It said the new offering delivers precise monitoring and tensioning throughout all stages of blade life, reducing the labour typically required to maintain optimum blade pressure and extending the service life of both the belt and the cleaner. 

Equipped with sensors to confirm that the belt is loaded and running, the system automatically backs the blade away during stoppages or when the conveyor is running empty, minimising unnecessary wear to both the belt and cleaner. The result is consistently correct blade tension, with reduced power demand on start-up, all managed without operator intervention.

“Pneumatic tensioners have some advantages versus mechanical construction,” explained product development engineer Andrew Timmerman.  “Mechanical designs work well as long as they are properly adjusted, but in many cases this requires periodic attention from maintenance crews as the cleaning blade wears down,” he said. “Also, some operators will loosen a mechanical tensioner to reduce drag at start-up, which reduces the cleaner’s performance if not correctly re-tensioned afterward.” 

The Automated Blade System (ABS) can be supplied in two variations, for locations with or without an existing power source. On sites with available power, the company will offer a 120/240V AC version of the system to power the system’s 24V compressor. In facilities able to supply power and also compressed air to the head pulley, Martin can design the system so that the panel simply handles the ‘smart’ portion of engaging and disengaging the cleaner blade.