Loctite has just globally released a new product that can repair conveyor belts in less time and without solvents, being distributed in Australia and New Zealand by Henkel.
Designed to address the issue of damage and wear to conveyor belts, Loctite has developed PC 7350, a rubber repair PU resin that enables in situ repairs to be done extremely quickly and have the belt back in service in less than two hours.
The benefits of reducing curing times lead to less downtime, which can make a big difference to mines, quarries, fossil power industries and similar operations using conveyor belts. These tend to become damaged and worn over time.
Damage to conveyor belts can range from thinned areas, small cuts and tears which, if not addressed immediately, can grow bigger with time and eventually cause the entire belt to fail.
Depending on the type of conveyor belt, traditional repair methods have varied from hot vulcanising through mechanical fastening to cold vulcanising. Each of those methods has downsides, like requiring expensive, heavy equipment, reducing the tensile strength of the belt and requiring right-sized spare parts.
However, it’s now possible to use rubber repair PU resin, such as Loctite PC 7350, which is easy to apply, cures at room temperature and is resistant to chemicals and abrasion.
Kalyan Roychowdhury from Henkel told ABHR: “This is a new product that was launched internationally a few months ago, and more recently in the Australian market.”
He said the product provides two hours functional curing time with four to five minutes working time at room temperature. It has been welcomed by end users from North America and Asia due to these features, achieving strong sales since its launch.
Loctite’s new repair resin cures within two hours.
While the primary market is operators of conveyor belts, Mr Roychowdhury explains that the PU resin repair product can also be used in other applications.
“Apart from conveyor belts, the same product can be used to repair rubber parts on liners in mills, hoppers, chutes and feeder bowls,” he said.
“In terms of conveyor belts, the Loctite PC 7350 can be used to repair rips and tears and cuts on the skirt… it can get a belt back into operation within two hours.
“There are various products that can do a similar job but they take a longer time to cure,” said Mr Roychowdhury. “Conventional products can take six to seven hours to cure and many of the products on the market are solvent based which many mines and power plants are steering away from due to hazmat risks.
“The Loctite PC 7350 does not have any solvent-based compound and represents a big improvement in occupational health and safety and it is very easy to apply,” said Mr Roychowdhury.
The product also has excellent flexibility and high impact resistance. It can take a maximum temperature of 82 degrees, and can adhere to both natural and synthetic rubber and PVC.
Henkel is currently offering free sample conveyer belt repair kits to qualified customers in Australia and New Zealand. To find out more, click here.
For more information call 1300 885 556 or email loctite.enquiries@henkel.com