Lowering maintenance cost by improving the reliability of conveyor belt is the key to improved productivity in the mining industry. Understanding the mining equipment failures and taking maintenance efforts to mitigate risks is crucial for conveyor belt functioning. Here single point of failure can lead to high criticalities. The multiple rotating components, remoteness and length multiply the complexities of the maintenance in conveyor belts. The decrease in recovery rates and the increase in volume from low grade ones add to the stress in the mining equipment.

Ranging from getting the ore out of the ground to processing plants the risks of equipment failure is high as the environment is punishing. Whether it is conveyors or trucks or both the two are deployed depending on the surface operation or underground and its proximity to the plant. Mines are built in remote locations and processing plant is generally away from the out, this increases the risk of equipment breakdown. In such cases the conveyors replace haul trucks. Back up solutions are to be in place to prevent unplanned downtime. Risk mitigation is must when it comes to conveyor belt maintenance. For this conveyor belt scanning can play a crucial role.

The operations of the conveyor belt are closely monitored to predict mechanical failures. According to a recent study, 90% of machinery malfunctions are predictable. Maintenance can be performed online without any downtime. In case an interruption is needed, it can be coincided with scheduled downtime. This way the production cost and impact can be reduced. Specialized condition monitoring improves reliability and enhances the health of the machine. Moving heavy and bulky substances, the conveyor operates at low speed inorder to accommodate heavy loading. The belt conveyors come in varied configurations and share certain characteristics making it suitable for condition monitoring. The condition monitoring system is connected to vibration sensors to deliver accurate data.