Magnetic Slide Conveyor Manual

 

 

The Magnetic Beltless Slide Conveyor is a machine designed to transfer or elevate & discharge ferrous machine chips, press slugs, scrap & parts. Each conveyor has been sized to adequately handle the prescribed rate for its particular application.

Magnetic Beltless Slide Conveyors offer distinct advantages over oth- er types of conveyors. Along with these advantages, certain procedures must be followed at installation, operation & maintenance to avoid cer- tain pitfalls. These pitfalls will be covered in subsequent pages.

Every Magnetic Beltless Slide Conveyor is “run in” at the factory to check for loose parts & proper operation. This “run in” period insures that you have been shipped a conveyor that is in good working order. Prior to installation, check for any physical damage to the conveyor that might have been incurred by handling during the shipment process. Installation of a damaged conveyor will automatically & irrevocably void the con- veyor warranty.

Given proper handling & maintenance, Storch Magnetic Beltless Slide Conveyor will provide years of satisfactory service. Thoroughly review this manual, become familiar with the conveyor operation & its limitations & you will realize the full benefit of your investment.

For the most part, installation involves little more than merely placing the conveyor into position & connecting to incoming power.

Upon receipt of the conveyor, perform a visual check for obvious damage that might have been caused during shipment. Take note of any damage and consult the factory if any questions exist to whether such damage will impede proper operation of the con- veyor or void the warranty. Any claims for damages must originate from the destination & be filed with the appropriate motor carrier.

Remove conveyor from shipping container. Remove any residual tape, binding materials, etc. Be especially diligent in removal of any object from the slider plate surface & clean the same with appropriate solvent. Any object on the slider plate (even tape) will impede the proper operation of the conveyor. Position conveyor in the intended installation. Fas- ten conveyor to machine or lag to floor if required. Adjust leveling screws if provided. Extremely long conveyors must be leveled & lagged to prevent twist. Premature wear from body twist will not be covered by the Storch warranty. Consult the appropriate conveyor print to see if lagging & leveling is required.

The Magnetic Beltless Slide Conveyor has a closed oil sump for chain lubrication. The conveyor will perform satisfactorily without lubrication however the life of the side chain (1.1-D) & sprockets will increase dramatically when continuously lubricated. The oil bath also keeps a film of oil on the chain side links, which will eliminate oxidation. If allowed to rust, the heat treated side links can fail due to hydrogen embrittlement. The conveyor is shipped with a bio-based, biodegradable lubricating oil. The oil need never be changed unless it becomes rancid. If necessary, add oil to the specified level as indicated on the conveyor print. Contact Storch products for pricing of replacement oil. Using a funnel, add oil at the opening of the dipstick tube (1.3-H) or TEE if conveyor is not equipped with a dipstick. The plug on the side of the TEE is used for oil drainage. Please note that the convyor warranty will be void if the conveyor is run without oil.

Refer to motor (1.3-D) nameplate for correct voltage & wiring information. Wire motor in accordance with federal, state & local electrical codes. If not supplied with the con- veyor, it is recommended that the motor be wired to a starter with overloads rated at not more than 125% of motor full load amperage. Engage power & place a piece of steel or a handful of chips of the conveyor slider bed to check conveyor direction.

If the steel is moving toward the take-up (1.0-H) end of the conveyor, the direction is incorrect. Remove power & reverse wire the motor so that when power is again ap- plied, the sample steel will travel toward the discharge (motor) end of the conveyor. The exception to this is our 4000 series (low profile) conveyor. This model is designed to operate in either direction.

The conveyor installation is now complete. Engage operation of all associated equip- ment & observe the operation of the conveyor to insure that the unit is performing to the specifications as outlined in the original quotation.

Always be sure that the conveyor is running prior to attempting to load with parts, slugs or chips, as extensive damage may occur when loading a non-moving conveyor.

NEVER STEP, STAND OR WALK ON THE SLIDER PLATE SURFACE OF THE CONVEYOR.

Refer to figures 1.0, 1.1, 1.2 & 1.3 for explanation of terms. Magnetic conveyors oper- ate using a magnetic coupling between the magnets (1.1-E) & the product to be con- veyed. The magnets are mounted to the side chain (1.1-D) which is driven internally by sprockets mounted to the head shaft (1.0-I). The side chain is guided by tracking (1.1- F). The product is separated from the magnets by means of a nonmagnetic stainless steel slider bed (1.0-K & 1.1-A). The slider bed is sealed & mounted to the body channel (1.1-C) & keeps contaminants from entering the internal components of the conveyor. The “sealed” conveyor has many great advantages over other types of conveyors such as totally enclosed moving parts for utmost operator protection, continuous oil lubrica- tion of side chain, no jam up from parts entering belt or chain, operation in coolant tanks, extended conveyor life & more.

Although abundant with advantages over other types of conveyors, the magnetic con- veyor is not completely devoid of drawbacks. Specifically, product must be presented to the conveyor in a continuous, even flow. A Magnetic Beltless Slide Conveyor will not pull product out of a batch feed situation. Some conveyors are provided with an infeed hopper (1.3-A). This is intended for coolant containment in wet application or as a baffle plate to direct product flow in dry applications. The hopper is not provided for containment of a batch load. Batch loading will void the warranty.

In a chip/coolant application, a Magnetic Beltless Slide Conveyor performs most ef- ficiently when it is provided with a reverse flow baffle (1.3-B) as part of the receiving hopper & in some instances a forward flow baffle (not shown). The reverse flow baffle system directs the flow (by gravity) of the contaminated coolant through a constricted weir over the slider bed. The magnetic particles are attracted to the magnets & carried off to the discharge end of the conveyor while the cleaned coolant is discharged out the rear or side of the hopper. Without the baffles, some of the contaminant will be carried over the sides of the hopper by turbulence created by the entering coolant.

Impact to the slider bed is a critical problem that will eventually lead to severe damage to the conveyor & impede proper operation. Continuous impacting will cause stress relieving on the top surface of the slider bed resulting in a physical bend or bow in the slider bed in the direction of the impacting.

If allowed to continue, the bow will become larger, creating an ever increasing gap between the magnet & the product to be conveyed. The ability of the magnet to move the product will be severely limited & in some cases eliminated altogether.

An impact sheet in the conveyor loading area is highly recommended if a severe impacting condition exists. An impact sheet is simply a thin gage stainless steel (nonmagnetic) sheet that is mounted on top of the slider bed & held in place by the hopper flange or side guides. The impact sheet absorbs the impacting shock. This sheet is intended to be removed & straight- ened or replaced when it becomes too damaged to provide satisfactory service.

For 4000 & 4100 conveyors, special care must be taken to avoid placing or dropping heavy objects, stepping& standing on the slider bed. There is a close tolerance gap between the magnets & the slider bed. An inward dent or protrusion on the slider bed may cause the mag- nets to rub the underside of the slider bed with disastrous results. If left unrepaired, extensive damage to the slider bed, magnets, tracking & chain & drive components will be inevitable & of course will void the warranty.

Conveyors of a 4200 or 5200 series are less likely to be damaged by heavy weight on the slider bed. These models have UHMW-covered magnets, reducing friction between the mag- nets & slider plate.

 

 

Storch Magnetic Beltless Slide Conveyors are designed to provide years of satisfactory performance while requiring minimal attention to maintenance.

As outlined previously in the installation section, the internal components of the conveyor are lubricated by the sealed oil bath. The only reason that the level of the oil bath will drop is because of a breach in the seal of the conveyor.. It is recommended that the oil level be checked 24 hours after installation, seven (7) days after installation then once every six (6) months thereafter. Check oil level with conveyor shut off. Leave the conveyor idle for at least 10 minutes prior to checking oil level to allow oil to drain back to the sump level.

The head shaft bearings (1.0-J) may be equipped with grease fittings. If so equipped, the bearings should be lubricated at installation then every six (6) months thereafter using a good quality Lithium base bearing grease. If bearings are not equipped with grease fittings, they are the “Lube for Life” variety & do not require lubrication.

Refer to gear reducer (1.3-E) manual for oil level inspection & type of lubricant. Check oil level at installation & every six (6) months thereafter.

The condition of the slider bed (1.0-K) is critical to the satisfactory operation of the conveyor. If installed in a wet application, residue build up on the slider bed can occur when left to dry overnight or on weekends, which will impede the conveyed material when the conveyor is restarted. Clean the slider bed with any acceptable solvent or detergent.

Should the slider bed become damaged, such as a puncture or dent deeper than 0.045 in,, pull the unit out of service immediately for repair. If the conveyor is allowed to continue operation under this condition, the severe damage will ensure & the warranty will be void (models 4000 & 4100 series only).

The conveyor take-up is a spring loaded device that is located inside the conveyor. There is no external access to the take-up unit. In most cases the factory setting should last the life of the side chain. If the take-up does require readjustment then use the following procedure;

• Remove slider bed
• Loosen locknuts at spring adjuster threaded rod
• Adjust tension nut until spring length is 3.5 in. for 4” spring or 5.25 in. for 6” spring
• Start conveyor & observe magnet travel at bottom side of drive sprocket. If magnet transfers from sprocket to bottom tracking without excessive bounce, leave take-up adjustment as set. If mag- net droops or bounces excessively, adjust the springs in 0.063 in. increments until magnet transfers smoothly. However, do not ex- ceed 0.38 in. less than the recommended setting
• Tighten locknut
• Reseal & replace slider bed

If the take-up has reached the limit of its travel, the side chain has reached the limit of its useful life & should be replaced. When replacing the side chain, inspect all tracking for wear. The tracking in the curve sections of the conveyor will show the most amount of wear as the chain is pulled tightly against these tracks during normal use. If the tracking is worn more than 0.060 in., replacement is recommended.

If replacement of the side chain is required, be sure to inspect all sprockets, shafts, bearings & drive components, as normal wear to these items often parallels chain wear. It is recommended that the sprockets be replaced when installing new chain.

TAKE-UP PROCEDURE FOR MODEL 4000 & 4100 CONVEYORS ONLY

Because of the limited space in these conveyors, the 4000 & 4100 series conveyors incorporate a manual take-up system as opposed to the automatic spring take-up installed on larger conveyor series.

After an initial period of operation,the 4000 & 4100 series conveyors may require take-up adjustment because of chain stretch. This is a common occurrence for new roller chain of sufficient length & is to be expected.

 

• Loosen 3 adjustment clamp nuts (A) on adjustment clamp ring until
• Loosen 3 adjustment clamp nuts (A) on adjustment clamp ring until adjustment nut (B) turns freely
• Turn adjustment nut (B) in rotation as shown above to 12 in./lbs. torqueTighten adjustment clamp nuts (A) to 6 in./lbs. torque to hold adjust- ment nut (B) in position
• Turn adjustment nut (B) in the direction opposite of arrows shown 3 to 5 degrees (this provides chain slack)
• Tighten adjustment clamp nuts (A) to 5 ft./lbs. torque Repeat above procedure on opposite side of conveyor

For the 4100 series conveyor, first remove the slider plate fasteners on the lower horizontal & curve. Lift the slider plate enough to expose the take-up assembly. Tighten the take-up nuts until the chain is taught. Do not over- tighten.