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60 www.coalage.com June 2016 product news Preventing Conveyor System Downtime Monitoring systems detected excessive startup torque on a 4,200-foot Joy underground-to-surface conveyor system at an Illinois coal operation. Site operators needed the issue resolved quickly to avoid months of potential downtime, as the system is the main production artery for the mine. JoySmart Solutions experts took baseline readings of the system during commis- sioning to enable flawless startup. Once the system was in reg- ular operation, excessive startup torque was detected during the continued monitoring. The JoySmart team then used those baseline readings to quickly target the problem area. Personnel then immediately went to the site to investigate the problem area with handheld vibration monitors and con- firmed there was excessive vibration on the head drive pulley due to a faulty coupling. Left undetected, this could lead to dam- age of the four 2,500-hp gearbox shaft assemblies, which are long lead time items. Normal production was able to continue while Joy Global teams monitored the anomaly and determined how to resolve the problem and prevent damage to the gearboxes. Through data tracking, consistent monitoring and quick action, JoySmart Solu- tions experts quickly addressed the issue and devised a solution. Zero of the four gearboxes were damaged by the excessive vibration, saving the customer months of costly downtime. The issue was fixed during a scheduled maintenance period, eliminat- ing the need for any unplanned downtime and allowing nonstop production at the site. Recognizing the potential severity that was avoided through quick detection and action, the customer then worked with Joy Glob- al teams more proactively moving forward. www.joyglobal.com Open-gear Lubricant Bel-Ray said its Type 2 open gear systems with its high viscosity Clear Gear lubricant can reduce consumption, and the vibration and temperature of machinery. Clear Gear lubricant is engineered to operate in the full fluid film or hydrodynamic mode of lubrica- tion that is especially suited to maximize gear tooth protection. The fluid easily drains from the open gear shroud and will not ac- cumulate or harden in tooth roots. It is a completely transparent product that ensures easy dynamic and static gear tooth inspec- tions and offers a clean appearance. Clear Gear is available in five viscosity grades including light, medium, standard, heavy and ex- tra heavy. www.belray.com Mine Planning Software Minex 6.5 offers a new Lithology Symbol Tool to support improved logging standards and to aid in accurate and timely geology re- porting by enabling Minex users to import customized lithology symbols for borehole plotting. Geologists worldwide can custom- ize their reporting by importing any user-selected/designed .dxf image as a coal lithology symbol, enabling standardization and consistency across the organization. Furthermore, geologists in Australia can now import all "213 CoalLog — the Australian Log- ging Standard" lithology symbols in .dxf format for both faster re- porting and compliance with government regulations. www.geovia.com/minex Virtual Catalog for Heavy-duty Conveyor Belting Continental has introduced a virtual catalog for its select brand of heavy-duty conveyor belting. "The new secure website is de- signed primarily as a sales tool for distributors," said Anthony DiGiacobbe, conveyor belt group regional head of marketing. "It will give the user the option of customizing products and services, all online and all instantaneously." The virtual cat- alog includes everything that the 70-page hard copy catalog provided including belt construction and cover compounds, above-ground and below-ground application recommenda- tions as well as specific data on steel belts and pipe belts. It also includes other information such as service tools, belt selection as well as research data, DiGiacobbe said. www.contitechselectcbgvc.com JoySmart Solutions recently teamed with an Illinois operation to quickly remedy a vital conveyor system segment that was providing excess torque on startup. Top: Bel-Ray's Clear Gear lubricant demonstrated on a mill gear two days after application. Bottom: Mill Gear completely cleaned 10 days after application of Bel-Ray's Clear Gear lubricant.