A sugar processing plant in California handles approximately 10,000,000 tons of raw sugar per year through their plant. One of the transfer points was giving them trouble with spillage. They contacted Martin distributor Applied Conveyor Technology (ACT) for their recommendation. Due to the customers budget constraints, ACT recommended upgrading the transfer point with cradles, wearliner, dust curtain and skirting.

First, ACT increased the length of the chute by eight feet, giving more space for the transfer. They then added two Martin^® Slider Cradles under the skirtboard of a transfer point. These slider cradles support the edges of the belt to eliminate sag and prevent transfer point spillage by stabilizing the belt’s path and allow the effective sealing of the belt edge. The EVO^® External Wear Liner was installed to increase the life of the skirting, and eliminate the need for welding on the inside of the skirt box. Martin^® Dust Curtains were installed to slow down the air velocity in the skirt box, eliminating the dust and Martin^® ApronSeal Skirting was installed on both sides to keep material on the belt. A Martin^® Tail Sealing Box was installed to help with increased material surge loads and better sealing of the apron seal.

The customer estimated the cost of clean-up to be $1,500 per week, or almost $80,000 per year before the upgrade. Now with the new components the payoff has been immediate by containing fugitive materials, minimizing safety hazards and lost production time, while significantly reducing maintenance time.