Erlangen, July 20, 2007 – Siemens Industrial Solutions and Services (I & S) has equipped a 19 km long conveyor belt system with drive systems for Alcoa Inc., based in Texas (USA). Siemens systems offer precise methods of control, can be quickly and flexibly to different loads and are highly energy efficient.

Alcoa is a leader in aluminum production. The plant in Rockdale, Texas, needs a constant supply of lignite energy to maintain production throughout the day. To this end, a conveyor belt system transports the necessary coal from the mine to Rockdale Three Oaks, a distance of 32 kilometers.

The critical section in the middle of the road transport, which is approximately 19 kilometers long, is bridged with the longest belt conveyor unique in the world, parts of which must pass through a field uneven. This link between the point where the material comes from the open pit mine and the place from which is then taken to the power plant.

The belt system was equipped with a solution of R & S With Simine product family, which has strong systems and efficient energy transmission. Five drivessystems SIMOVERT MASTERDRIVES VC type, each with 556 kW have been installed. The units are strategically placed so that the complete system can be optimally operated, stopped and started up. A unit has been installed at the loading point, two units in the middle of the road and two at the point of discharge.

The fiber optic cables between the conveyor belt stations enable the operator to individually control the belt speed, for example by slowing down when the load is too heavy, accelerate or stop quickly. The belt control system prevents oscillations of the belt during starting and stopping. The system was adapted to the following loading conditions: no load, partial load and full load. This method of operation uses much less energy than conventional belt drive uncontrolled.

Moreover, the protection of mechanical components. Round the top of the clock availability with low operating costs has been reached. The units are first powered up to ten percent of the total speed and, after a plateau of about 60 to 120 seconds, the system accelerates the rate of 100 per cent target.

Siemens Industrial Solutions and Services Group (I & S) is the integrator of systems and solutions for industrial service providers and global infrastructure services for the plant and projects business covering planning, installation, operation and lifecycle. I & S uses its own products and systems and process technologies in order to enhance productivity and improve competitiveness of companies in the sectors of metallurgy, water treatment, pulp and paper, oil and gas, marine engineering, mining open sky, airport logistics, postal automation, intelligent traffic systems and industrial services. In fiscal 2006 (September 30) I & S employed a total of 36,200 people worldwide and achieved total sales of 8.819 billion, according to U.S. GAAP.

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The history of conveyor belts begins in the latter half of the 17th century. Since then, conveyor belts have been an inevitable part of material transportation. But it was in 1795 that conveyor belts became a popular means for conveying bulk materials. In the beginning, conveyor belts were used only for moving grain sacks to short distances.

The conveyor belt system and working were quite simple in the early days. The conveyor belt system had a flat wooden bed and a belt that traveled over the wooden bed. Earlier, conveyor belts were made of leather, canvas or rubber. This primitive conveyor belt system was very popular for conveying bulky items from one place to another. In the beginning of the 20th century, the applications of conveyor belts became wider.

Hymle Goddard of Logan Company was the first to receive the patent for the roller conveyor in 1908. The roller conveyor business did not prosper. A few years later, in 1919, powered and free conveyors were used in automotive production. Thus, conveyor belts became popular tools for conveying heavy and large goods within factories.

During the 1920s, conveyor belts were common, and also underwent tremendous changes. Conveyor belts were used in coal mines to handle runs of coal for more than 8kms, and were made using layers of cotton and rubber covers. The longest conveyor belt now in use is 60 miles long, in the phosphate mines of Western Sahara.

One of the turning points in the history of conveyor belts was the introduction of synthetic conveyor belts. It was introduced during the Second World War, mainly because of the scarcity of natural materials such as cotton, rubber and canvas. Since then, synthetic conveyor belts have become popular in various fields.

With the increasing demand in the market, many synthetic polymers and fabrics began to be used in the manufacture of conveyor belts. Today, cotton, canvas, EPDM, leather, neoprene, nylon, polyester, polyurethane, urethane, PVC, rubber, silicone and steel are commonly used in conveyor belts. Nowadays, the material used for making a conveyor belt is determined by its application.

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Today the corporate world is driven by much more precise and better business models. There is no room for complacency at all. A company that lags behind will obviously lose the race. So there is an increased demand for better and faster production, reduced downtime, and incorporation of technology into each and every aspect of production to maximize its potential.

Conveyor belts are often subject to all kinds of damage. At times they are clogged by foreign particles and manual cleaning is too tedious and too time consuming. Its during such times that conveyor lubrication can prove beneficial. Lubrication is available for almost all kinds of conveyors which include I-Beam, Enclosed Track, Power and Free, Round Tube, Inverted etc.

With proper conveyor lubrication you can always avoid the need for a manual clean up. Preventive maintenance is the new mantra of the corporate world and this is one of its prime examples. Today it is not that tough to find conveyor lubrication equipment.

There are several websites that are dedicated to these equipments. These websites specialize in not just conveyor lubrication or conveyor lubrication equipment. They also have a complete conveyor monitoring system which will give you real time updates on the status of the conveyor belt. Now that really makes the job far easier than it ever was. Now you can have information like Air pressure, chain speed, lubricant levels and chain wear delivered in real time to your desktop.

You can also program the software to initiate automatic conveyor lubrication if the levels decline below the supported level. If you are heading a production unit then you simply cannot afford to do without this kind of equipment with you. So what are you waiting for? Log on to the internet today and check out some of the great sites offering conveyor lubrication.

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