Screw Conveyor Drives in the Cement Industry: BBB4

Challenge

The cement industry requires heavy-duty machinery and reliability at every turn. Our customer had 16 baghouse screw conveyor drives that were aging, and the company knew that the drives were nearing the end of their life cycles. The company began to look for ways to reduce the maintenance. In an effort to upgrade their drives to a more modern approach and lower their maintenance costs, they decided it was time to begin the process of removing belts, sheaves and guarding.

Solution

The solution was Sumitomo's BBB4 gearbox with the screw conveyor adapter kit. The customer wanted the right-angle design because it would help keep the unit snug against the equipment and out of walkways. The BBB4 features the most torque-dense right-angle gearbox design available on the market, truly allowing the unit to be compact. It also features a new ductile iron housing that is twice as strong as cast iron, making it one of the most durable bevel gearboxes available.

Results

Eliminating the belts, sheaves and associated maintenance has proved beneficial to the company. The right-angle design allows for better mobility throughout the facility. The customer is satisfied with the ductile iron housing, which allows for higher radial load in a small, compact design.

The customer requested a used Cyclo unit and has since cut holes in the casing to use as a demo on-site at the plant. They are looking forward to taking future steps in eliminating more belts, sheaves and guarding.