Heavy-duty rubber repairs made easy

New fast-set kit from 3M extends life of valuable assets and provides cost and time savings

DIVERSIFIED technology company 3M have introduced a new two-part repair paste system designed to extend the life of valuable rubber-based assets and provide cost and time savings when compared with replacements.

Scotchkote urethane elastomer 80XRG 539 is an elastomeric repair system for rebuilding and resurfacing rubber components including conveyor belts, rollers, gaskets and off-road tyres, with a fast curing time to return equipment to service quickly.

The two-part formulation is supplied as a convenient kit, which contains a primer and catalyst along with the easy-to-mix base and activator components.

Providing a highly flexible repair with 250% elongation and good cold vulcanizing capabilities, the product is said to suitable for heavy-duty applications.

Recently trialled on the repair of a conveyor belt which had suffered severe abrasion damage at a Chilean copper mine, Scotchkote urethane elastomer 80XRG 539 allowed the belt to be returned to service within only 30 minutes, avoiding the costly downtime associated with conveyor replacement.

Maria Reed of the Infrastructure Protection Division of 3M commented: ‘The Scotchkote rubber repair solution delivers a swift repair which returns equipment to service quickly as well as extending the life of the apparatus.

‘Rubber components such as rollers and conveyor belts which have been damaged by friction or abrasion are often in near-constant use, so the option to perform a quick repair without the need for lengthy downtime is a significant advantage for maintenance teams.’