title = "Conveyor System Inspection and Maintenance"

content = """
Conveyor systems at Ridgecrest Metalworks transport parts and material between processing stations, including chip conveyors on CNC machines, overhead monorail conveyors in the surface treatment line, and roller conveyors in the assembly and dispatch areas. Regular inspection and maintenance are essential to prevent unplanned downtime, product damage, and personnel injury.

Belt conveyors: The conveyor belt must be inspected for cuts, tears, fraying edges, and delamination. Tracking is checked daily — a belt running off-center wears the belt edges and the conveyor frame, and can cause product to fall. Tracking is adjusted using the tail pulley tensioning screws. Belt tension is verified by checking belt sag (typically 1–3 % of center distance between pulleys). Over-tensioning causes accelerated bearing and belt wear; under-tensioning causes belt slippage and drive motor overload. Drive pulleys, tail pulleys, and idler rollers are inspected for smooth rotation, bearing noise, and surface wear. Seized idlers concentrate belt wear and eventually cause belt failure.

Chip conveyors (CNC machines): Hinge-belt or scraper chip conveyors remove metal chips from the machine sump. Daily inspection: check for chip jamming at the discharge end, verify conveyor runs smoothly, and check coolant level in the sump (chip conveyors can carry coolant out of the machine if the system is overloaded). Weekly: flush sump and remove accumulated fines that clog the coolant intake.

Overhead monorail conveyors (surface treatment lines): Trolley wheels and rail must be inspected monthly for wear; worn wheels cause carrier tilting, which can spill parts into process tanks. Chain drives and drives units require periodic lubrication per the maintenance schedule. Load trolley hooks are inspected for deformation or wear.

Roller conveyors: Free-spinning rollers are checked for seized bearings; a seized roller creates a hard stop and can tip or damage passing parts. Powered roller conveyors additionally require motor and drive inspection per the PM schedule.

Safety considerations: Conveyors have exposed nip points between belt and pulley, and between chain and sprocket. All nip points must have fixed guarding installed. Before any work on a conveyor, LOTO must be applied to the drive motor. No one should reach into a moving conveyor for any reason.
"""

version = "0.0.1"
