Making paper requires a lot of chemical processing and high temperature applications for steaming and pressing the paper products. At a major paper manufacturing plant in Victoria, hundreds of staff work to output a significant volume of product on a short timeline, accommodating the high demand for paper and pulp products on the Australian market.
“This particular client is responsible for manufacturing the bulk of paper supplies for the whole of Australia,” says BSC Key Account Executive, Duncan McKellar. “This puts an enormous amount of pressure on them as an operation because if their equipment is not performing correctly, the resulting downtime can be extremely costly for them,” he continues, adding; “when we need to assist in streamlining parts and maintenance for operations of this scale, this is when having solid relationships with our supply partners becomes critical for our own business operations.”
According to Duncan, there have been three LOCTITE® products that have saved the day on a few occasions at the site — LOCTITE 660 Compound, LOCTITE 609 Retaining Compounds, and the LOCTITE 406 Instant Adhesive.
The LOCTITE 660 is a high strength retaining compound with good gap filling properties. It is an anaerobic adhesive that cures in the absence of air between metal surfaces and has gap filling capabilities of up to half a millimetre per side on a shaft.
“The paper plant site has a lot of driveshafts running around the clock, and the rotating shafts experience intense wear over time,” explains Duncan. “When there is shaft wear, the component needs to be either repaired or replaced. Shafts are difficult and expensive to replace, so the preferrable option is to perform repairs on the shafts — resulting in an enormous amount of time and effort being saved.”
“Imagine needing to replace a bearing and the shaft is worn undersize; a reliable fix is to bond shims on the shaft where the bearing will sit. This will help place the bearing central to the shaft,” says Duncan. “Applying the LOCTITE 660, will fill the gap and bond the two surfaces together, allowing you to get your equipment back into service.”
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