Belt conveyor ,a common material conveying equipment in coal conveying system , has the advantage of stablility ，lower operating costs and the capability to convey materials continuously, to adjust transmission distance as well as to convey large volume of materials. The buffer, an indispensable part of the material receiving part of the belt conveyor, plays a role in protecting the belt of the material receiving part of the belt conveyor. The existing buffers mainly include buffering bracket, buffer bed, buffer conveyor idler. The buffer conveyor idler and buffer bed of them are common buffering devices in coal preparation plants.The following is a comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of the buffer conveyor idler and this article also emphasized on how to make a right choose on a safer and more reliable buffer conveyor idler.

The structure of the buffer conveyor idler , installed under the belt at the feeding part of the belt conveyor, is simply a buffer conveyor idler with elastic rubber rings. The working principle of the buffer conveyor idler is that the buffer conveyor idler wrapped externally by the elastic rubber rings supports the tape so as to reduce the impact of the material on the tape. The original design specification was 600 mm for each pitch, but from the actual use on scene,the density should be more compact therefore the buffer conveyor idlers can be installed side by side or with each pitch for 400mm. The buffer conveyor idler is the earliest buffer device in use for belt conveyor and it has been used for decades.For the simple structure, low cost and convinent prossing of it, the buffer conveyor idler has been used in many coal preparation plants. The advantages and disadvantages of the buffer conveyor idler are mainly as follows:
The structure of the buffer conveyor idler as well as its advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages:
1、Light weight, less radial run-out and high precision : the Light weight, less radial run-out and high precision of the buffer conveyor idler help greatly reduce the running resistance coefficient and moment of inertia. Not only can its life span reach more than 100,000 hours but also the buffer conveyor idler could be used in various polluted environment.
2、Good wear-resistance: Due to its good wear-resistance, the life span of the tape can be extended more than 2-3 times so that the effect of energy saving and consumption reduction can reach over 30%.
3、The buffer conveyor idler can improve the stability of the host machine while reduce the shaking and sliding of materials；The buffer conveyor idler can prevent or reduce various accidential potentials to improve the safety performance; The buffer conveyor idler can help reduce significantly the production costs but improve transportation efficiency and comprehensive economic benefits by 3-5 times.
4、The buffer roller has the advantages of low cost, simple structure, low maintenance cost, long replacement cycle, short replacement times and so on.

Disadvantages: 1. The buffer conveyor idler has weak buffering power and can't absorb the strong impact force by the fallen materials. It is easy to break the buffer conveyor idler and cause the longitudinal tearing of the belt.
2.Under the frequent impacts of materials ,the buffer bracket may deform and the conveyor idler may fall off. The upright bracket of the buffer conveyor idler may damage or tear up the belt.
3. The buffer conveyor idler is connected with the conveyor belt by wires. The belt between the two rollers is suspended, which is easily penetrated by materials or other sharp and hard objects before it is stuck between the roller and the blanking mouth, resulting in longitudinal tearing of the belt.
4. The belt between the two rollers is likely to sag making the belt of the blanking mouth section wavy making its leak-proofness weak. For that the materials scatter and pollute the environment.
5. If the rotating bearing of the buffer conveyor idler has been impacted for a long time, the bearing and seal of it may fail causing the inflexible rotation of roller body or even stopped rotation to damage the belt surface.

We compared the use of the buffer conveyor idler above. While in use, we can choose the suitable equipment for different working conditions. The HENAN EXCELLENT MACHINERY CO.,LTD is a professional belt conveyor and roller manufacturers. With a complete roller production line, and strict product quality inspection, it can better ensure the quality of the products. To know more about our products, Please visit our official website: https://www.exctmach.com/ .