Service-free bandless V-belt technology from Gates

New Quad-Power 4 belt does not require re-tensioning in first hours after installation

BY making use of innovative cord technology, Gates say they have designed the industry’s first bandless V-belt that, unlike conventional V-belts, does not suffer from severe tension decay in the first hours after installation.

The new-generation Quad-Power 4 V-belt uses minimal-stretch cords to maintain stable tension over the entire lifetime of the belt, thereby eliminating the production downtime for re-tensioning recently installed V-belts. 

The entire range is exclusively made out of EPDM, a high-performance synthetic rubber compound. Although the previous generation of Quad-Power belts already featured this advanced material, Gates have optimized the construction even further to provide V-belts that last longer and offer high resistance to wear, even under extreme temperatures.

Gates’ second-generation EPDM belts are said to withstand the widest temperature range in the market, maintaining their performance in extreme cold conditions as low as –50°C and resisting hardening to avoid cracking in temperatures up to 130°C.

Furthermore, the bandless, moulded-notch construction is said to guarantee consistent pulley-to-belt contact, resulting in energy efficiencies as high as 98%, which is 3% higher than wrapped V-belts.

The Quad-Power 4 V-belts are also available in PowerBand construction for high shock-loaded or vibration-prone drives. A high-strength tie band permanently joins two or more belts to provide lateral rigidity and allow all of the strands to work together as one unit, keeping the belts running in a straight line in the pulley grooves and eliminating jumped, flipped, tangled or separated belts.