Gates switches to ethylene elastomers for upgraded V-belts

Luxembourg – Gates Corp. is "significantly upgrading" its line of ‘bandless V-belts’ with a new rubber compound and the expansion of production in Europe, the company announced 30 Aug.

The US supplier is changing the composition of its ‘super high capacity (HC) moulded notch (MN)’ V-belts from chloroprene rubber (CR) materials to ethylene elastomer compounds.

Furthermore, Gates said it has started the manufacturing the belts as well as its ethylene elastomer-based ‘Tri-Power V-belts’ in Europe in July, to shorten lead times and increase availability.

The olefinic polymer-based products, according to Gates, provide “a longer service life” due to higher wear resistance.

They can also be used in extreme temperatures, with the ability to operate in conditions ranging from -51 degrees Celsius up to 121 degrees Celsius.

Traditional chloroprene belts generally, Gates pointed out, can withstand only up to 60 degrees Celsius.

The narrow cross-section ‘Super HC MN’, according to Gates, meets increased load capacity for new drive designs, while Tri-Power has a “classical section” suitable for existing pulleys and drives.

The flexible, notched belts, Gates noted, have a high power-density, allowing for use of smaller pulleys (narrower sheaves) to reduce stress on equipment.

According to Gates, a 15% increased capacity (across size ranges and versus banded belts) provides the option of using compact drives due to “a significant decrease in minimum pulley diameter.”

Gates Super HC MN and Tri-Power V-belts are suitable for a wide range of general industrial applications, from beverage bottling plants to mixing and grinding facilities.