Industrial maintenance requires fast and firm adhesion of substrates and materials such as plastics, metals, and rubber. The advent of instant adhesive allowed for quick bonding between two surfaces—ready to use in three minutes and continuing to strengthen with time achieving optimal strength within 24 hours of application. Read more
As a valuable commodity, the sugar industry generates around $4 billion for the Australian economy every year. Read more
When you work in the grain handling business, ensuring your conveyor equipment is in tip top condition for harvest season is essential. Which is why Kerry Hickmott leans on BSC in Toowoomba for the support and supply of LOCTITE®product for preventative maintenance and belt repair.
“I run a workshop that primarily builds and repairs grain handling equipment for a major grain producer,” explains Kerry. “In Queensland we have two harvest seasons for grain – these fall over spring and summer. For this reason, we carry out maintenance and repair work from April through to September to make sure the equipment is in good condition for harvest.”
Grain belts are, of course, critical to these operations. Business Development Executive for BSC in Toowoomba, Mark Brocherie, explains why.
“When it comes to handling the grain, conveyor belts are commonly used. This rubber belting can tear from time to time,” he says. “If you do have a tear in the belt, it can lead to premature failure and consequently cause a lot of damage, including a potential breakdown.”
According to Kerry, breakdowns have to be avoided at all costs.
“Downtime is not an option for us – if it does occur, it has serious implications for our business, not just in terms of immediate costs but in how those subsequent delays will affect our customers,” expounds Kerry. “It’s a competitive business. If people are waiting too long to drop their grain off, they will call another grain depot to make alternative arrangements.”
LOCTITE anaerobic adhesives have become synonymous with agricultural equipment assembly and maintenance. BSC Product Manager for Adhesives & Sealants, Michael Rowe, explains how LOCTITE threadlockers should be used in the field to provide maximum reliability of locking components into place.
“Thermal cycling is as big a problem for fasteners as vibration from the actual machine use is. Generally, agricultural equipment is used outdoors and parked or stored outdoors, so it is exposed to all the elements – heat, morning frosts, rain and so on,” explains Michael.
As an application engineer with Henkel Australia, Rocco Mammoliti has held hundreds of LOCTITE maintenance and repair workshops for BSC customers over the years, but there was one such event that still brings a smile to his face every time he recalls it.
“One of the most memorable maintenance, repair and operation (MRO) workshops I’ve ever held was when I had just started working with Henkel a few years ago and I was invited by BSC to present an MRO workshop in the regional town of Koolunga in South Australia,” says Rocco.
“As I parked my mobile training truck at the local agricultural equipment store in this one-horse type town, I found that a crowd of 45 to 50 farmers had turned up for the day. As it happened, that day was very windy so the farmers could not spray their crops and had all decided to join the training, which was amazing because it gave me the opportunity to have great interactions with the farmers. I was also amazed at the farmers’ knowledge of the LOCTITE products. It eventually led to a great day of sales for the business that had invited me there.”
The MRO workshops, as BSC product manager Michael Rowe elaborates, are part of Henkel Australia’s support for the LOCTITE product distributors and end-users alike, wherein experts from Henkel review common failure causes and prevention methods within the relevant industry sector, offering guidance and product knowledge as needed.
“BSC can help organise these workshops for anyone interested to benefit from them. The ultimate goal here is to improve reliability and save time for BSC customers by increasing their knowledge of the products they sell or use.”
A full MRO workshop can take up to 3.5 hours, but Rocco says the Henkel team can also offer condensed versions, introducing the full range of the LOCTITE MRO products from threadlockers to thread sealants, gasket sealants, retaining compounds and instant adhesives. The Henkel team also has the capability of delivering virtual MRO workshops by using advanced online video conferencing tools and have been executing these with great success. This ensures that every customer is looked after and receives the support they need.
“What we often find in these workshops is that the product users, such as the farmers and maintenance specialists, have a fair knowledge of the products they are using. They just need some guidance around the applications,” says Rocco. “We help them understand why and how a product hasn’t worked for their specific application, which is often because the wrong product has been used. It also gives us an opportunity to introduce the latest improvements in the LOCTITE product range.”
While on the topic of improvements in the LOCTITE anaerobic range, Rocco mentions the new global packaging adopted by LOCTITE this year.
“The change in packaging started as an exercise to verify the authenticity of our product range, so customers could be sure their product was not counterfeit. But it became an opportunity to include more product detail and information for customers. By scanning the QR code, customers will have access to the online portal where there is technical data, as well as how-to videos and a mobile product selector guide,” says Rocco.
“We have also recently introduced the LOCTITE 518 Gasket Maker Pen, which makes the job of gasketing metal surfaces, including the disassembled transfer cases on tractors, so much easier for the farmers.”
As a company, Rocco says LOCTITE is constantly improving the formulation of its products. He uses the example of the LOCTITE Instant Adhesive – popularly known as the Super Glue – to demonstrate this.
“When LOCTITE bought the Super Glue technology from Eastman Kodak back in the 1960s, the maximum temperature tolerance of the product was around 70 degrees Celsius. LOCTITE improved that so that now, the LOCTITE Instant Adhesive can withstand temperatures as high as 120 degrees Celsius. Similar technology advancements have been implemented across the entire product range, making them better year after year.”
Back in context, Rocco says the LOCTITE MRO workshops further offer an opportunity for LOCTITE to understand the needs of its customers better.
“As they say, we learn something new every day and what better way to learn than by listening to our customers?”
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Excessive corrosion and the subsequent seizure of metal connections is a common problem with assemblies in all industries, particularly so in high-moisture environments in the food industry. When nuts and bolts in the equipment seize up, it makes their disassembly and reassembly a challenge, resulting in unnecessary downtime during maintenance.
According to industry specialist Michael Rowe, who is the Product Manager of Adhesives and Sealants at CBC, using Anti-Seize lubricants while assembling the machinery parts is the best way to avoid maintenance issues down the line.
“There are many reasons why metal assemblies get corroded and seize-up over time. Obviously higher exposure to moisture, heat and pressure accelerates the deterioration of metal assemblies. But by applying the right Anti-Seize products on the bolt treads, the rust and the subsequent seizure can be avoided.”
As a key distributor of lubricants and adhesive solutions in Australia, CBC works closely with Henkel Australia to facilitate the sale of LOCTITE products, with the brand offering a number of safe, metal free Anti-Seize formulations for industries that have safety as a top priority.
But what constitutes Anti-Seize products and why is it important to purchase the right grade of the product for each purpose?
“Anti-Seize lubricants are specialty lubricants that reduce friction between threaded and matted metal parts as well as prevent corrosion and seizure of parts under pressure and at high temperatures. Essentially, they are two-part systems that comprise of a base grease and special fillers that provide the compound with its Anti-Seizing, anti-corrosion properties,” explains Michael.
While most Anti-Seize lubricants used widely in industry user copper, nickel, aluminium and zinc, as well as other heavy metals as the filler compound, LOCTITE is among very few brands that offer the metal free formulation.
Stefano Giacometti, Application Engineer at Henkel Australia, says not many people are aware of how much Anti-Seize products have advanced over time and that metal free Anti-Seize compounds can offer the same benefits as the metal-based grades while being safer for the workers as well as for the environment.
“Quite often when I go to a maintenance facility that is using a traditional copper or nickel-based Anti-Seize product, I find that they are not aware that better choices are now available. LOCTITE is at the forefront of introducing new technologies and our portfolio of Anti-Seize products is a good proof of that,” Stefano says.
LOCTITE portfolio includes six different Anti-Seize formulations, which in addition to the conventional metal-based Anti-Seize products offer two metal free grades for companies looking to enhance the safety levels at their plants and workshops.
Stefano says the LOCTITE Heavy Duty Anti-Seize functions on all metals including galvanized iron, stainless steel, brass, aluminium and soft metals between -29°C and +1315°C. LOCTITE Heavy Duty Anti-Seize has been formulated to resist higher temperatures than most other anti-seize products on the market.
“The LOCTITE Heavy Duty Metal Free Anti-Seize uses graphite as the solid filler, using this type of Anti-Seize with stainless steel fasteners, prevents galling from occurring, as this product more effectively lubricates the surfaces. It is widely used in industries where metal-based Anti-Seize use is prohibited or regarded as unsafe. To assist CBC customers in changing out current used copper or nickel based Anti-Seize, the team at Henkel can provide testing on fastening systems, ensuring correct lubricity is achieved to provide correct clamp force for assemblies,” he explains.
The LOCTITE Food Grade Anti-Seize is another metal free Anti-Seize specifically designed to meet the requirements of food manufacturers, says Stefano.
“Safety is obviously a big aspect in the food and beverage industry. The LOCTITE Food Grade Anti-Seize is NSF H1 rated for incidental food contract and is one of the few such products available in the market,” he explains.
Apart from the choice of the right Anti-Seize product, Stefano says following health and safety precautions is key to using chemical products safely.
“When you are dealing with chemicals, you need to refer to the material safety data sheet which will tell you what safety gear to use. We are happy to work with our distributors at CBC to help educate our customers on the latest products available for their purposes, as well as to ensure the safe use of these products,” he concludes.
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Plastics and rubber play an important role in getting food and food products to our plates. Rubber conveyor belts and rubber/plastic lined chutes, hoppers and grinding mills are all part of the farm produce’s journey from farm to processing plants and to the trucks for transport.
When a rubber conveyor belt gets damaged, whether from wearing out against abrasive grains or an accidental impact, the race to get it fixed starts immediately to make sure minimum time is lost in downtime.
As a key distributor of adhesive products in the Australian market, CBC has had years of experience advising end users about the repair and maintenance of their conveyor belts.
Michael Rowe, CBC’s Product Manager for Adhesives and Sealants, says when a section of the conveyor belt gets damaged, more often than not repairing it is a wiser decision than replacing all or even parts of it.
“If you look at the overall cost of full replacement of a conveyor belt, it can be quite costly. Another option is to repair or replace the damaged section,” he explains.
Traditional methods of repairing conveyor belts vary from hot splicing to mechanical fastening using steel clamps. But, according to Mark Casotti, Henkel’s state manager for Western Australia, each of these methods have limitations, including being time- and labor-intensive.
“The hot patch repair requires heavy equipment and specialised people. Moreover, the repair can create protrusions on the surface of the belt which later create problems with cleaning,” Casotti says.
“Mechanical fastening also has certain shortcomings. The steel bolts can get corroded over time. The technique also puts excessive loads on the bolted section of the belt, where it can get torn again under tension. The belt is also not completely sealed, which means you can lose products through the hole in the belt,” he explains.
However, it’s also possible to use rubber repair PU resin, such as LOCTITE PC 7350, which is easy to apply, cures fast at room temperature and is resistant to chemicals and abrasion.
“By repairing the gouges on the conveyor belt using the right repair product, you can get the operation back on track with minimum time loss and at far less costs,” Says Rowe.
Casotti says the LOCTITE PC 7350 was introduced by Henkel a few years ago to offer better adhesion to rubber, faster curing and better flexibility compared to its predecessors.
“As the conveyor belt bends around the pulley, the repair product should be flexible enough to withstand the forces in the belt. The LOCTITE PC 7350 cures within just two hours to tolerate those forces,” he explains.
“The LOCTITE PC 7350 also comes in easy-to-mix cartridges, making it easy even for non-specialised persons to apply the adhesive on the damage area,” he adds. “It only requires a few simple steps, as long as the correct process is adhered to.”
CBC has a long-standing relationship with Henkel that goes back to over 40 years. Rowe says the CBC and Henkel teams work closely together to offer the best repair and maintenance solutions to customers.
“The CBC sales and engineering team have a deep understanding of the customers’ requirements and we work with the Henkel team to bring customers the best repair solutions,” he says.
While the primary market is operators of conveyor belts, Casotti explains that the PU resin repair product can also be used in other applications.
“Apart from conveyor belts, the same product can be used to repair rubber parts on liners in mills, hoppers, chutes and feeder bowls,” he says.
In a recent example, Casotti says, the LOCTITE PC 7350 was used to repair HDPE liners inside a grain chute.
“The large HDPE sheet was damaged in a small area. Rather than having to deal with the cost and labour time of replacing the whole sheet, the customer was looking for a solution to just repair the damaged area. With the use of the correct primer for surface preparation and the use of LOCTITE PC 7350, they could fill the gouge and have it cured within two hours and go back into operation,” he explains.
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