DeWal doubles UHMW PE film capacity
RUBBER & PLASTICS NEWS

SAUNDERSTOWN, R.I. (March 3, 12:35 p.m. EST) -- Reacting to widespread demand in the belting, hose and rubber profile industries, DeWal Industries Inc. has doubled capacity for its ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene film.

The expansion was sparked principally by the belting industry, which wanted to make 6-foot-wide belts with a continuous layer of UHMW film bonded in place, said Warren DiClemente, who runs DeWal’s UHMW operations. The product is used both as a structural support layer in belts and to reduce wear and friction in hoses.

In addition, rubber profile and hose makers use the film for internal and external wear and friction applications throughout their products, DiClemente said. Hoses that normally would wear out from abrasion last longer with the thin layer of UHMW on the outside, DeWal claims, because the material’s abrasion resistance almost has eliminated the need for high-cost abrasion-resistant rubber compounds.

Rubber hose and belt makers use the material because it requires no special treatment for bonding to ethylene propylene diene monomer and because it is made extremely thin (down to 0.002-inch thick), offering both cost and weight savings, according to Chris Brooks, director of sales and marketing. Saunderstown-based DeWal did not disclose the plant’s capacity or the value of the expansion.

The company discovered a few years ago that its UMHW PE film — originally designed for use in high-stress machine construction and filter technology parts — could be used by hose and/or belt makers to extend the service life of their products.

Thin films made from UHMW-PE can improve the surface properties of rubber products without compromising the many advantages of rubber, DeWal said, including increased impact strength and enhanced abrasion resistance while also offering a low coefficient of friction. The latter characteristic increases the life of hoses, for example, by allowing them to rub against each other or other components without abrading.

Using the film helped Eaton-Aeroquip reduce abrasion resistance 900 percent in hydraulic hoses for John Deere Construction Equipment Division, according to Robert Hickman, president of Dinflex Hydraulics Co. of Findlay, Ohio.

Hickman, who was in charge of that project for Eaton-Aeroquip some years ago, called the development one of the best innovations to be used in the hydraulic hose industry in the past 20 years.

The film also offers resistance to chemicals such as acids, alkalis and aggressive gases and zero water absorption.

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