HS2 Plant Manager thrilled with STARCLEAN® belt cleaner performance

The challenge

A batching plant tasked with feeding the HS2 project regularly produces around 10,000m3 of concrete a month for tunnel segments.

The plant was purpose-built in 2022, and whilst featuring some of the latest tech available, the age-old issue of carryback on conveyors was still a drain on site resources.

The two belt conveyors came equipped with OEM scrapers. These worked well initially, but the blades quickly became overwhelmed with material - rendering the scrapers ineffective. Consequently, material would adhere to the belt, resulting in around 4 wheelbarrows of carryback forming in piles under the belts every week.

Operators were required to spend around 30 minutes every week clearing carryback, and around 45 minutes every two weeks after their shift maintaining scrapers. All of which took a toll on their wellbeing.

ConSpare’s solution: STARCLEAN® belt cleaners

ConSpare recommended replacing the OEM scrapers with STARCLEAN® belt cleaners. In addition to an excellent cleaning performance, STARCLEAN® has a user-friendly design so staff can quickly and safely carry out maintenance, keeping downtime to a minimum.

With STARCLEAN® there has been almost a 90% reduction in maintenance requirements. Operators can disengage, quickly brush down and re-tension the scraper just once a month as part of planned maintenance - taking only 10 minutes.

Carryback levels have also reduced significantly. Now, just 1 wheelbarrow is cleared every 8 weeks, taking only 10 minutes. In the year since installation, this equates to an annual saving of +180 wheelbarrows and 36 hours in maintenance and clean-up.

Also, the STARCLEAN® blades have remained virtually untouched by wear in the first year of operation. During the first annual service visit, our engineer observed less than 2% of wear to the tips. Within this period, an estimated 100,000m3 of concrete has been produced. A testament to STARCLEAN®’s durability.

“I’m happy with the results, ConSpare really know their stuff. STARCLEAN®’s simple design is what sold me, they’re so easy to maintain and more importantly, they work.” - The Plant Manager