Melco is on a roll with its Supreme HDPE range
Melco Conveyor Equipment has established a reputation as a leader in the manufacture and supply of HDPE rollers that are specifically-designed for global bulk materials handling industries.
Industrial operations in Southern Africa can benefit from a range of state-of-the-art high-density polyethylene (HDPE) rollers that are available in the local market through internationally recognised conveyor equipment manufacturer, Melco.
Founded in 1970 with the aim of supplying world-class conveyor equipment to the South African mining industry, Melco is today one of the largest suppliers of idlers and rollers in Africa, and the company has been providing industrial operations with competitively-priced, high-quality products from its Johannesburg-based manufacturing facility since inception.
Melco sales and marketing director Craig Warmback notes that the company’s range of Supreme HDPE rollers serve as an ideal complement to steel rollers, particularly, in highly-abrasive and corrosive applications such as petrochemical, mining, mineral processing and power generation. “HDPE is a polyethylene thermoplastic, and offers very good resistance to abrasion and corrosion.”
Warmback points out that the Melco Supreme HDPE range of rollers is hard-wearing and can be used in any application where steel rollers are used. “HDPE rollers generally have a longer lifespan than standard steel rollers, thanks to a 12 mm external HDPE sleeve; thereby ensuring overall cost savings with regards to maintenance and downtime,” he explains. “What’s more, HDPE rollers are lighter than their steel counter-parts, requiring less power at start up..”
In addition to its excellent resistance to abrasion and corrosion, the Melco range of Supreme HDPE rollers are also ultra-violet resistant, thanks to its HDPE compound properties. Warmback highlights the fact that HDPE rollers can be supplied with fire-retardant and anti-static properties.
“HDPE rollers have the same load capacity as steel rollers of the same size; however, its superior abrasion resistance has resulted in the product being popular in platinum mines, where our customers have reported less belt damage since switching to HDPE rollers. This is due to the fact that platinum bearing ores have a high specific-gravity, which can cause damage to steel rollers,” he continues.
Melco managing director Gavin Hall points out that all Melco Supreme HDPE rollers are produced in Germiston, South Africa, following a unique manufacturing process. “During the assembly process of a steel roller, a steel tube and steel pressed bearing housings, are welded together” he explains. “During the manufacture of the HDPE roller; however, an inner steel tube is press-fitted into a castellated HDPE sleeve, and the polypropylene bearing housing is interference-fitted into the steel sleeve and the HDPE sleeve, no welding is involved. The entire assembly is held together by the interference and circlips. The inner steel tube ensures adequate mechanical strength and tube roundness, while a combination of the thicker HDPE sleeve and steel sleeve provides a higher bending strength.”
Hall adds that the machined finish of the HDPE Supreme roller results in low total indicated run-out, which ultimately minimises vibration and noise levels. “When making use of these rollers, hearing protection for employees is not often required, which proves to be advantageous in the health and safety arena. What’s more, HDPE is fully-recyclable and is; therefore, the most environmentally-friendly roller available in the local market.”
Melco is an ISO 9001:2008 approved company that operates a highly-specialised testing facility, where products are tested under laboratory-controlled environments prior to field-testing, full-scale manufacture and supply. This process ensures that Melco products are among the most advanced in the world. Melco also operates quality management systems which control every aspect of the company. These systems are audited regularly to ensure compliance with the highest standards.