Flexco’s conveyance solutions continue to meet the demands of food and beverage producers across the globe.
Flexco’s Novitool Amigo Splice Presses 1000 and 625 have been designed to address some of the shortcomings of other traditional splicing tools and promise to elevate splice quality, safety, and operational efficiency.
One of the standout features of the Novitool Amigo Splice Press units are their built-in cutter, which ensures perfectly squared belt edges every time.
This feature helps eliminate the need for manual edge trimming with utility knives, reducing both time and the potential for errors in workplace safety.
Alongside this, the pre-heat function plays a crucial role by drying moisture from belt ends, a critical step in ensuring a seamless splice. This is particularly beneficial in industries where hygiene is paramount, such as food processing.
The Amigo Splice Press 1000 and 625 also have a splice time of approximately one minute, due to their advanced contactless heat emitter.
This rapid splicing capability is coupled with a heat shield guard that enhances safety by protecting operators from the heat source. Additionally, the inclusion of belt templates for various positive drive-lugged belts guarantees accurate pitch control, setting a high bar for splice quality.
The presses are designed to ensure consistent, high-quality splices regardless of the operator’s skill level.
By following a step-by-step splicing process, any operator can achieve optimal results, which reduces the learning curve and training time. The ease of use extends to safety features
as well.
Traditional splicing methods often involve risks, such as handling hot wands or sharp utility knives. The presses mitigate these risks with their integrated cutter and heat shield, ensuring a safer working environment.
Operational efficiency is another key consideration in belt maintenance, and the Amigo Splice Presses are engineered to minimise downtime.
The user-friendly design allows for quick and efficient splicing, meaning less time spent on maintenance and more time focusing on production. The streamlined approach not only improves overall efficiency but also reduces operational costs associated with
belt maintenance.
Then there is homogenous absorb moisture, which, if not properly managed, can lead to pinholes and
air pockets.
These imperfections are not just a cosmetic issue; they can harbour bacteria, posing a risk in food processing environments. As mentioned, the pre-heat mode effectively addresses this concern by drying out belt edges, which maintains the integrity and hygiene of the belt splice.
Flexco’s territory managers also provide on-site training and support, ensuring that all operators can master the splicing process with ease.
Meanwhile, maintenance is straightforward as well, involving periodic thermocouple adjustments and cutter blade replacements to ensure long-term reliability and performance.
The units also integrate seamlessly with existing maintenance processes and equipment, offering a safe and effective solution for splicing homogenous belts.
For facilities where hygiene is critical, such as food processing environments, the Amigo Splice Presses provide added benefits. Their portability and protective transport case make them easy to move to different conveyor systems.
In a notable case study involving a meat processing client, the Amigo Splice Press was key in overcoming challenges related to belt splicing.
The meat processing company faced several challenges with splicing homogeneous (monolithic) belts.
The process required a high level of operator skill when using wand-style tools, leading to poor splice quality and inconsistent performance. The lengthy splice time, averaging an hour and a half, was proving costly.
Additionally, safety concerns were rising as the method of squaring belt edges with a utility knife resulted in lacerations, and the use of an exposed heat wand caused serious burns.
Consequently, some facilities began contracting third-party splicing services, which led to expensive downtime due to scheduling conflicts.
Recognising the need for change, the company arranged a meeting with Flexco, and ultimately settled on the 1000 and 625 presses.
The client’s feedback highlighted the effectiveness of the solution in improving splice quality and operational efficiency.
By adopting the Amigo splice press, the company knew their maintenance crews could consistently achieve high-quality splices in just 20 minutes.
Following a virtual meeting between the company’s national engineers and Flexco’s food processing industry manager, coupled with on-site product demonstrations from Flexco’s local territory managers, several sites decided to transition to the Amigo splice press.
Implementing the Amigo across multiple facilities has brought benefits.
The higher quality splices have extended belt life, and the ability to schedule belt repairs in-house has dramatically reduced plant downtime.
This, in turn, has boosted productivity and profitability.
A follow-up with a key member of the belt maintenance team revealed that the Amigo’s preheat function, has decreased the risk of pinholes and potential bacterial growth—an essential feature in food processing.
Overall, the Amigo splice press has enabled the operation to achieve consistent, high-performance splices while remaining cost-effective.
The products continue to garner interest, particularly in their splice process steps.
When it comes to timing, the contactless heat emitter’s splicing is completed in about one minute. This efficiency boosts productivity and minimises downtime, making the splicing process quicker and
more reliable.
This in-house splicing capability allowed for more flexible maintenance scheduling and enabled maintenance teams to focus on other tasks.
Additionally, the Amigo’s integrated belt cutter and contactless heat emitter replaced utility knives and heat wands, enhancing safety in the workplace.
With a blend of precision, safety, and efficiency, Flexco’s solutions have a proven record in the food and
beverage industry.
To learn more, visit www.flexco.com.