ARN sees lower maintenance costs with screw conveyors

Netherlands-based ARN Recycling says screw conveyors supplied by Van Beek have helped the company solve a previous maintenance cost issue.

ARN processes auto shredder residue (ASR) at a plant in Tiel, Netherlands, that it opened in 2011. Since the plant opened, ARN had been having difficulties with “Z elevator” belt conveyors that wore out faster than anticipated, resulting in increased maintenance costs. According to a news release issued by Van Beek, “This problem has now been rectified since the belt conveyors were replaced by Van Beek screw conveyors.”

The ARN processing plant includes wind chippers, cyclone filters, rotary valves and screens and, previously, the Z elevators.

“Tests were carried out on these Z elevators beforehand with test material and that went well, but in practice it was found that more and more frequent maintenance was needed ", says Emil Bregita, head of technical service at ARN Recycling. The conveyor belt had to be replaced regularly, a job that can take several days. “The maintenance costs amounted to thousands [of euros] a year,” adds Bregita.

Elsewhere in the factory Van Beek screw conveyors were already in use, which is one reason why Van Beek was one of the parties ARN approached when seeking a solution.

“Our screw conveyors are already used an enormous amount in the recycling sector, for PET bottles and car tyres,” says sales engineer Peter Verhoeven of Van Beek. “It very soon became clear to us that our screw conveyors would get the job done better and more cheaply.”

Verhoeven says he was glad to learn that vertical transport with a screw conveyor can work. “[Customers] don’t immediately think of us for vertical transport,” says Verhoeven. ARN was also skeptical at first. “I too didn’t know that a screw conveyor can go straight upwards,” admits Bregita. “I could see all sorts of obstacles in the way, but Van Beek convinced me.”

An initial Z elevator was dismantled and replaced by a screw conveyor in 2014. ARN was satisfied with the first result and in 2015 two more Z elevators were replaced by screw conveyors.

The ARN plant now has less downtime and a higher output. A screw conveyor has a higher cost price, but pays for itself very quickly, according to the two companies. “We expect the screw conveyors to last for five years. From time to time a minor repair is necessary, for example to replace a bearing. But overall we are now saving some €4,000 and this will be even more if by chance they last longer,” says Bregita.