Over 90% Carryback Removal: Reducing Material Buildup at a Paper Mill

Product application	Motorized Brush Roller Cleaner
Width of belt	1200mm
Industry	Paper Mill
Material	Paper and Plastic Pulp

During the conveying process of paper and plastic pulp, if residual material on the belt surface is not effectively removed, carryback can easily occur. This may further lead to material buildup around the discharge chute and return side, increasing the workload for on-site cleaning and maintenance. This case study highlights how JIMWAY introduced its Electric Brush Wheel Cleaner at a paper mill in Malaysia to improve conveyor belt cleaning performance.

The customer originally used a basic belt cleaner. However, due to insufficient cleaning efficiency, residual material continued to remain on the belt surface. This issue became particularly noticeable when handling paper and plastic pulp with high moisture content and strong adhesion. In addition, the chevron belt pattern made it difficult for a conventional scraper to maintain stable contact with the belt surface, resulting in more cleaning blind spots.

Challenges

Because the conveyed material was paper and plastic pulp, which features high moisture content and strong adhesion, the material could easily stick to the belt surface and be carried into the return side during operation, creating a persistent carryback problem. The main challenges before improvement can be summarized as follows:

1. Residual material could not be effectively removed from the belt surface
Over time, continuous material buildup on the belt surface could form sticky deposits. This not only affected the cleanliness of the conveyor belt but also increased the difficulty of subsequent cleaning.

2. Material buildup at the discharge chute increased cleaning and maintenance frequency
When buildup accumulated around the discharge chute, more daily cleaning and maintenance work was required, increasing the overall maintenance burden.

3. Material buildup on the return side could accelerate belt and roller wear if not addressed promptly
When residual material was carried into the return side, it increased contact and friction during belt and roller operation, potentially affecting long-term equipment stability.

4. The chevron belt pattern made it difficult for conventional scrapers to fit properly
Compared with a flat belt, a chevron belt has a raised and recessed surface pattern. Conventional scrapers often cannot make full contact with the belt surface, leaving uncleaned areas behind.

Solution

1. Highly Flexible Strip Blades for Better Contact with Chevron Belt Surfaces
The JIMWAY Electric Brush Wheel Cleaner uses highly flexible strip blades that can automatically extend and retract according to the surface profile of the belt. This design helps ensure full contact with the chevron pattern, reducing cleaning blind spots caused by uneven belt surfaces and improving residual material removal.

2. High-Density Arrangement to Increase Contact Points per Unit Area
The strip blades are densely arranged around the brush wheel, significantly increasing the number of contact points per unit area. For highly adhesive materials such as paper pulp and plastic pulp, this high-density design increases scraping opportunities and helps improve the removal of material remaining on the belt surface.

3. Electrically Driven Rotation for Consistent Cleaning Force
Unlike cleaning methods that rely on belt tension for movement, the JIMWAY Electric Brush Wheel Cleaner is powered by an electric drive, allowing the brush wheel to rotate actively and continuously. This design maintains stable and consistent cleaning force, making it suitable for continuous high-load operation.

4. Simple Structure and Easy Maintenance to Reduce Daily Maintenance Burden
The Electric Brush Wheel Cleaner used in this case features a simple structure and low daily maintenance requirements, making it suitable for long-term continuous operation. For paper mills that need to handle highly adhesive materials on a continuous basis, ease of maintenance helps reduce routine maintenance pressure.

Improvements

After installing the Motorized Brush Roller Cleaner, the paper mill saw a significant reduction in residual material on the belt surface. Material buildup around the discharge chute and return side was also clearly improved.

The most direct improvement was that the residual material removal rate increased to over 90%. This means that paper and plastic pulp, which previously adhered easily to the belt surface, could be removed more effectively by the Electric Brush Wheel Cleaner, reducing the impact of sticky material on the site environment and equipment operation.

As residual material on the belt surface decreased, less material was carried into the return side and around the discharge chute. As a result, on-site cleaning and maintenance frequency was also reduced, while material buildup at the discharge chute was significantly improved.

Overall, this improvement not only enhanced conveyor belt cleaning performance, but also helped reduce daily maintenance requirements and improve overall conveying efficiency. For conveying environments involving high-moisture, highly adhesive materials, the Electric Brush Wheel Cleaner provides more stable cleaning performance and helps protect the service life of both the belt and rollers.

Comparison

A basic belt cleaner was used, and residual material remained clearly visible on the belt surface.

After replacing the original cleaner with the Motorized Brush Roller Cleaner, belt surface cleaning performance improved significantly.

Conclusion

The improvement results show that the Motorized Brush Roller Cleaner not only enhanced the cleaning performance of the belt surface, but also further reduced on-site maintenance frequency and improved overall conveying efficiency. For conveying environments involving high-moisture, highly adhesive materials, selecting a cleaning solution that can closely follow the belt pattern and deliver stable cleaning force is essential to reducing buildup, lowering maintenance burden, and protecting the service life of the belt and rollers.