Particleboard producer solves tracking issues in tray loader and saves €31,000 a year – Case study
A particleboard manufacturer was using an application whereby instead of being transferred to a continuous press after the forming line, panels are transferred to a tray loader, where they are compressed to the final thickness. The trays are loaded with the panels and the press closes for around 10 minutes. There are 12 trays including 4 belts each (300mm wide x 20m long), resulting in a total of 48 belts.
Resistant to high temperatures and humidity
The panel producer was dissatisfied with its existing belts on this application, since they needed to be changed every two to three months due to stretching and elongation. Thus, the producer wanted a belt with an extended lifetime that did not stretch or elongate at high temperatures. In this application, belts also need to be resistant to humidity, as well suitable for use with small nosebars.
Habasit suggested our ENT-12EEWL belt, which resists stretching and elongation. Although the cost of this belt was approximately 40% higher than their existing belt, our belt has a 400% longer lifetime. Looking at annual costs, the Habasit belt cost 2.4 times less. As there were 48 belts installed on this application, the customer’s total annual cost savings for the belts amounted to almost €31,000.
Savings on installation time and tracking issues solved
The belt only needs to be tensioned once, while the previous belt needed to be tensioned multiple times, causing constant re-tracking issues. The Habasit solution not only solved the elongation problem, the customer also stated that our belts are easier to install – saving them time on installation. As a result, the customer ordered 48 more of these belts.
