Many of our customers have extensive machine shops. So why is Slideways machining their plastic parts? It’s a few things that add up to a better solution for our customers.
PackExpo International 2022 was a great success for Slideways and the Packaging Machinery industry. With masks and social distancing behind us, it was so nice to share a smile and a handshake with visitors to the Slideways booth. Component suppliers and machinery OEMs pulled out all the stops with extensive booths showing their products and machines loaded with the latest technology.
Here are 4 observations from the show.
Plastic sprockets are a fundamental part of any food conveyor system or food processing machinery. Plastics have long been identified as some of the safest and most efficient materials for use in the food handling industry. Plastic properties such as wear resistance, wide operating temperature ranges, and superior tensile strength offer many benefits. Plastic sprockets are lightweight, durable, and easy to clean, which provides food handling equipment manufacturers with a reliable and versatile component for use in a variety of food preparation and transportation systems.
Slideways manufactures precision plastic parts for conveyors and packaging machinery. This market encompasses a variety of unique applications that require different part tolerancing considerations. Factors affecting part tolerance include application, part size, and material. This blog will explain the typical applications and materials Slideways works with when designing conveyor and packaging machinery components.
Pack Expo 2021 was an excellent experience for me and the rest of the Slideways team. After over a year of being locked down, it was energizing to interact in person. Though Slideways exhibited in the 2020 Virtual Pack Expo, it was missing the spontaneity that comes with a face-to-face conversation. This year at Pack Expo, casual chats lead to discussions of opportunities that would have likely been missed during a virtual meeting.
Slideways will be exhibiting at PackExpo 2021 in Las Vegas on September 27-29. The Slideways booth will feature a full range of UHMW extruded profiles and guide rails in addition to other materials that meet FDA, USDA, and pharmaceutical requirements. Examples of Slideways’ custom CNC machining capability of plastic materials will also be on display.
UHMW (ultra high molecular weight polyethylene) plastic is the choice material for conveyors and packaging machinery. Its unique properties, ease of fabrication, and low-cost make it the optimal selection for this industry. Its ability to handle abrasion, impact, corrosive cleaning solutions, and wet environments enables UHMW to stand up to extensive wear and tear. Additionally, its dampening properties reduce conveyor noise and vibration. Made in large sheets for big or long parts, UHMW machines easily and can be extruded into complex profiles with thick or thin cross-sections. All these attributes make UHMW a great option for machine builders and maintenance personnel that are concerned with price, extending the life of initial installations, and repairs.
Slideways frequently fields quote requests for parts made of Teflon™, the brand name for PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene). Once learning more about the application, we usually determine a UHMW (ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene) part is needed. Teflon has a place in packaging machinery, but it is not the go-to material until some specific operating conditions are met.
Does your packaging system, conveyors, or material handling system require you to keep systems up and running for moving packages and products? If so, you may need plastic components that are custom-made to fit your application.
How “custom” is a custom roller? At Slideways, the short answer is “as custom as you need it.”
We have extensive experience in manufacturing all kinds of conveyor system rollers in a wide range of materials (not just plastic). Our plastic conveyor rollers suit any number of applications, including unit material handling systems, food processing equipment, and conveyor chain and belt returns.
Slideways is a manufacturer of high quality engineered plastic extrusions and wear components since 1994.
