Integrating PureSteel® stainless steel belts into your industrial automation applications will optimize productivity and operational efficiency while lowering your operating costs. The durability, resilience, accuracy and reliability of PureSteel® belts make them a proven game-changer across a wide range of industries, from assembly and packaging to printing, plating and more!
Why Steel?
Welcome to industrial automation, optimized. Let us count the ways in which stainless steel is superior to traditional belt and chain materials. The list is long, including but not limited to:
- Durability Steel belts are able to withstand sustained exposure to extreme temperatures and hostile environments, including vacuums.
- High Strength-to-Weight Ratio An advantage in nearly every application!
- Lower Maintenance, Higher Reliability A steel belt is a single element, meaning it does not generate any component friction requiring lubrication. This improves reliability while reducing system maintenance demands.
- Cleanliness Unlike HTD or flat neoprene belts, metal belts do not generate particulate, making them ideal for food and pharmaceutical processing.
- Accuracy and Repeatability All our PureSteel® metal timing belts can be fabricated with a pitch accuracy of ±0.0005 inches station-to-station—an asset in designing indexing, positioning or processing equipment.
- No Static Buildup Our metal belts discharge static electricity, making them ideal for the manufacture of electronic components like integrated circuits and surface-mount devices.
- Non-stretchable Spring steels with a high modulus of elasticity make our metal belts virtually non-stretchable—ideal in high-performance applications for precision positioning.
- Cleanroom Compatible No lubricants required and no dust generation make our belts the perfect choice for clean room environments. Plus, they can be sterilized in an autoclave!
- Smooth Operation PureSteel® metal belts are free from the pulsation of chordal action and backlash often seen in other belt types and chains, resulting in precise translation of the control system motion profile.
Where It Works
Let’s examine some of the many diverse industries and applications that can benefit from our PureSteel® stainless steel metal belts.
3D printers
To construct complex parts quickly and cost effectively, many manufacturers elect to use 3D printers. PureSteel® endless belts and drive tapes improve printing quality and accuracy during production. As such, our experts are often called upon by 3D printer OEMs to develop and fabricate parts that aid in the 3D printing process.
Medical applications
A PureSteel® solid, stainless steel conveyor belt with a protective chromium oxide surface layer is the most ideal, long-lasting and sanitary surface for transporting medical equipment. Stainless steel has a smooth, impermeable surface that offers no opportunity for the invasion of microbes or bacteria. It also has a high resistance to corrosion, which allows our steel belts to be rigorously sanitized by high-pressure steam, high-pressure wash or chemical cleaning.
Automated assembly
Successful automated production requires reliable and accurate positioning, timing and fixturing. We have the tools to contribute to your success, producing an array of stainless steel conveyor belts, timing belts and drive tapes for a wide range of automated assembly equipment. Our engineers can deliver automation solutions to improve processes and production quality across the gamut of production industries.
Electronics manufacturing
Electronics manufacturing makes very specific demands of the materials used in production. PureSteel® belts including timing belts, tape casting belts and metal drive tapes deliver repeatable accuracy due to their optimal positioning, handling and smooth movement. This ensures efficient product throughput on the device without requiring significant downtime for maintenance and cleaning. Our belts are not susceptible to oxidation reactions and will not generate static electricity.
Semiconductor wafer fabrication
Smartphones. Smart cars. Smart homes. Microchips are everywhere, and manufacturing these complex devices requires sophisticated fabrication equipment and repetitive, complex processes. Advanced production of the silicon wafers that form microchips, also known as integrated circuits, requires the level of precise, repeatable accuracy delivered by our stainless steel belts, timing belts and drive tapes. Furthermore, our drive tapes do not outgas or generate particulates, making them ideal for the vacuum-sealed cleanroom environment in which the silicon wafers are manufactured.
Specialty packaging
Whether your packaging equipment is intended for the food processing industry, medical manufacturing applications or cosmetics manufacturing, maintaining health and safety standards is paramount. Our PureSteel® stainless steel belts provide a clean, safe and sanitary surface for all forms of specialty packaging applications and can easily be configured for efficient clean-in-place methods including chemical sprays, hot pressure washing or steam pressure.
Heat sealing
Our PureSteel® stainless steel heat sealing bands are ideal for mid- to high-volume production. They are resistant to impact and corrosion damage, perform well in high temperatures without warping, do not require lubrication, do not generate particulates and do not build up static electricity. Optional Teflon™ coating can further enhance the release properties and durability of heat sealing bands.
Casting/pasting/sintering
Stainless steel conveyor belts give the machine designer a consistent flat surface to perform casting, pasting and sintering operations. Our belts are the preferred choice to support manufacturing processes across an array of industries due to their resilience, thermal conductivity, clean and durable operation and smooth motion control.
Linear motion drives
Our PureSteel® stainless steel drive tapes significantly eliminate chordal vibration, motion loss and backlash that often result in inaccurate positioning. Because they are virtually non-stretchable and have a high strength-to-weight ratio, metal drive tapes provide the same precise positioning for their full operating lifespan.
Printing
PureSteel® stainless steel vacuum conveyor belt systems provide ultra-accurate part positioning, making them a superior conveying method for the printing industry. These belts offer flat, precise movement in all environments, assisting vacuum conveying of media in printing, cutting and substrate built-up. Our belts’ versatility and material benefits make them a superior choice for a variety of printing applications, assisting in achieving precise indexing, preventing paper jams, aiding in high-speed continuous commercial printing and ensuring smooth, reliable motion.
Plating
Before the plating process, the product must be prepared to ensure proper adhesion of the plating material to the surface. This preparation can include physically or chemically stripping the product of any other coatings, paint, rust or corrosion. Our belts are highly resistant to impact and chemical corrosion, with the ability to withstand aggressive chemicals and high-pressure washing.
Customized to Fit Your Needs
Whether you need a belt to operate in extreme temperatures, need a solution appropriate for a cleanroom, require a zero-backlash solution to drive robotics or require an antistatic medium, we have you covered.
Our team is happy to work with you to engineer an application-specific design that is easy to install and maintain. Call or request a quote online to get started.
