Timing belts give variable profile spacing

Problem: . But these engineers are under pressure to get their prototypes to the test stage and on into production in ever-shortening timeframes. Solution: A German company, Breco, has developed a flexible, polyurethane timing belt that has an interchangeable attachment in the belt tooth enabling engineers to rapidly assemble and exchange profiles (or carriers) to suit each individual conveyor requirements. The belt, Breco Flexi Flight, is sold in the UK by its sole agent Transdev, based in Poole. The belt itself is part of a modular system that allows variable profile spacing. No belt disassembly is required to change the profiles, it's rather like a ‘lego’ or ‘mecano’ set. The devices are particularly useful to design engineers that are building and testing prototypes who want fast assembly and disassembly. Steve Chick, marketing manager at Transdev, told Eureka: “ATN is a great piece of design and many of our OEM customers are using it. Engineers can produce a prototype quickly, then test their designs on the production line. If they find that the number or the specific pitch of the timing belt and profiles needs to be changed, this can be done immediately by taking out the profile and changing its position on the belt. Applications: Whilst the product is clearly limited to timing belt applications, belts such as these are being used in a wide variety of industrial applications including conveyor systems, materials handling machines, machine tools, food and beverage production lines and transfer systems. DP