Blog post from Marathon

Why is there less chance of thermal shock and associated faults with glass products, when using a textile conveyor belt?

When hot, delicate glass or crystal items are formed then loaded on to a metal or wire belt, operating at ambient or close to ambient temperatures, thermal shock can occur.

Thermal shock can cause checking, defects and even breakages

This can be a real problem causing production runs to fail, products to be tainted, orders to be delayed and so on.  Any disruption to daily routines and processes is, of course, costly.

Checking is an imperfection in glass that can appear during the glass production process.  A check is a small crack in the glass, which can often lead to high-end glass articles being rejected.

“What about pre-heating stations?”

Given the risk of thermal shock taking place when using a metal conveyor, glass production units are forced to install pre-heating stations along the length of the entire metal conveyor, in order to maintain it at a temperature that minimises the risk of thermal shock taking place.  The pre-heating stations are typically gas burner jets with a live flame

This makes working conditions generally very hot and uncomfortable for those working on the production line and the high number of burners can increase the level of potential accidents and safety risks.

“Could high temperature textile conveyors offer a much better and safer option?”

Many people believe this is the case.  Textile conveyors provide a safer, cleaner working environment due to them negating the need for pre-heating stations.  Marathon Belting provide textile materials that are inherently resistant to temperature and thermal shock.

“What other benefits might I secure by using a textile conveyor?”

In addition to improvements in working conditions, removing gas burners leads to a reduction in energy costs – and a reduced carbon footprint for the glass processing plant.  Textile belting is also virtually silent whilst running, and very low maintenance in comparison to metal conveyors.  They do not need ongoing lubrication and when maintenance is necessary, it is often easy and fast to address.  But perhaps one of the key benefits is the inherent softer contact of textile materials compared with harsh metal belts, which can lead to a reduction in the occurrence of marking and defects in the production of delicate glass articles.

Want to tap into our knowledge about high temperature performance textiles for the glass industry and what they can do for your business?

Marathon Belting is a world-class, performance textiles business.  Our technical textile product solutions are used for demanding applications in multiple industries across the world. We are up for a challenge, so if you have one, please contact us by telephone on 01706 657052.

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