Low-melting TPU for coating conveyor belts

Bayer MaterialScience AG is working closely with plastics compounder and grinding specialist Dakota Coatings in the field of thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU) for coating conveyor belts. We supply our Belgian partner with tailor-made Desmopan® variants that melt at very low temperatures, making them ideal for application on technical material webs using a powder sintering procedure. Dakota Coatings compounds the thermoplastic polyurethane with colors and additives, and processes it into fine powders using a cold grinding procedure. Dakota has developed a product family based on the TPU grades of Bayer MaterialScience. These products are sold to European conveyor belt manufacturers under the brand name Dakotex®.

Dakota Coatings, headquartered in Nazareth, has made a name for itself across Europe as a compounder and cold grinding specialist (www.dakota-coatings.com). The company provides a “one-stop,” customer-specific service for compounds, ranging from additives – for instance fire retardants or antibacterial substances – to colorings and tailor-made grinding procedures. All common thermoplastics are processed – from polyethylene and polyester to ethyl vinylacetate and polyamide. The powders are used, for example, to coat textiles and the backs of carpets, to laminate acoustic and thermal insulation materials in the construction industry, and as melt glues in leather processing and shoe manufacturing. The compounder’s key customers include carpet manufacturers and companies in the automotive industry.

The TPU grades that Bayer MaterialScience supplies to Dakota Coatings are free from plasticizers and meet the most important standards that apply to plastics coming into contact with foodstuffs. This is an important factor because the food industry is a key purchaser of conveyor belts with TPU surfaces. Further strengths of the TPU materials include high abrasion resistance and low wear, which ensure that TPU-coated conveyor belts have a long service life.