K-Superskirt®

Super Alternative for Local Mix Quarries

ALISON STANSBY, Marketing Support Coordinator for Kinder & Co provides an update on the K-Superskirt®.

When Kinder & Co first introduced K-Superskirt® Engineered Polyurethane as an alternative skirting product to traditional rubber skirting, seeing the distinctive red colour around the conveyor transfer point symbolised the start of a new way of thinking with regard to the handling of bulk materials.

For nearly 10 years, K-Superskirt® has developed an excellent reputation as being one of the best performing engineered polyurethane skirting products on the market. In all environments the red low friction and nonporous polyurethane skirting is clearly visible. To prove its durability K-Superskirt® has been laboratory tested using Taber Abrasion equipment to compare its performance against similar polyurethane skirting products. The independently assessed results confirm that Kinder & Co’s K-Superskirt® significantly outlasts all of these similar polyurethane skirting products.

Heavy process industries represent an ever-growing market for high-performance polyurethanes but with the proliferation of next-generation polyurethanes, the selection of the best material for a particular application can prove challenging. These polyurethanes are available in different durometers and different colours from different suppliers so making a decision to upgrade to polyurethane from rubber can quickly become all too difficult for Quarry Management.

It was this scenario that was facing independent quarry operator, Local Mix Quarries in Anakie, South-West victoria.

The hard basalt rock predominant to this area has less than 20% quartz and has no silica content but as an aphanitic igneous rock it has fine grain potential. the extracted rock from the quarry site is not the most abrasive rock, yet it still achieves a rating of 23 on the Los Angeles abrasion scale so there is significant scuffing and wear to maintain on a regular basis.

Not unlike many similar quarries, Local Mix was using a high grade rubber skirting to contain the crushed rock at the transfer points, but with this level abrasion, the rubber skirting had to be changed out as much as every 2 weeks. This was creating 2 hours of scheduled downtime each fortnight to install the skirting in awkward places with very limited space for movement. For Quarry Manager Matt Teesdale, this was a waste of valuable manpower as well as a waste of valuable production time.

The best option, after Mathew made the time to research skirting product alternatives, was to install Kinder & Co’s K-Superskirt® Engineered Polyurethane at the transfer points.

“I’m so pleased that I made the decision to upgrade to K-Superskirt®. The extra expenditure was limited to just the K-Superskirt® skirting product so that was excellent. By that I mean installation was very simple and no extra labour was required. Also none of the existing frames required any
adjustments so no extra modification costs were incurred.

Since installation, K-Superskirt® has performed beyond my expectations in terms of its wear capacity – it has far outperformed the old rubber skirting. Instead of lasting just 2 weeks, the K-Superskirt® has lasted more than 4-5 months so the initial investment has definitely saved me money overall.

I’m delighted we don’t waste so much time on the maintenance of the conveyor and its parts. The K-Superskirt® reliably does its job and we can focus on production.”

Kinder & Co customers have come to associate the colour red with Kinder & Co’s product range. However, it needs to be understood as with all polymers, at the point of manufacture, they are really a neutral colour.

Colour has no engineering significance to a product’s durability; green, purple, blue red or black – products like K-Superskirt® should be carefully chosen in the first instance in consultation with a knowledgeable sales engineer, taking into consideration environmental factors as well as an understanding of the specific material applications (refer to the durometer selection guide attached). this will ensure that the engineered polyurethane properly delivers on performance expectations.

For all enquiries regarding K-Superskirt®, contact Kinder & Co on 03 9587 9244 www.kinder.com.au

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