Tension Member Construction

Balanced Tension Members Guarantee Accuracy

Accuracy Matters

Every index or positioning conveyor requires precision and perfect timing. Therefore, having a long-lasting high precision timing belt that won’t elongate over time is necessary for peak performance. The combination of BRECOflex CO., L.L.C.’s superior polyurethane, patented extrusion process and balanced tension members guarantee the fast settling times, high repeatability and high accuracy that your application requires.

Stiffness = Accuracy

Belt stiffness affects achievable accuracy. It is the most important parameter in linear drives and is often the limit of drive accuracy. Our move-series AT10 timing belt, provides the highest stiffness and reduced settling of any AT10 belt on the market. When you pair our timing belts with zero-backlash pulleys, no belt can match the precision that we can offer.

comparing tension members

Tension Members – Patented Design

A proprietary design feature that you’ll find in BRECOflex belts is the bifilar tension member arrangement. We alternately lay tension members with “S” (left-hand lay) and “Z” (right-hand lay) arrangements. This balances the timing belt for true tracking. The result is a completely continuous, uninterrupted timing belt with no joints.

When you compare the truly endless bifilar design to standard single lay tension member designs found in competitor belts you will find that tracking improves greatly. Spliced and welded endless belts (code V) and open-ended belts (code M) utilize the bifilar tension member arrangement. Furthermore, we use techniques to perfectly pretension the tension members with parallel and symmetrical spacing across the belt width before the extrusion process. The tension member diameter and cable spacing determine the appropriate tensile strength and stiffness for each timing belt pitch.

Arrangement of Tension Members

In addition to tension member arrangement, the construction of the filament plays an important role in the overall strength and spring rate of the tension members. It comprises small diameter steel filaments that are helically wound in clusters to achieve a strong yet flexible timing belt. Likewise, the tension member construction greatly influences the tooth shear strength and the power that it can transmit.

Our patented design allows the urethane to fully bond all strands within a tension member cord and greatly improves tooth shear strength. Competitive designs only encapsulate the outer layer of the tension member, leaving voids at the inner section of the cord. Comparative bonding pull tests have shown that BRECOflex CO., L.L.C. timing belts achieve up to 40% higher bonding strength.

For more information about the types of tension members we offer, see our FAQ video .

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If you have any questions or comments please Contact Us and we will be happy to help you.

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