Steve Hittmann, CBC’s expert on Mechanical Drive Systems and Belt Drives, says that CBC always has its ear to the ground to understand and cater to evolving customer needs.
To that end, Steve notes that the Gates® range of high-performance belts for the mining sector leads the way in terms of innovative products for varying and complex mining applications.
Take, for instance, the new Gates® PowerGrip™ GT4™ synchronous belt – which he says incorporates the best in materials science for belt design.
“Many HTD belts are not strong enough, while common V-belts don’t deliver the drive efficiency required for optimised operations,” Steve says. “The PowerGrip™ GT4™ has a compact, high precision drive, and is perfect for applications in hazardous explosive areas requiring a static conductive rated belt.”
The GT4™ is maintenance free, creates low noise and vibrations, has greater capacity for narrower drive designs, and is abrasion resistant with a longer lifespan. And because it is static conductive to ISO 9563 specification – and fully operational in a wide range of temperatures (-40°C to +120°C, with intermittent use up to 140°C) – it is well suited to hazardous explosive areas, Steve says.
But the GT4™ is only one of several high-performance belts supplied by premium distribution partner Gates® for CBC’s customer-tailored mining solutions.
Rosynes Hernandez, Product Manager – Power Transmission for Gates® says that there is a lot of exciting innovation coming out of the United States and Europe with relevance for the Australian market.
“Gates® and CBC frequently work together to do joint site calls to assess drive designs,” Rosynes says. “We have reps in every state in Australia and regularly go to mining and quarrying sites to assess new potential applications. Together with CBC we are always looking for new ways to innovate and grow.”
So, what are the key advantages that Gates® brings to the table in the Australian mining context?
“This is a harsh environment where we need to manage high power and high velocity applications,” she says. “Predator is one of our key products, along with the Quad Power 4™, the Poly Chain®, and of course our latest innovation is the GT4™. These are the key components we bring to the applications in question. We also supply the sprockets and pulleys – so it’s a full package. And we’re delighted to partner with CBC, who are indispensable in highlighting opportunities and implementing our products to deliver cost-effective, high-quality solutions.”
Steve has high praise for all these Gates® products.
“The Predator™ V-Belt can handle aggressive applications,” he says. “Whether it’s high-powered motors, shock loads from sudden starts and stops, dirty operating environments, high heat, contamination from oil or solvents – the Predator™ V-Belt can deal with all of these.”
“The Poly Chain® GT™ CarbonTM polyurethane synchronous belt with carbon fibre cords is excellent in terms of reducing energy expenditure and reducing downtime. It has 400% greater capacity than HTD timing belts, delivers 5% energy savings over V-belts, and has 99% efficiency for the life of the drive – among many other brilliant features.”
“I would also single out the Quad-Power™ 4 for applications with extreme heat, where pulleys are too small for your standard wrapped V-belts. It can increase efficiency by up to 3% and reduce drive width up to 50% – and is static conductive to ISO 1812 and IP3-3.”
“With these and other products, Gates® supply us the tools we need to really zero in on unique customer requirements. Their range of high-performance belts in mining applications is terrific.”
But because it’s Gates®’s latest innovation, Steve and Rosynes are particularly excited about the GT4™ – the new evolution from the previous GT3™ model.
“The key attributes are the increase in belt capacity and the broader range of temperature it can withstand,” Rosynes says. “There is a longer life on all applications. For mining sites, the GT4™ is used in pumps, conveyors, elevators, and compressors.”
For pump applications, the GT4™ has special benefits, she adds.
“One key benefit is its high capacity, which increases the life of the pump. We use the latest rubber technology and reinforced cord in the belt. With each generation of GT belts, we take on the newest technology.”
With Gates® belt technologies and CBC’s broad and deep experience in solutions-implementation for the Australian market, it is a partnership of which both parties are understandably proud.
“We are dedicated to delivering the best, most cost-effective solutions for our customers,” Steve says. “Our premium partnership with Gates® gives us access to world-class innovation, and allows CBC to deploy that innovation to follow-through on our customer-driven mission.”
