Keeping the Belts of Industry Moving

Transcription

1 Keeping the Belts of Industry Moving Saving You Time, Saving You Money Industrial Products Unit 2, th Avenue, Delta, B.C. V4L 1C4 Canada

2 BELTFIX 102 Rubber and conveyor belt repair compound BELTFIX 102 is a polymer material incorporating the latest technology for conveyor and other rubber repairs. It has been stringently tested and proved highly successful in these and other applications. Our Canadian Company is solely responsible for the development, formulation, manufacture, and sales of Beltfix. A Single Compound conveyor belt repair product This product was developed to repair conveyor belts in several mainstream industries. The belt repair product is based on thermoplastic elastomer technology. To apply, the granulated product is melted and the fluid is used to fill the damaged area. Elastomeric links form during cooling and bond the patch to the parent material. The repaired belt can be put back into production within 30 minutes. This repair process reduces costly downtime considerably and has several extremely valuable competitive advantages: One Part system; there is no measuring and mixing of separate components. Indefinite shelf-life; contains no volatile components that degrade over time or with exposure to oxygen. Excellent adhesion; works with all conveyor belts and many other applications. Cures completely within 30 minutes; enables belts to be fixed in situ and put immediately back in use after repair. Easily used by unskilled employees; require no extensive training or special tools for use. Non-toxic and environmentally friendly; neither raw Beltfix nor repaired belts require special storage or disposal. 1

3 Introduction The development of Beltfix 102 has been focused on conveyor belt repair because of the high cost of down time on production lines and the importance of maintenance of conveyor belts and associated systems. Tears, rips, and worn spots are common occurrences in conveyor belts as an unavoidable outcome of the materials handling process. Tears or other damage to a belt concentrates stress at the damaged area and increases the likelihood of total belt failure. Conveyor belts are highly resistant to tearing when whole, but when a small tear or notch does develop, it destroys the integrity of the belt allowing further tearing to occur with little pressure. Beltfix 102 bonds the torn surfaces together, removing the defect and preventing further tearing. Holes and worn spots in the conveyor belt allow material to fall through the belt. This rapidly leads to blockages, contamination, and damage to the drive mechanism. Beltfix 102 bonds to all remaining surfaces at the hole or worn spot and fill in any gaps, preventing materials loss and further expansion of the hole. All Beltfix repairs can be made without removing the conveyor belt from the rollers. Tears, rips, and holes in a conveyor belt can become a worker safety hazard in the work place. Thus, a quick, easy, and long lasting repair will extend the life of the belt, reduce maintenance costs and down time and avoid unnecessary damages to other parts of the equipment. Most importantly, it contributes to a safe work environment. For 30 years conveyor belt repair has been dominated by two-component polyurethane systems which required specific skills and tools, and often complete belt removal, for their use. We have a better idea: Beltfix 102, a simple one component repair product that requires little training to use and can be used while the belt is in place. 2

4 Conveyor belt materials The rubber in a conveyor belt is a long chain polymer with high flexibility and abrasion resistance. The rubber molecules are all connected by chemical bonds which hold the polymer chains together. In current belt technology, this chemical cross-linking is achieved by vulcanization; the use of cross-linking agents (e.g., sulphur), heat and high pressure. The disadvantage of conventional rubber repair is that it can be processed only once. The chemical cross-linking prevents subsequent melting of the material (i.e., it cannot revert to a liquid state but degrades irreversibly if temperature is raised too high). Unlike rubber, thermoplastic materials can be shaped repeatedly by heat processing. They crystallize on cooling to form strong but stiff materials, suitable for conveyor belts and other rubber repair. Modern technology combines the desirable properties of polymers and thermoplastics in a new class of materials: thermoplastic rubbers. At processing temperatures the material is a liquid and can be shaped like ordinary plastics. While cooling, the hard segments tend to aggregate and crystallize forming physical cross-links. The softer segments do not crystallize and contribute to the rubbery nature of these materials. In these materials the cross-links are not permanent and can be removed by heating above the melting point of the hard segments. Beltfix Industrial Products Beltfix Industrial Products uses a recent modification of thermoplastic technology, called elastomers, in the development of Beltfix 102. At room temperature the material is in a cross-linked state with physical properties approaching those of a filled stiff rubber. On the application of heat the effective cross-links are removed and the material becomes a gel and can be readily shaped to repair damaged conveyor belts. Upon cooling, the material is once again cross-linked. 3

5 The product offers several advantages over others. It cures faster, usually within half an hour. Downtime with Beltfix 102 can be as low as 15 minutes compared to the several hours required for curing conventional polyurethane systems. Beltfix 102 also has completely controllable consistency in the melted state. Conversely, Polyurethane systems have a very low viscosity right after mixing which makes them unsuitable for repairing belts running at an incline. As curing proceeds, viscosity increases rapidly, resulting in a limited shaping time. The application viscosity of Beltfix 102 can easily be adjusted to suit the operator by the controlling the amount and duration of applied heat, thus making it suitable for the in-place repair of inclined belts. Beltfix 102 may even be applied by an open flame, displaying its flame retardant principles. Excessive application of heat will cause its properties to degrade, but the range before which degradation occurs is wide. Beltfix has excellent adhesion to rubber and metal, making it eminently suitable as a cover for metal clips used for joining snapped belts. Beltfix 102 has a very long shelf life with no degradation of properties, and is non-toxic both in storage and in use. Minimal training is required to successfully use Beltfix 102. BELTFIX KEEPING THE BELTS OF INDUSTRY MOVING! 4