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.
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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.
Slippery Plastic Smackdown!
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.
At Slideways, we’re all about the components our customers need to maintain and optimize packaging systems, conveyors, and other material handling systems for moving packages and products. No matter what industry or application you’re involved with, we’ve got the components you need to keep your system up and running.
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 for any number of applications, including unit material handling systems, food processing equipment, and conveyor chain and belt returns.
Slider beds are guides used to improve the life and performance of the various types of timing belts. Timing belts are normally used in conveying applications that require accurate placement and/or positioning.
The benefits of standard plastic machinery components are many. Today’s plastics are marvels of advanced engineering, just as strong and chemical- and heat-resistant as many metal alloys. That’s why standard plastic machinery components are a great option for many commercial and industrial processes, machines, and systems.
Virtually every materials handling system, such as a conveyor system, is subject to advanced wear caused primarily by friction. Conveyor components – no matter how durable and well-made – eventually wear out, often causing unnecessary downtime and added expense..
Ultra-High Molecular Weight (UHMW) is the highest quality polyethylene (PE) available, engineered for extreme performance and a wide range of applications. Because UHMW plastics resist so many different kinds of abuse we use it for machining plastic components and chain guides destined for high-wear operations such as commercial and industrial conveyor systems.
