However, evolving flat-belt conveyor technology now seems to be breaking the conventional chain of thought and eliminating the inherent risks associated with rolling cars through a carwash tunnel.
A Costly Rub
Steel guide rails are an absolute necessity with chain-and-roller conveyors because they act as a corral to keep wheels from running astray and causing damage. However, if the rail is too low, the wheel may wander outside the proper tracking area and cause damage or create needless delays. On the other hand, if guide rails are too high, there is a risk of damaging costly wheels and getting hung up on undercarriages with lower clearances.
As wheels and tires are built with wider profiles, rail clearance must adjust to those individual needs. Some vehicles won’t fit into guide-rail conveyors, resulting in a loss of business. With custom wheels reaching a high level of customer popularity, accidental rubs, scratches and scuffs can put carwash operators at risk of losing customers or increasing costly claims for repair or replacement.
A Sensible Alternative
If damages and restrictive exclusions begin to keep away some vehicles with expensive wheels or low-profile tires and undercarriages, a sensible option is needed. Improvement is part of the continuing evolutionary process in any business. Accordingly, conveyorized carwash improvement most likely requires a safer, more user-friendly way to convey cars.
This challenge was addressed by a research “think tank” comprised of industry experts and industrial engineers who decided a logical conclusion was to move the floor, not the vehicle. While not moving the entire floor, the new innovation does use a flat plastic conveyor belt to replace the traditional guide-railed, roller-and-chain conveyor system. This eliminates a number of risks and costly exposures, including guide-rail damages and limited access to low-profile vehicles.
Touch-Free Distinction
Flat-belt conveyors offer a profound, very visible change to automatic carwashing. A particularly intensive consumer study done by a major oil company confirmed that consumers prefer flat belts to guide-railed conventional systems that use rollers and chains. Consumer feedback from those who drive their own vehicles onto conveyors also registered a significant dislike for the correlator because customers sensed a potential risk for damage to wheel alignment or their vehicle’s undercarriage. Most customers found the self-entry alignment task a bit daunting due to unintended bumps and rubs.
In contrast, consumers with exposure to flat-belt conveyors perceive them as being much safer for their vehicles, especially tires and rims. Those who ride through carwashes on these belts also find them much smoother and quieter than conventional conveyors. In addition, customers who self-load their vehicles are delighted to not have to negotiate a correlator and risk banging up their wheels.
Flat-belt conveyors that utilize a separate belt for loading also are favored by consumers because they make entry into the carwash as easy and stress-free as entering and parking in their own garage. Hassle-free systems make sense.
Operators who have installed flat-belt conveyors believe these systems greatly reduce vehicle damage incidents and risks for potential injuries. They like that the vehicle’s transmission is in “park” while on the conveyor, and the car is not rolling through the wash, which previously required more stringent oversight.
Cost Considerations
Investing in a flat-belt conveyor is costly when compared to conventional chain-and-roller systems. Unless operators can appreciate the benefits associated with the improved methodology, paying more to move a vehicle through the tunnel might seem like an extravagance.
However, the benefits connected to the new technology may provide operators with a potent competitive advantage to offer their clientele, while conspicuously distinguishing facilities from others in their marketplace.
When calculating a return-on-investment estimate, be sure to consider (and include) the beneficial marketing attributes that are associated with a flat-belt conveyor upgrade.
A Quicker Picker-Upper
Conventional conveyors require waiting for a roller-up switch to be activated and randomly available, thus creating delays. Although the slowdown is small, the time adds up and throughput is often compromised. Moving-floor conveyors optimize throughput capacity because they are always available to move a vehicle and are consistently gap free. As a result, overall process efficiency increases exponentially.
When all things are considered, ultra-quiet, smooth-gliding conveyor belts seem to make good business sense for automatic carwashing. They are demonstrably safe, offer unrestricted access, enable damage-free vehicle