A Visual Early Warning for Bearing Failure
In most cases, a conveyor roller gives a warning before it fails. Long before the bearing seizes, friction starts to build up inside the roller as lubrication degrades, contaminants get into the bearing and the temperature rises. The challenge is noticing this early enough.
For this reason, GURTEC developed the innovative Visual Condition Monitoring (VCM) system, a simple visual indicator that shows overheating bearings at a glance before they fail.
The new Visual Condition Monitoring (VCM)
VCM is a condition monitoring feature integrated directly into GURTEC conveyor rollers. A heat-sensitive indicator on the end of the roller axle changes colour when the bearing temperature reaches 80 °C. Under normal operating conditions the indicator stays white. If the bearing starts to overheat, it turns red. The colour change is irreversible, so the warning remains visible even after the roller has cooled down.
Bearing problems become visible
A single conveyor can have thousands of rollers, and finding the one critical roller is difficult. From the outside, most rollers look completely normal, even when damage is already developing inside. If the problem goes unnoticed, the consequences can be serious.
With VCM, each roller shows its own condition, so there is no need for manual measurements or complex monitoring systems. Maintenance staff can spot overheating rollers during their routine inspection walks.
Early warning without extra equipment
Most conveyor operators want to deal with problems before they turn into failures. The difficulty lies in getting reliable information without making the system more complex.
When a bearing runs too hot, the VCM indicator gives an early visual warning. Maintenance teams can then replace the roller during a planned service interval rather than reacting to an unplanned shutdown.
The benefits for operators:
- Less unplanned downtime
- Lower risk of belt damage
- Reduced fire risk
- Better maintenance planning
- Higher conveyor safety
And this works without sensors, power supply or wiring.
Usable in numerous applications
VCM was designed for harsh environments. Since the indicator works completely passively, it stays reliable in dust, moisture, vibration and impacts. There are no electronic components that could fail and no infrastructure that has to be installed or maintained. The only requirement is that the end of the roller shaft is visible.
This makes VCM suitable for conveyors in:
- Mining
- Ports and terminals
- Quarries and aggregate plants
- Cement plants
- Power plants
It can be used wherever production depends on reliable conveyor rollers.
From coffee mug to conveyor roller
Ismail Ayoun, Sales Director at GURTEC, was in a discussion about bearing temperatures when he noticed a colour-changing coffee mug on the table. Hot coffee was poured in, and within seconds the mug changed colour. He asked himself why a conveyor roller couldn’t do the same.
GURTEC developed the idea further, tested it on rollers and had it patented. Today VCM helps conveyor operators find overheating bearings before they cause a breakdown.
Looking for a simpler way to identify failing bearings?
Don’t hesitate to contact our sales team to learn more about VCM.
