Customer demand for online retail goods, along with a proliferation of product packaging options, has led to significant demands for product handling equipment uptime and belt life expectancy for packaging equipment applications that includes case erecting, box filling, and box closing equipment. Belts today must provide the right combination of high friction, low wear, and anti-glazing features to ensure packaging line efficiency.
How manufacturers select their belting compounds can make a difference in the life expectancy and overall maintenance costs of a belt.
To address this common industry issue of belting compound inefficiency, Belt Corporation of America developed DuraTaq™, a specially formulated rubber material that can be molded to most of our available belt substrates. The molding process creates a truly endless cover without any weak spots created by splices in traditional fabricated methods.
Features of the DuraTaq™ Compound
- Abrasion tested for tough applications: in independent testing, DuraTaq™ provided a higher COF than other well-known high friction rubber materials against paper and corrugated materials, while offering 50% less wear in Taber abrasion testing.
- Properties that withstand friction: DuraTaq™ is available in 45A hardness, and for applications where wear resistance is more important than friction, DuraTaq™ Plus is offered in 60A hardness.
- Chemical resistance: resistant to alcohols, ethylene glycol, and water.
Case Study Results: Belting Compound Upgrades
For a customer in the pharmaceutical paper folding business, the compound used for their belting proved to be a growing problem affecting uptime. The existing belting compound was sufficient but had issues when it came to durability and wear, resulting in a need for replacement every 200,000 to 300,000 cycles. The company sought to resolve the problem, turning to BCA for a cost-effective solution. After becoming familiar with DuraTaq™, the customer tested the compound as a potential solution to their problem.
During the course of the test, they experienced the compound’s longevity and resistance to wear and decided to integrate DuraTaq™ in place of all of the belts in their machinery. Ultimately, the decision to move to DuraTaq™ provided the client with 7.5 million fold cycles onwards, changing only for normally scheduled maintenance.
Discover More About DuraTaq™
To learn about DuraTaq’s features, access a copy of our eBook. Inside, this compound is compared to other compounds for belting covers in terms of strength, elongation, and abrasion resistance.
At Belt Corporation of America, we work to provide superior products for your applications. Your processes and our materials come together to create solutions. If you have any questions about our belting covers or capabilities, contact our custom belting solution experts today.