In carding, large rotating drums and smaller spiked rollers, more aggressive than during blending, separate and align individual fibers, removing clumps and ensuring they are distributed evenly, then the fibers are combed straightened and cleaned to form a very thin web.
Thousands of barbed needles mounted on a reciprocating board start forming a solid piece. As the needles penetrate the Web, their tiny barbs grab and entangle fibers, forcing them vertically through the layers. When the needles withdraw, they leave the fibers interlocked, no glue or heat is needed. A scrim, a woven polyester reinforcing layer, is introduced also to increase the strength of the belt material in terms of elongation.
Once the belt material is fully formed, it gets impregnated with nitrile rubber to increase the abrasion resistance and the density, it also gives the final color to the material. After the impregnation, the roll goes through a series of heated rollers to adjust the final thickness and improve abrasion resistance...
The roll then goes through an oven where it is heated under tension, so the fibers crystallize slightly, looking in the dimensions and reducing shrinkage during future use, it also helps to further cure the rubber impregnation.
Finally, the roll goes through a polishing calendar or polishing roller system where, under controlled pressure and temperature, the final belt gets compressed and smoothed by fusing final fiber ends and closing surface pores. The result is a dense, smooth and consistent material, with stabilized thickness and with minimal fiber shedding.
We hope you enjoyed reading how we produce our NOVO line of nitrile impregnated needled felt belts. If you ever have any questions about the content that we post, please feel free to reach out! We love to discuss anything that has to do with conveyor belting and accessories- we are a bit obsessed!