In high-speed manufacturing, unexpected downtime directly cuts into profits. When a line running thousands of parts per minute suddenly shuts down, the cost of lost production far outweighs the price of replacement parts.
A leading metal packaging manufacturer faced this exact problem: chronic component wear on a high-speed container line was causing frequent, expensive shutdowns.
The Challenge: Continuous Belt Failures
The Challenge: Continuous Belt FailuresThe client’s oven line runs steel food cans at a blistering pace of 4,000 cans per minute. However, the oven’s support bed relied on traditional ceramic materials, which were designed for slower-moving belts- not high-speed operations.
The heavy friction caused the transport belts to wear out and snap every 45 days. Every time a belt broke, the line went dark for 12 full hours for repairs, bleeding thousands of dollars in lost productivity.
The Solution: Replacing Ceramic with Synthetic Materials
While competitors claimed the setup couldn’t be changed, the ITS sales engineering team took a closer look at the friction problem.
Instead of sticking with rigid ceramic standards, ITS engineered a custom retrofit using a specialized synthetic surface along the slidebed. This smoother material drastically reduced belt friction while comfortably handling high oven operating temperatures.
The Impact & Results
Since installing the synthetic slidebed retrofit, the plant has seen immediate improvements:
- 7+ Months of Zero Downtime: The line has run continuously for over 7 months without a single belt failure.
- Massive Cost Savings: Completely eliminated recurring 12-hour maintenance shutdowns.
- Proven Problem-Solving: Showed the value of custom engineering over “standard” industry fixes.
Contact us to discuss your challenges with your equipment: https://www.internationalthermalsystems.com/contact-its/
