Safe guidance through Blickle solution

… is based in Germany, and is a global market leader in the field of polyurethane processing. The company has more than 750 employees, and generates an annual turnover of approximately 134 million euros. It established a subsidiary in Shanghai in 2008 with 88 employees. This subsidiary is the sales, research and development centre of the group.

The production facility has 118 conveyor belts on drive wheels which deliver refrigerator mold cores from the furnace to a variety of locations for storage and processing. These transfers take place for 5 to 10 minutes every three days at a speed of 0.7 feet per second. The conveyor belt is capable of transporting items weighing up to 2.5 tons which are distributed unevenly over the wheels. Several sections of the conveyor belt are located in furnaces which are kept at 158°F. After items leave these furnaces, they are transported at a temperature of 122°F.

The customer needed a reliable wheel to guide the component holders on the conveyor belts. They were also looking for a way to implement a drive concept while taking the space restrictions and high temperatures of the furnace into consideration.

A special flanged drive wheel with a hub groove was developed to ensure that the refrigerators were transferred smoothly and securely. The surface of the wheel was coated with Blickle Extrathane® polyurethane tread to guarantee shock absorption and reduced noise levels during transport.