Thermoplastic Solutions for Food Processing & Conveyance

Plastics Reduce Wear

Selecting the optimal material inevitably improves the life of wear components. Moving parts or segments eventually require replacing. Plastics outperform metals by as much as 20x; less wear means a longer life span. 

Plastics Reduce Friction 

The more friction a conveyor has to overcome, the less efficient that conveyor will be. In other words, higher levels of drag in your conveyor result in increased electricity required to power it. With the costs of energy skyrocketing, this becomes increasingly critical to solving. 

Plastics Are Corrosion-Resistant

Plastics do not break down, they do not rust, and they do not decay. On the other hand, metals can become rusted or pitted from chemicals found in greases and cleaning solvents, leading to numerous issues. 

Plastics Are Lightweight

Plastics are typically lighter than metal. Lowering component weight helps to decrease the overall conveyor drag force. It also means you can increase the number of wear strips while maintaining the same weight!

Plastics Are Naturally Lubricated

Many plastics used to produce wear components have self-lubricating qualities and thus do not require the same level of maintenance. Plastics are ideal for complex conveyors or closed-looped systems. Simply put, they will not require the same level of lubrication.

Coefficient Of Friction (COF)

By decreasing the coefficient of friction, drive chains move more easily rendering the system more efficient with the added benefit of reducing the amount of power that is needed to drive the conveyor. 

Abrasion Resistance 

Abrasion resistance is a property that allows a material to resist wear. Excellent abrasion resistance of a material helps to withstand mechanical action and tends to protect the removal of materials from its surface. This allows the material to retain its integrity, not to mention last longer. Many materials are specifically formulated for high abrasion resistance. 

Thermal

Often conveyor materials need to withstand elevated heat environments. In this case one needs to understand the operating temperature of the plastic and match it to the application needs. COF and Thermal are co-dependent in the conveyor environment. 

Coefficient Of Thermal Linear Expansion (CLTE) 

CLTE is the rate at which the size of a material changes with respect to temperature change. It is critical to consider and properly match CLTE of the material to the requirements of the system in order to hold tolerance. 

Substrates for Diverse Sign and Graphic Applications

Our substrates are perfect for a variety of sign and graphic uses, such as interior and exterior signs, point-of-purchase displays, and tradeshow graphics. To meet your particular application requirements, we provide a variety of substrates, including pvc foam products such as Sintra, Gatorfoam, Gatorplast, Encore, Fome-core, and Palight, in various sizes and thicknesses.

Plastic Gears Are Lightweight

Plastic gears are typically lighter than metal. Reduced-weight gears consume less power and this reduces the size requirements for drive motors. Reduced weight also leads to increased line speeds that ultimately improve efficiency. 

Plastic is Resistant to Corrosion

Plastic does not break down when exposed to the caustic chemicals used during wash downs nor do they have a tendency to decay. Metal can become pitted creating fatigue as well as stress cracks. Plastic gears last much longer and have a more extensive operational life than those that are made of metal. 

Plastic Absorbs Shock Well

Plastics have greater flexibility than steel which gives them significantly higher levels of shock absorption. This is a particularly strong benefit where automation lines constantly stop and go, involving sudden bursts of energy resulting in shock load. 

Plastic Gears Can Be Made Larger and Stronger Than Metal Ones

The flexibility of plastics such as Nylon allows gears to be made much larger than their metal counterparts. When a gear is wider and thicker it becomes stronger and is able to bear more load. The transitioning force is spread across a larger cross section.

Plastics Have Internal Lubrication Properties

Many types of plastics have self-lubricating benefits. Self-lubrication is ideal in eliminating the need for maintenance engineers to constantly apply messy lubrications. Plastics gears are perfect for food processing and conveyor equipment since they reduce the need for production line shutdowns, and eliminate the need for pasty grease that traps unwanted contamination.