly in regions with strict road permit regulations, Telestack said the TSR40 is set to transform efficiency, mobility and sustainability in the sector.
Radial telescopic units traditionally require complex and costly transportation methods – a they are shipped in Euroliners or containers, assembled on-site with cranes, and require additional labour for set-up.
“The TSR40 eliminates this issue entirely,” Telestack international sales manager, Carl Donnelly, said. “Unlike conventional radial telescopic units, it can be transported just like any standard RORO Tracked Mobile Unit.
“With transport dimensions of just 3m [9ft 10in] width, 3.5m [11ft 5in] height, and 23.2m [76ft 5in] length, it seamlessly navigates road networks, especially in areas with stringent restrictions, such as Europe.”
The TSR40 leverages the very best of Telestack’s technology. Its integrated PLC stockpiling system helps to ensure material quality is maintained throughout stacking, minimising segregation, degradation, contamination and compaction. Like its counterparts in the radial telescopic range, the TSR40 delivers up to 30 per cent larger stockpile capacity than traditional fixed-length conveyor systems while also requiring minimal civil works or planning permission.
Its lattice frame structure provides strength and enables fully automated stockpiling from secondary crushers, screeners and fixed conveyors.
Another feature is its all-electric drive system. In a world shifting toward greener operations, Telestack is a leader in low-emission, energy-efficient solutions. The TSR40 is equipped with an integrated diesel-electric generator, allowing it to operate entirely on electric power. If a three-phase power supply is available on-site, operators can further reduce their reliance on diesel, significantly cutting fuel consumption and minimising carbon footprint.
“With Europe spearheading the transition to electric-powered equipment due to increasingly stringent engine regulations, the TSR40 is a perfectly timed innovation,” Donnelly said. “Telestack has been designing and delivering electric-powered conveyors for over 30 years – long before sustainability became a widespread industry imperative.”
Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) like Telestack are at the forefront of driving the move towards sustainability, delivering solutions that consume less fuel while moving more material.
