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Steel belts pack a punch

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Nov 19, 2003

The diverse and complex nature of the packing industry opens up a multitude of design applications for the stainless-steel belt range supplied by Belt Technologies Europe.

The diverse and complex nature of the packing industry opens up a multitude of design applications for the stainless steel belt range supplied by Belt Technologies Europe.

Steel belts provide machine builders and engineers with many advantages beyond the scope of regular rubber belts, link and chain belts.

Made of high-modulus spring steels, they are strong, light and essentially non-stretchable.

A key requirement in certain packaging fields is cleanliness, and in this area stainless steel belts are unsurpassable.

Clean room compatible, they are easy to clean and can stand up to the most aggressive cleaning agents.

Steel belts also do not generate particulate thus avoiding any potential contamination problems.

Furthermore, there is no need for belt lubrication as steel belts run smoothly and quietly.

Current applications in packaging are numerous and include the following.

Due to their cleanliness and excellent repeatability, perforated steel belts perform a valuable role in the beverage industry.

Very tight pitch-to-pitch tolerances can be offered by perforating the belts with advanced proprietary tool technologies.

Steel belts can be coated with various grades of Teflon to provide a heat resistant surface with excellent release characteristics.

The sealing of plastic bags and tubes, such as those containing toothpaste for instance, by using steel belts is now very widely spread.

Other coating options include silicone, urethane and neoprene.

The precision and repeatability characteristics of steel belts play a vital role in printing and application of labels to cylindrical containers.

Steel belts will repeat back to the same spot with an accuracy of 0.05-0.127mm, making them ideal for certain pick and place applications.

Custom perforating of steel belts to match an application's exact requirements is helpful in vacuum transfer of products in certain packaging applications.

Use of steel belts in the packaging of pharmaceutical products has increased dramatically.

Their sterile properties and accuracy enable manufacturers to build custom designed machinery for voluminous production and filling of medical vials at high speed.

High speed wrapping in the confectionary industry takes advantage of the durability and high strength to weight ratio steel belts offer.

The high temperature resistance of steel belts of up to 420C can provide precise, controllable and thorough cooking of food on the belt in the packaging line.

The addition of precisely located attachments on steel belts - be they welded, screwed or riveted to the belt - offer many other opportunities in packaging applications.

Increasingly, designers and engineers worldwide utilise the advantages of steel belt technology in resolving problems with applications which are encountered with other types of belts.

Most belts are designed to match customers' exact requirements and can provide cost effective solutions that can increase productivity by introducing efficiencies into particular applications.

As more demanding applications are developed, the frequency of use of this unique range of products is on the increase.