Concrete

Revolutionary Belt Cleaning

Published

5 months ago

November 20, 2025

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Ashwini Khunte, Regional Head – Sales and Marketing, Martin Engineering, discusses conveyor maintenance with advanced belt cleaning technology, which delivers durability, efficiency and safety for cement plants.

In every cement plant, a conveyor belt system forms the critical artery that moves material from raw feed to end product. That means conveyor performance is key to productivity and profitability.
Given that a cement plant can have well in excess of 100 conveyors, keeping belts running efficiently demands that they are well-maintained and remain free from carry-back, spillage and build-up that would otherwise cause excess wear and unscheduled down time.
Conveyors are also among the most dynamic and hazardous machinery within any processing plant, and manually inspecting and maintaining each component of a conveyor belt system across a wide area can also be time-consuming, labor intensive and, crucially, involves significant exposure to risk.
Even though the entire cement operation depends on conveyor performance, the importance of clean belts to overall productivity is rarely understood or prioritized by busy plant maintenance teams. Fortunately help is at hand, with specialists from Martin Engineering in available to help Indian cement producers to identify the root causes of their pain points and recommend innovative solutions that are proven to work.
As the world leader in bulk handling solutions, Martin Engineering recently marked 80 years of product innovation, engineering expertise and global growth. The company’s flagship Center for Innovation in Neponset, Illinois, USA is a hothouse for engineering research and technological advancement. As a result, Martin Engineering has become synonymous with the development and manufacture of innovations that deliver cleaner, safer and more productive bulk materials processing.

Unmatched belt cleaning
One of the many products by Martin that’s unique in the marketplace is the revolutionary CleanScrape® range of primary and secondary belt cleaners. In virtually every situation, CleanScrape outperforms all conventional scrapers, setting unrivalled standards for endurance, efficiency and reliability.
Featuring unique patented technology, CleanScrape is the most durable belt cleaning system available, delivering superior cleaning, whole-life cost reductions, and guaranteed to last four times the service life of conventional cleaners with a fraction of the maintenance time. Indeed, there are many cases where a much longer performance lifespan is achieved.
Installed diagonally across the discharge pulley, the blade forms a three-dimensional helix with a highly-effective but low contact pressure between belt and cleaner. The ‘blade’ is comprised of a matrix of tungsten carbide tips and is tensioned against the belt by cables, typically resulting in the removal of up to 95 per cent of stubborn material stuck to the belt.
Engineered for belt widths up to 120 in. (up to 3000 mm), speeds up to 1500 fpm (7.5 m/s), and pulley diameters of up to 78 in. (2000 mm), the cleaner’s groundbreaking design mean it requires minimal space for installation and also make it suitable for use on mechanical splices – put simply it’s the best performing and most versatile belt cleaner on the market.
The CleanScrape® Secondary Cleaner is a fully stainless steel assembly featuring independent 6-inch-wide blades with carbide tips. Each tip is supported on spring-loaded arms at both ends. The load springs allow independent blade rotation back and forward as well as up and down. This range of motion provides equal load pressure across each blade, absorbs obstructions, conforms to ever-changing belt undulations, and is able to arc safely in the event of belt rollback.
When used in combination, the CleanScrape® range of primary and secondary belt cleaners offers unparalleled belt cleaning performance. Carry-back, spillage and build-up are virtually eliminated, ensuring plants can run for way longer without stoppages, and maintenance frequency is much reduced allowing teams to focus on other priorities. But before jumping to conclusions about material handling problems, it’s always best to take a holistic approach. Martin Engineering’s team of experts work alongside maintenance teams and contractors to identify the root causes, specify the right solutions and deliver a return on your investment in improvement.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Ashwini Khunte, Regional Head – Sales and Marketing, Martin Engineering, brings experience from previous roles at Martin Engineering and Move Tech Conveyors. She holds a Bachelor of Engineering (BE) in Mechanical Engineering.

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Concrete

Ultra Concrete Age

Prof. A. S. Khanna (Retd., IIT Bombay) on how Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) improves strength, durability and lifecycle performance.

Published

1 week ago

April 1, 2026

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The need of present time is stronger buildings, industrial or common utility buildings, such as Malls, Railway stations, hospitals, offices, bridges etc. For this, there is need of long durable, tough and stable concrete, which could stand under normal and seismic conditions. Tough railway bridges are required for bullet trains to pass without any damage. Railway tunnels, sea-links, coastal roads, bridges and multistorey buildings, are the need of the hour. The question comes, is the normal cement called OPC is sufficient to take care of such requirements or better combination of cements and sand mixtures is required?

Introduction

A good stable building structure can be made with a good quality of cement+sand+water system. Its quality can be enhanced by keeping the density of admixture higher (varies from 30 in normal buildings to bridges etc to 80). Further enhancement in the properties of various cements admixtures is made by adding several additives which give additional strength, waterproofing, flexibility etc. These are called construction chemicals…

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Concrete

NCB Signs MoU With Cement Manufacturer To Boost Construction Skills

Partnership to deliver nationwide training and certification

Published

1 week ago

March 31, 2026

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The National Council for Cement and Building Materials (NCB) has signed a memorandum of understanding with a leading cement manufacturer to strengthen skill development and capacity building in the construction sector. The agreement was formalised at NCB premises in Ballabgarh and was signed by the Director General of NCB, Dr L. P. Singh, and the head of technical services at UltraTech Cement Limited, Er Rahul Goel. The collaboration seeks to bring institutional resources and industry expertise into a structured national training effort.

The partnership will deliver structured training and certification programmes across the country aimed at enhancing the capabilities of civil engineers, ready?mix concrete (RMC) professionals, contractors, construction workers and masons. Programme curricula will cover material quality testing, concrete mix proportioning, durability assessment and sustainable construction practices to support improved construction outcomes. Emphasis is to be placed on standardised assessment and certification to raise practice levels across diverse construction roles.

Practical learning elements will include workshops, site demonstrations, technical seminars and exposure visits to plants and RMC facilities to strengthen applied skills and on?site decision making. The Director General indicated confidence that a large number of professionals and workers would be trained over the next three to five years under the initiative. The partnership is designed to complement flagship government schemes such as the Skill India Mission and to align training outputs with national infrastructure priorities.

By combining the council’s technical mandate with industry experience, the initiative aims to develop a more skilled and quality?conscious workforce capable of meeting rising demand in infrastructure and housing. NCB will continue to coordinate programme delivery and quality assurance while industry partners provide practical exposure and technical inputs. The collaboration is expected to support long?term capacity building and more sustainable construction practices nationwide.

Concrete

JSW Cement Commissions Nagaur Plant, Enters North India

New Rajasthan unit boosts capacity to 24.1 MTPA and expands reach

Published

1 week ago

March 30, 2026

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JSW Cement has strengthened its national presence by commencing production at its greenfield integrated cement plant in Nagaur, Rajasthan, marking its entry into the north Indian market.

With this commissioning, the company’s installed grinding capacity has increased to 24.1 MTPA, while total clinker capacity, including its joint venture operations, stands at 9.74 MTPA.

The Nagaur facility comprises a 3.30 MTPA clinkerisation unit and a 2.50 MTPA cement grinding unit, with an additional 1.00 MTPA grinding capacity currently under development. Strategically located, the plant is positioned to serve high-growth markets across Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and the NCR.

The project has been funded through a mix of equity and long-term debt, with Rs 800 crore allocated from IPO proceeds towards part-financing the unit.

Parth Jindal, Managing Director, JSW Cement, stated that the commissioning marks a key milestone in the company’s ambition to become a pan-India player. He added that the project was completed within 21 months and positions the company to achieve its targeted capacity of 41.85 MTPA by FY29.

Nilesh Narwekar, CEO, JSW Cement, highlighted that the expansion aligns with the company’s strategy to tap into rapidly growing northern markets driven by infrastructure development. He noted that the company remains focused on delivering high-quality, eco-friendly cement solutions while progressing towards its long-term capacity goal of 60 MTPA.

The Nagaur plant has been designed with sustainability features, including co-processing of alternative fuels and a 7 km overland belt conveyor for limestone transport to reduce road emissions. The facility will also incorporate a 16 MW Waste Heat Recovery System to improve energy efficiency and lower its carbon footprint.

JSW Cement, part of the JSW Group, operates across the building materials value chain and currently has eight plants across India, along with a clinker unit in the UAE through its joint venture.