Companies whose daily operations include extraction, processing, crushing and screening of materials are familiar with the problems at the transfer points in conveying systems, such as nuisance dust generation, disruptive material spillage, costly belt wear, maintenance work that impedes operation and constant cleaning required. Even conventional chute skirtings or conveyor belt skirtings do not help to overcome these problems. For more than 8 years already, ScrapeTec from Kamp-Lintfort, Germany with its specific products has been providing effective solutions to all these problems. ScrapeTec products as e.g. AirScrape, DustScrape and TailScrape are applied individually or in combination and serve as side skirtings or belt skirtings, for example. They are used by large and small companies – in many countries around the world. Also in Chile and Peru.
AirScrape®. Dust-free – worldwide.
ScrapeTec Trading GmbH started with the AirScrape as its first product.
Wilfried Dünnwald, company founder and developer has put his experience as a mining engineer into this innovation. Developing this sealing system, his prime target was a maximum dust reduction at transfer points of bulk material handling systems. The principle is simple and ingenious. The AirScrape includes special skirtings at the transfer point which hover freely above the conveyor belt and use the airflow resulting from belt movement. They are mounted laterally with an air gap of approx. 1-2 mm to the belt at the transfer point. Lamellas integrated into the AirScrape provide a so-called “Venturi effect“ which results in an air suction from the outside to the inside. Dust or other fine material can thus not escape to the outside. This particular dust-reducing feature of AirScrape is esteemed worldwide wherever this special system is installed as belt skirting for transfer points.
Conveyor Belt Skirtings for Transfer Points as a Basis for Further Developments
The experience gained from the use of AirScrape has led to the development of further products supplementing the ScrapeTec Trading GmbH portfolio. All solutions relate to the transfer points of conveyor systems. Take, for example, the DustScrape. This dust protection device with its sturdy filter cloth is installed in front of the transfer point in the direction of belt run and catches coarse dust and particles. It has a self-cleaning function. The DustScrape spans the conveyor belt on its entire width and ensures optimum dust reduction in this position. In the rear area of the transfer, the TailScrape is applied. Like AirScrape, the TailScrape works according to the Venturi concept and without contact with the belt. Owing to its blade structure, it matches the contour of the belt trough precisely and serves as a customized rear belt sealing. Together, the AirScrape, DustScrape und TailScrape ensure dust reduction in perfection. Here, it becomes apparent that the original idea during the development of the AirScrape, namely a maximum dust reduction at transfer points, has been innovatively thought through in subsequent products.
Between the diagonally oriented lamellas, air is drawn from outside to the center of the belt.
International Operation
“Our drawing card is clearly the AirScrape“, says Thorsten Koth, Sales & Distribution Manager of ScrapeTec Trading GmbH. “ But customers quickly recognize the synergy effects when the three dust reduction specialists work together. In this industry, it takes a little longer for innovations to be recognized and used.“ Thorsten Koth serves clients from around the world who have learned about AirScrape via trade journals, platforms, or competitors. “Many interested people have seen the AirScrape on Youtube and have quickly recognized the advantages. Then they want more information or even on-site consulting. With the power of digital communications, companies find us from every corner of the world. With conference formats like Teams, we can present the whole system ourselves and do consultations. But we also have distributors in some countries for consulting. Or sometimes we travel ourselves.“
Thorsten Koth is very proud to have new clients in Chile and Peru. CODELCO, Chile’s largest copper producer, now also applies the AirScrape product. Other major players, for example in Spain, are also part of the customer base. It is important for Thorsten Koth to emphasize that small and medium-sized enterprises in particular also benefit from skirting solutions as the AirScrape. „Without making a large investment, immense costs can be saved in operation. This simply increases the profit.“
The AirScrape side seal uses a new and innovative technology and achieves an exceptional result. The installed AirScrape.
Minimum Investment – Maximum Cost Savings
„Of course, I cannot present new clients with a cost-benefit calculation of our customers. No one would appreciate a look behind the scenes. But the calculation is quite simple: you take the acquisition costs for the AirScrape-equipment. There are no assembly costs; this can simply be solved in-house. These costs are then compared with other costs: Maintenance work, cleaning work, repair costs, and new acquisition costs for worn belts and skirtings. With the application of our skirting solutions, the costs for the items mentioned are reduced considerably. We hear from our new clients in Peru that the belt sealings applied before had to be replaced due to wear every fortnight and that each replacement resulted in a standstill of 3 hours. So 26 weeks times 3 hours a year: 78 hours! And every company knows what every hour of downtime costs. According to a rough calculation of the Peruvians, the AirScrape thus already paid off after only one month. And now it has been in service for 17 months already. For me, a simple and clear calculation.” says Thorsten Koth, Head of Sales. Owing to the contact-free and thus frictionless mode of operation of skirtings like AirScrape and TailSrape, the costly purchase of new belts necessary because of common sealing-friction damage is avoided. SrapeTec recommends their interested customers simply record the costs for a fiscal year which resulted from dust load (also the costs due to sickness-related absences), material spills, cleaning, and exchange of skirtings and belts. This provides a good starting point to realize the economic benefits of the ScrapeTec skirting solutions. “That is the best argument. After all, numbers are understood across all borders,” Thorsten Koth knows from practical experience.
