While the H-Type Primary Cleaner originated in Australia before the US parent company Flexco bought out Belle Bane, the company only recently launched the new H-Type Enhanced Service Advantage Cartridge Heavy-Duty Primary Cleaner.

While the H-Type is the most popular cleaner in Australia it doesn’t have as much traction in the US, so the engineers designed it for the Australian market. The company’s US headquarters is yet to release the product.

In a nutshell, Flexco has a cartridge removal cleaner that features on three of its secondary cleaners.

The company’s Australian engineers took the easy-removal cartridge system and put it onto the H-Type, effectively turning it into the cartridge cleaner which operators have been crying out for, a company spokesperson told International Coal News.

Price-sensitive coal players are trying to get things done quickly and in this case efficiently, looking to reduce the amount of time it takes to install cartridges.

The tips on the cartridges also last longer, reducing the need to fork out for new ones in the first place.

It officially hit the Australian market at the end of March and will be one of the many talking points at AIMEX, Asia Pacific’s international mining exhibition, at Sydney Showgrounds from September 1-4.

“AIMEX is the biggest show for Flexco in the southern hemisphere and we have secured a much larger stand this year, giving us plenty of room to showcase our products on interactive and original displays,” Flexco managing director Mark Colbourn said.

As well as being designed in Australia, the H-Type Enhanced Service Advantage Cartridge heavy-duty primary cleaner was field tested in the harshest Australian industries from coal to iron ore.

It is designed to be positioned on the head pulley and remove the bulk of carryback from the belt. It features a fast, safe and easy cartridge system and is compatible with current XY coordinates.

The enhanced cartridge design features a variety of options for locking the cartridge into place, making it adaptable based on local codes and offering solutions for varying space constraints during installation. The system already features on three belt cleaners from the Flexco secondary range, P-Type ESAC, MHS ESAC, and the R-Type ESAC.

Coulburn said the H-Type primary cleaner had over 20 years of proven performance as the most efficient primary cleaner in materials handling applications such as coal, iron ore, bauxite and hard rock mining.

“Combing the reliability of the H-Type primary cleaner with the service-friendly removal cartridge system has created a comprehensive solution to carryback on both the primary and secondary positions on the conveyor,” Colbourn said.

Jason Coe, Flexco’s heavy-duty field specialist based in Western Australia, said the current market was “trying everything” to reduce downtime and increase productivity.

“Out on site, the maintenance crews regularly ask me if Flexco have a cartridge system for the head pulley because of how fast and easy it is to install and maintain,” Coe said.

“Having a simple cartridge removal system on both the primary and secondary areas on the conveyor is going to save sites plenty of time during installation and maintenance.”

Offering many features that will help improve conveyor productivity and efficiency, the Enhanced Service Advantage Cartridge is ideal for limiting downtime and easily maintaining the cleaner to ensure superior performance. It can also be easily removed and replaced, even in the dirtiest conditions.

While the H-Type Enhanced Service Advantage Cartridge primary cleaner comes standard with compression spring tensioner, it is also available with a bolt tensioner on request. A single cartridge system is available from 600-1800mm and the dual cartridge system is available from 1200-3000mm.

Flexco has subsidiary bases in Australia, Chile, China, Germany, India, Mexico, Singapore, South Africa and the United Kingdom and a distribution network in over 100 countries.

The company plans to display its range of conveyor solutions at AIMEX, including belt cleaners, ploughs, conveyor rollers, impact beds, transfer chutes, mechanical belt fasteners, pulley lagging and safety tools, installed on a life-size conveyor so attendees can get up close to the products and see how they work in a practical situation.

Flexco will be at stand 1711.