Polycord Conveyor Belts

[IndySam]

Originally Posted by Knufire

McMaster 6075K15

How have you joined it. do you need a $450 kit to do it?

[mman1506]

Originally Posted by IndySam

How have you joined it. do you need a $450 kit to do it?

It's far easier to join that round belt. My favorite way is to use a hot plate (a pan on a stove works well too) set to max power. Melt the ends and then press them together. Once the urethane solidifies wait at least 10 minutes before applying tension. You can melt the faces of the belt together too if you have trouble with the ends. I've never had a properly joined belt fail.

[Billfred]

Originally Posted by IndySam

How have you joined it. do you need a $450 kit to do it?

The 2815 method:

Measure, cut about 3-5% short (IIRC).
Set both ends in a piece of angle, with a second piece of metal to steady it.
Melt with a small torch or lighter, press together.
Clamp tight with another piece of angle for more straightness.
Wait 10 minutes.
Try to break it by stretching; if the belt fails, you did it wrong. Try again.

[Knufire]

Originally Posted by IndySam

How have you joined it. do you need a $450 kit to do it?

We made a custom aluminum tip for a large 240W soldering gun and a hinged block with a slot. Heated the ends up, pushed them together in the slot and close the top of the block on them to keep them aligned. Wait until they cool and remove.

The block (along with two tiny vice grips and some other misc hardware) made a nice little toolkit that allowed us to weld these together on the robot under tension. Fixing broken belts without having to remove the roller was a big plus.