The UK sawmilling industry is warming to detachable drive belts, according to Leeds-based equipment supplier BTL.
It says it has already met great success in marketing its belt products in Scandanivian mills and now UK companies are coming on board.
Its Nu-T-Link belts, featuring a detachable link design, have been installed at James Jones & Son Ltd’s Dumfries plant and are said to be creating time and money savings.
The BTL belts replaced conventional rubber belts on a Stenner 48 band saw and also roller conveyer drives. The previous saw belts were changed every four months and took three hours to fit whereas the new ones were fitted in 20 minutes and are still operating three years later.
The conveyer belt fitting time has been reduced from four hours to one hour and lifespan increased from one to two years.
The link design means that instead of having to dismantle equipment to fit new belts, the belt can be joined around the drive and sprung into place at the required tension.
