Power transmission belts with coatings for the ceramics industry

Megadyne, a supplier of mechanical power transmission belts, offers a variety of coverings in different materials designed with for any specific requirement. Since they are produced together with the belt, they eliminate problems of detachment. These covers have been developed with different levels of hardness, thus ensuring perfect grip and optimum performance for any type of application.

For tile conveyance for the ceramics industry, belts with coatings such as Tenax, APL and AVAFC are normally used on rolling machines.

Tenax is a coating used for conveying abrasive materials, which has high-friction coefficient, and good resistance to wear and water. Tenax is made of natural gum, is coloured red (other colours are available) and applied by vulcanisation. It is available in two types, Tenax Standard and Tenax 40, with respectively hardness of 45 and 40 ShoreA, 07 and 0.75 friction coefficient, thickness from 0.8 to 15mm and temperature range from -20°C to +60°C.

Another application for the tile industry is a special layout with two sets of belts coated with Tenax in parallel and two others with AVAFC coating. The upper belt coated with Tenax is softer and has a good grip, since it presses the tile, keeping it in position; while the lower one, coated with AVAFC, has an excellent resistance to abrasion. In these applications it is important that the belt does not stretch, for this reason trapezoidal metric steps guarantee a better charge distribution and a more uniform wear. Moreover, belts are extruded in set, in order to have a perfect synchronisation during conveying. Stainless steel cables are recommended for the belts, if the machine is lubricated with water to reduce dusts arising from these manufacturing processes.

APL is a coating coextruded above the jointed belt, in this case, the belt is used as a standard conveyor, with tiles on its back side to be conveyed along the production line. APL is a red mix polyurethane PVC, has good resistance to abrasion and 0.7 friction coefficient. It has 3.5mm thickness, 55 ShA and working range between -20 and +60°C.

Moreover, Megadyne offers custom-made products for specific requirements, making compatibility tests and technical checks on the products in order to improve the service life of the belts. For a serigraph printing process, Megadyne offers belts whose compound is designed and tested for each individual case considering the type of ink and chemical elements used for tile colouring, in order to find the best solution assuring excellent performance of the belts in every specific manufacturing process.