There are many different types of toothed belt, and each one has a specific field of application. For drives with extremely high torque at low speed, the PolyChain range of toothed belts provides an ideal solution. That is because these are the strongest toothed belts that are currently available on the market. PolyChain toothed belts are made from polyurethane and have tension cords made from aramid or carbon (carbon fibres). They are available in divisions of 8 and 14 mm.
The corresponding PolyChain tooth belt pulleys can be found in the "Tooth belt pulley" product group.
The PolyChain range of toothed belts also includes the PolyChain Carbon Volt toothed belt. This belt is not only ideal for transferring high torque at low speed, but is at the same time the only polyurethane toothed belt on the market to meet the ATEX directives and therefore be suitable for use in a potentially explosive environment.
PolyChain toothed belts are also available as open-ended variants; in this form, they can be used in Omega drives, where the outer ends of the belt are fastened with clamping plates to enable both back-and-forth and up-and-down motion.
Several factors determine which toothed belt type is best suited to a particular drive, for example the application (what is being driven?), the power to be transferred, the desired speed (acceleration or deceleration) and the centre-to-centre distance between the pulleys.
It is also important to know what ambient conditions are present and whether there are any space limitations (what is the maximum permissible diameter and width of the pulleys?).
It is very important that the toothed belt is pre-tensioned correctly for optimal drive function. Tension can be measured with a testing device such as the Sonic Tension Meter. This uses the sound waves transmitted by the belt to determine its vibration frequency, which is in turn used to calculate the tension value.
As well as ensuring correct tensioning, it is also important that the pulleys are aligned correctly. This is done using a laser-guided alignment system.
Common standards for toothed belt drives are DIN 7721 and ISO 5294. Ultimately, it is important to consider whether the toothed belts need to be static-conductive to meet ISO 9563 (ATEX environments).
