Skip to main content

BELT CLEANING

Fusing belts for fusing and laminating machines

The Ten Golden Rules of Belt  Care

  • Interlinings should not overlap: They soil the conveyor belt. (And it is waist  of material!)
  • Temperatures set too high cause resin strike back and soiling of the cover  belt.
  • During the breaks the belts should regularly be cleaned from dust and dirt with  the cleaning flag.
  • Cleaning agents should be used carefully, in order to avoid build-up on belt inside,  rollers or heating elements.
  • Never use aggressive chemicals or sharp tools for cleaning: This shortens the belt  life.
  • Covers or towels of cleaning bars or cleaning devices should regularly be checked  and replaced.
  • Transfer and strip-off blades should be cleaned in regular intervals from resin  and dust build-up.
  • The machine must be cleaned before shut-down: Resins hardened over night  cut the belts when started in the morning.
  • Tracking and Tension of the belts should regularly be checked and readjusted,  if required.
  • Scissors should be tied up with a string: Fused  scissors are not in fashion.

Belt cleaners KANFIX powder

Cleaning   powders remove fusible interlining residue from Teflon coated surfaces   efficiently, reliably, and safely at fusing operating temperatures.  Fusing  experts around the world choose the economical, environmentally  safe and  easy-to-use cleaning and conditioning powder.

Cleaning   powders create a clean, slick surface from which debris and residue  easily  wipes with a soft cloth. This reduces wear and tear on the belts  and prevents  residue from building up over time. Abrasive scrubbing  materials will reduce  the life of your belts and aggravate residue  build up by creating a rough  surface to which residue sticks easily.

Belt cleaning agent for all continuous fusing machines

Cleaning powders reduce the sticky  interlining residue that causes  fusing machines to jam and eliminates potential  residue stains on the  fabric surface. The conditioning effects of cleaning powder are   long-lasting.
Cleaning  powders instantly become a clear liquid upon contact with any Teflon coated  fusing surface at operating temperature.

How  to use it: The  cleaning powders should be applied only when machine is warmed up!

  • Apply a small  amount of powder –  about 10 cm wide strip – crosswise to running  direction of the belts in the  centre of the cotton needle felt cloth  (flanel)
  • Cleaning powder  should be applied only  every 2nd production day once on to the cleaning  cloth. Excessive use cleaning  powder will not improve cleaning and can  cause sediments of the cleaning agent  in the machine.
  • Let the cleaning cloth run into the  warmed up machine during each work break and additionally after finish of  production.
  • Cleaning powder will liquefy under  heat in the machine and release dirt from the belt.
  • If concentration  of resin remains  after proper cleaning with cleaning powder these  should be removed by hand. Do  not use harsh rubbing, scraping or  scrubbung with metal items etc. in order to  avoid damages on the belt  surface.
  • Pull out cleaning cloth after machine  stop, before machine cools down.

Belt cleaners SMOOTHFUSE FS10 liquid

PTFE Belt Cleaner & Lubricator For Fusing Presses In Garment & Other Manufacturing smooth Fuse SF10 is a non-hazardous, environmentally friendly, liquid  cleaner and lubricator. Smooth Fuse SF10 eliminates adhesive and dirt  contamination, reduces downtime, damages, wastage and improves quality.

A liquid as opposed to powder or spray therefore more of its properties  are used on the belts. It is non-hazardous compared to other products  that are flammable and toxic. Smooth Fuse also lubricates the belts  leaving a thin film to help prevent the further build-up of  contamination. If used regularly Smooth Fuse will significantly extend  the life of the belts. Powders and sprays do not have these multiple benefits.

  • Most used – Used on PTFE belts for fusing/bonding of materials
  • Garment Industry – Manufacturers of men’s and ladies  trousers, jackets, shirts, coats, skirts, caps, waistbands, etc. have a  requirement for fusing interlinings onto fabrics prior to sewing into  the garments. The use of fusible interlinings for stiffening and  enhancing the appearance of all types of garment is a standard process  in all sectors of the garment industry. Smooth Fuse 10 is used as a  lubricator/cleaner for fusing press PTFE conveyor systems to improve  productivity and reduce manufacturing difficulties.
  • Fusing – In use for nearly 20 years for reducing sticking and  dirt contamination problems in the interlining fusing stage of garment  production, Smooth Fuse 10 is now the leading brand in smoothing out  production problems commonly experienced on fusing presses.
  • Leather – Used on the PTFE conveyor belts of fusing presses  and similar machinery, Smooth Fuse 10 can improve productivity and  reduce technical problems associated with bonding, fusing and coating of  high tech fabrics, materials and fibres.
  • Workwear – Smooth Fuse 10 is an ideal anti-stick/cleaner for PTFE belts using of coated and laminated workwear materials.
  • Footwear – Used on the PTFE conveyor belts of fusing presses  and similar machinery, Smooth Fuse 10 can improve productivity and reduce technical problems associated with bonding, fusing and coating of  high-tech fabrics, materials and fibres.

Cleaning flag

Cleaning  flags, used in combination  with cleaning powderd, are a very effective and inexpensive way of removing  fusible residue from Teflon belts. A cleaning flag helps protect the Teflon surface by reducing hand rubbing on the belt. It cleans slowly and gently while the operators are on break. It also wipes the belt in only one direction, which  reduces the  risk of contamination when wiped over the edge of the belt and into  the  machine.

How to Make Your Own Cleaning Flags

Materials: cleaning flag material, and  a steel bar that has a length longer than the width of the fusing machine. The cleaning flag should be  approximately 1 m long and have a width slightly narrower than the width of the  Teflon belt.
Sew one end of the cleaning flag so  that it forms a sleeve through which the steel bar can slide.

Sock material

Sock  material is a 100% knit cotton  tube that is made to fit over cleaning  bars in fusing machines. A cleaning bar  is normally a flat or square  rod that lies on the fusing belt and constantly  wipes the belt to keep  it clean.

Temperature measuring tapes

Temperature Testing Tape is available  in packages of 40 one-time-use strips.

Our Temperature Testing Tape is the easiest and most accepted method  of ensuring consistent performance of fusing machines and comes at a  very reasonable price. We offer Testing Tapes for these temperature ranges for textile industry:

  • 71-110°C
  • 104-143°C
  • 127-171°C
  • 143-182°C
  • 182-224°C

for automotive industry:

  • 71-110°C
  • 116-154°C
  • 40-71°C
  • 77-127°C

More info about measuring temperature strips you will get in section measuring temperature strips.

Accurate temperature, reliable fusing

When  using a fusing machine, it is  critical to know that the interlocking resin reaches the correct temperature  for good bonding. Even though  fusing machines offer controls that regulate the  machine’s temperature,  testing tapes confirm that the correct amount of heat is  reaching the  thermoplastic resin thereby achieving optimum bond performance. It  is  not uncommon for the actual glue line temperature to be 30 degrees below  the  fusing machine thermostat setting. Temperature testing tapes  should be used to  calibrate the thermostat controls.

The amount of heat being transferred during the fusing process can  vary with the loading rate and fabric weight, and the difference in the  temperature of the belt at the center and the edges can be great.  Testing Tapes give you an accurate temperature profile reading to help  prevent quality problems due to inconsistent heat transference.  Temperature tapes are the most accurate method  of checking the fusing  process because the tapes gauge the temperature in the  exact spot where  the heat is needed.

How to Use Temperature Testing Tape

To  test the temperature of the belt,  run tape across the width of the  belt. To test the temperature of the glue  line, place the tape between  the material and interlining. Further information how to use it you can find in section FUSING TESTS.

Control and Securing of Fusing Quality

Since fusing is  a crucial process  in garment manufacturing, it is not completely without  risk. For this  reason it is necessary to follow, aside from regular maintenance, a few  important rules to  secure fusing quality:

  1. For each fabric the most  suitable interlining should be selected,  possibly under the assistance of the interlining  supplier.
  2. New fabrics should be  pre-tested, including dry-cleaning or wash test, to find out the optimum fusing  conditions.
  3. The fusing equipment must  daily be checked for the basic functions, particularly for temperature accuracy.
  4. The pressure system must  daily be checked by fusing several samples  over the working width and testing  the evenness of bond strength.
  5. The test results should be  recorded in a journal, in order to check back if later on fusing problems come  up.

Lifetime of each belt you can prolong by regular and correct cleaning of belts.