SOURCE: AGG-Net | March 25, 2026
Global bulk handling equipment specialists Martin Engineering have introduced a new generation of conveyor dust-control equipment, designed to tackle fugitive dust and spillage at transfer points.
Following extensive testing across multiple applications, the Martin Engineering ApronSeal urethane skirting, GravitySeal self-adjusting urethane skirting, and A.I.R. Control dust curtain have shown superior performance, providing effective containment without additional energy consumption. These systems can be retrofitted to existing conveyors and feature externally serviceable designs, enhancing safety and lowering operating costs.
‘When designing these, our focus was safety, performance, and longevity,’ said Bert Erdmann, global engineering manager of conveyor products at Martin Engineering. ‘Compliance and ease of maintenance are top-of-mind for our customers. We’ve discovered that passive dust and spillage control at the point of emission with safe maintenance built in is the most effective and economical method of containment.’
The ApronSeal urethane skirting provides effective multi-layer containment for fines, combining a primary strip shaped to the belt trough with an optional self-adjusting outer flap to trap dust and air. S
Requiring just 50mm of free belt space, it is said to be easy to install, externally maintainable, and supplied in modular sections with T-slot connections for longer chutes. Designed for belt speeds up to 4.5m/s, the low-abrasion, chemical-resistant urethane, also available in a high-temperature variant, offers reduced friction and longer wear life.
GravitySeal uses torsion arms to keep low-friction urethane skirting aligned with belt movement, maintaining a consistent seal that prevents spillage and reduces dust without the need for manual adjustment.
Designed for belt speeds up to 6.5m/s, it provides effective sealing with as little as 32mm of free edge on each side of the belt. The urethane sealing strip comes in continuous lengths up to 91.4m (300ft), with a wear life of 51mm (2in), and can be replaced quickly by removing the linchpins and fitting the pre-punched replacement.
Designed for enclosed transfer points, the A.I.R. Control dust curtain is a modular urethane system that a single worker can adjust or replace from outside the enclosure, eliminating confined-space entry and reducing service time to minutes. Slide-in cartridges feature individually adjustable flaps that can be cut to match the material angle, creating controlled recirculation zones that settle dust and significantly decrease airborne, and nuisance emissions compared with conventional slit-rubber curtains.
Installed on existing transfer points, ApronSeal, GravitySeal, and A.I.R. Control dust curtains offer effective passive dust control, improving air quality and safety without the cost or maintenance of powered systems.
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Martin Engineering was founded in 1944 by Edwin F. Peterson, a foundry pattern maker in a small Illinois town. The initial idea for the company’s inception came as he watched co-workers struggle to overcome sand blockages on the foundry’s mold-making machines by pounding on the hoppers with hammers. He was troubled by the safety risks, equipment damage and loss of productivity that resulted. Those concerns prompted him to design the Vibrolator® Industrial Vibrator, which uses the rotation of a single steel ball in a hardened steel raceway, propelled by compressed air. Patented in 1949, it was the first of the innovative products introduced by Martin Engineering to solve problems in bulk materials handling, and remains today as one of the world’s most accepted vibrators to facilitate the movement of bulk solids. From its beginning, the firm has been a family-owned, privately-held company.