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BELTS, PULLEYS & CHAINS PRODUCTION EFFICIENCY BELT UP TO BOOST
FEATURE
In a tyre production plant, several different conveyor belt types – plastic modular belts, PVC or polyurethane fabric belts, and timing belts – are
used at any given time. Jens Niepmann, global manager for automotive and tyre at conveyor and power transmission belt specialist Habasit, explores the impact of a well thought-out belt choice on production efficiency
I
n 2026, 2.8 billion tyres are expected to be produced globally, with the market expected to experience a compound annual growth
rate of 4.3% per year between 2022 and 2026, according to market research by Smithers. Growth will be strongest in specialty tyre segments, driven by an increase in the sale of crossover and sports utility vehicles (CUVs and SUVs). To meet this demand, manufacturers must increase the efficiency of production. A tyre manufacturing plant may have
multiple different types of conveyor belts in operation at any one time, depending on production capacity. As a result, sourcing efficient, robust and reliable conveyor belts will help manufacturers remain productive.
MATERIAL CHOICES Conveyor belts are used in most stages of the tyre production line, including in the weighing and mixing of raw materials. This is a batch process where materials are weighed out and kneaded in a Banbury mixer. Sometimes reaching 180˚C and weighing up to 600 kilograms, the resulting master batch is rolled out by a rolling mill directly onto a belt to produce a long band of sticky, hot, and chemically active non-vulcanised rubber. Manufacturers are adopting plastic modular
belts made from polypropylene or polyamide more frequently for this process because you
can replace one damaged module without needing to overhaul the entire belt. However, polypropylene has a contact temperature of just 105 -120˚C, which sometimes doesn’t give it enough temperature resistance for the master batch from the Banbury mixer. Polyamide is temperature stable enough to cope with the heat from the master batch, but after months of repeated contact with corrosive chemicals, even this strong material becomes brittle, and it loses strength and mechanical robustness. To tackle this, Habasit’s R&D team has
developed and tested a new material for the company’s plastic modular belts, which combines the chemical resistance of polypropylene with the abrasion and high- temperature resistance of polyamide. Handled easily, like traditional plastic modular belts, the material itself covers a contact temperature up to 180˚C. Therefore, they are ideal for transporting the master batch at high temperatures and manufacturers need not worry about belt longevity.
ENSURING PRODUCT SAFETY While increasing production efficiency is important for manufacturers, the safety and integrity of the final product is still a priority. This is why synchronous conveying and precise product positioning is a consideration for belts used in
the cutting, slitting, and tyre building stages. Coming from the calendaring process,
where the rubber slabs are reinforced with steel or aramid cords, slabs are cut to the desired contour pattern, and fit around a building drum when being assembled. Habasit’s HabaSYNC range of wide timing belts are a good choice for this application because they have wide surfaces up to 24 inches and are made using a specific thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) with outstanding chemical resistance. Due to the aramid reinforcement, the wide
timing belts have good mechanical strength. Furthermore, an optional polyamide (PA) fabric on both the conveying and/or teeth side of the belt provides additional abrasion and cut resistance and easy-release properties. Using the patented PA hinge joint for wide timing belts, manufacturers can benefit from making their production lines wider, faster, well maintained, and runtime efficient. During a period when the tyre industry
faces supply chain disruptions and increased competition, it’s clear that manufacturers need to be sourcing the right conveyor belts to boost production efficiency.
Habasit T +41 61 715 1515
www.habasit.com
OCTOBER 2022 DESIGN SOLUTIONS 53
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