WEARever, whenever – providing accurate wear data wirelessly

Earlier this year, KW Chile provided an innovative solution for a large underground mine in South America. The mine was experiencing significant wear on a chute conveyor belt, which was repaired by KW Chile using Hardplate^™ wear liners. The liners were installed with wear sensors at the time of the repair, therefore, the solution not only improved the service life of the part, but also increased overall maintenance efficiency and safety for the workers. The wear sensors allowed the company to monitor the wear rate without the need for physical intervention.

Hoppers and chutes experience various levels of abrasive and impact wear, caused by material passing through. Some areas deteriorate extremely quickly while others experience little to no wear.

Choosing to install wear monitor sensors means customers can benefit from real-time wear data. The sensors can be applied in multiple areas through a variety of different bolts. This ensures each area of the chute subject to different levels of wear can be monitored with total accuracy. Maintenance to specific areas can then be made before they’ve been damaged beyond repair, saving money on buying new expensive parts.

For this customer in Chile, wireless wear sensors have been installed as part of the original repair and can be monitored from the plant’s control room. The wireless sensors provide accurate wear data at all times. Once the sensors have been set up, our customers benefit from increased equipment reliability and a drastic reduction in unplanned shutdowns, resulting in reduced costs.

Set up of the sensors can be tailored to each plant and either be set up to:

1. Alert the plant and operators BEFORE the area in which the sensor is placed is too thin for operations to continue
2. Notify operators when the area in which the sensor is placed is too thin for operations to continue

This is based on the pre-set thickness the sensors are programmed to.

The use of wear-monitor sensors can extend the lifespan of parts, saving time and money. Thanks to wear-monitor sensors, repairs can be arranged during planned maintenance cycles, instead of undertaking repairs as a result of breakdowns.

Get in touch with your local Integra^™ services team for more information on how wear monitor sensors can reduce the total cost of ownership in your plant.