Gates Mectrol Novitool AERO User manual

Novitool® AERO™ Portable Splice Press Welding Guidelines –V6 Last Updated: 10-06-15
Welding Guidelines
Novitool® AERO™ Portable Splice Press

Novitool® AERO™ Portable Splice Press Welding Guidelines
Novitool® AERO™ Portable Splice Press Welding Guidelines –V6 Page 1
Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 2
Cautions ......................................................................................................................................................... 3
PC10 and PC20 .............................................................................................................................................. 4
Belt Preparation ................................................................................................................................. 4
Press Assembly.................................................................................................................................. 7
Welder Operation.............................................................................................................................. 11
Welding Parameters ............................................................................................................. 13
CC40 ............................................................................................................................................................. 15
Belt Preparation ............................................................................................................................... 15
Press Assembly................................................................................................................................ 18
Welder Operation.............................................................................................................................. 22
Welding Parameters ............................................................................................................. 23
FC9 and FC12 .............................................................................................................................................. 25
Belt Preparation ............................................................................................................................... 25
Press Assembly................................................................................................................................ 25
Welder Operation.............................................................................................................................. 31
Welding Parameters ............................................................................................................. 32
Troubleshooting .......................................................................................................................................... 35
Contact Information ...................................................................................................................................... 36

Novitool® AERO™ Portable Splice Press Welding Guidelines
Novitool® AERO™ Portable Splice Press Welding Guidelines –V6 Page 2
Introduction
It is important that the FLEXCO Novitool Aero™Splice Press Safety and Operating manual provided with the
press be followed. The guidelines here are not meant to be a substitute for the FLEXCO handbook but rather
to complement it. Several comments are in order:
The purpose of the heat profile setting recommendations found in this guideline is to ensure a urethane
belt phase transition from solid to liquid during the weld process. The settings to achieve this phase
transition vary due to the individual press, the belt material and the environment. Prior to attempting the
actual weld, it is necessary to confirm that this temperature needed to achieve this phase transition is
met by conducting a test weld. To conduct this test, a thermocouple must be embedded in the belt
material (for toothed belts, the thermocouple should be placed in the silicone pad’s tooth trough). If the
thermocouple doesn’t register the minimum actual belt temperature called out for that pitch, it is likely
that the weld will be compromised. Minimum actual belt temperatures and dwell times can be found
directly below the recommended settings table. If the minimum temperature is not achieved, it will be
necessary to contact Flexco to determine the root cause.
oGates Mectrol can confirm weld integrity through tensile and accelerated life cycle testing. For
tensile testing, submitted samples must be at least 3” wide with 12” of belt length on each side
of the weld. For life testing, samples must be a welded belt 24” wide x 50” long.
Flexco recommends doing a warm up weld prior to performing the actual finished weld, particularly in
cold environments.
Note that a platen press weld causes the welded area to shrink slightly. This shrinkage may cause the
belt edges to lift slightly. Be sure that this edge lift will not affect the belt’s performance in your
application.

Novitool® AERO™ Portable Splice Press Welding Guidelines
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Cautions
Overall Safety Rules
To Avoid Severe Personal Injury or Property Damage, Read Carefully and Understand the Following
Safety Precautions.
DANGER
Terminate electrical hazards by removing power cord from wall receptacle or machine base inlet.
WARNING
Terminate pressure related hazards by pressing the red pressure relief button.
CAUTION
Avoid temperature related hazards by handling press components and belt once safely cooled.

Novitool® AERO™ Portable Splice Press Welding Guidelines PC10 and PC20
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Belt Preparation –PC10 and PC20
“Split Tooth” Cut Directions
The split tooth technique is recommended for two reasons:
1. The greater the bonded surface area, the greater the weld strength. When compared to base
belt thickness, bonding in the tooth area increases the weld surface area by 240% for the
PC10 and 380% for the PC20
2. Running in an untensioned state, most of the belt flex takes place in the flat area between the
teeth rather than at the tooth itself. The weld should always be located in the area experiencing
the least amount of belt flex.
CAUTION, WEAR PROTECTIVE GLOVES!
1. Determine belt length.
A. Mark both ends of belt, marking must be on the center of the tooth.
Cutting
Fixture
Cutting
Guide
Groove
Belts
Gloves
Utility
Knife
Straight Cut Equipment
To prepare belt ends for a
straight cut the following items
are needed:
Cutting Fixture
Cutting Guide Groove
Utility Knife
Safety Gloves
Belts

Novitool® AERO™ Portable Splice Press Welding Guidelines PC10 and PC20
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2. Cut the belt.
A. Insert one end of the belt into the cutting fixture.
(Must have ~ 3 teeth of extra material on the scrap side that will be cut off. This will keep the belt in
place while cutting.)
Ensure that the belt is fully engaged in the cutting guide groove.
B. Place top of the cutting fixture on the top of the belt, apply pressure on it with one hand.
C. Using your other hand, make several straight scoring cuts with the utility knife.
(Do NOT try to cut the belt in one deep cut. It does not work!)
D. You will have two split teeth. Ideally both cut halves would be equal to or slightly larger than half a
tooth. Slightly oversizing creates helpful side pressure when the two halves are forced into the silicone
pad. Welding two cut halves, that together make up less than a full tooth, will cause the belt to thin out
in the tooth area and could compromise the weld due to lack of side pressure pushing the two halves
together.
Straight Cut with Utility Knife
Two Split Teeth

Novitool® AERO™ Portable Splice Press Welding Guidelines PC10 and PC20
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3. Clean the prepared ends with alcohol (91% or higher) and a clean rag. Clean top and bottom surfaces at
least 5” to 6” from the joint. A cleaned surface will provide a better, stronger joint.
Clean Prepared Ends

Novitool® AERO™ Portable Splice Press Welding Guidelines PC10 and PC20
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Press Assembly –PC10 and PC20
1. Place one end of the belt into the press.
2. Load the other end of the belt into the press from the opposite side.
3. Confirm that the mating surfaces are pressed against each other and that belt edges line up.
Belt in Cutting Guide
Belt Loaded in Opposite Side

Novitool® AERO™ Portable Splice Press Welding Guidelines PC10 and PC20
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Tape Positioned Over Belt
4. Fill out the balance of the platen with like-belt material and use a narrow silicone strip (approximately1”
wide and at least 0.015” thinner than the belt itself) at each outside platen end to cap the end of this like-
belt material. Silicone can be substituted to fill out the press but the use of like belt material will reduce the
“hourglass” effect in the weld area caused by shrinkage. Any silicone used on the tooth side must have the
same tooth pattern.
Filler strips along the belt edges serve several purposes
Prevent the belt from flowing out during the welding process
Help minimize shrinkage in the weld area
Balance the top and bottom platen during welding
There can be no gaps or open areas on the platen bed
5. Apply a 1.5” wide strip of blue urethane foil across the top and bottom splice
(Gates Mectrol PN 15260, sold in 50’ lengths).
Filler Strips

Novitool® AERO™ Portable Splice Press Welding Guidelines PC10 and PC20
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6. Place the clamping bars and tighten clamps.
7. It is recommended that the two belt halves are tack welded together using a soldering gun with a smooth
tip (Weller PN 6160, Weller offers a cordless (battery powered) powered portable soldering iron PN
BP860MP for added convenience). It is also recommended that the tape be tack welded to the belt,
particularly for wider belts where handling the top press beam is more challenging.
8. Place Teflon sheet over the joint area. Be careful to keep it aligned with the welding area.
Add Teflon Sheet
Position Clamping Bars

Novitool® AERO™ Portable Splice Press Welding Guidelines PC10 and PC20
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9. Set the top press beam on the Teflon sheet.
10. Hand-tighten the side bolts until they stop.
Do NOT use any tools to tighten the bolts. Tighten bolts by hand only!
Position Welder Top

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Welder Operation –PC10 and PC20
1. To power the welder
A. Connect cable from the top of the welder into the bottom platen and then plug it into the power cord
(Voltage from 230V to 460V).
1) Powered on, the welder will be idling at ~70°F.
2. Temperature control
A. Press the first, left, button to switch to level 2 to control the bottom platen separately and it will switch
back automatically to idling mode.
Preheat Mode
Powered On, Idling

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B. Pre-dry option –If the working environment is humid or wet, it will be necessary pre-dry the belt. Failure
to do so will cause pinholes created by the steam escaping from the belt during welding. The pre-dry
temperature and time must be set manually. No pressure is used in the press during the pre-dry cycle. The
pre-dry setting is 200°F for five to ten minutes.
C. The actual belt temperature will vary due to the individual press, the belt material and the environment.
Prior to attempting the actual weld, it is necessary to confirm that the temperature needed to achieve this
phase transition is met by conducting a test weld. To conduct this test, a thermocouple must be embedded
in the belt material, preferably in the filler material, one quarter inch outside the belt edge. For PosiClean
toothed belts, the thermocouple should be placed in the silicone pad’s tooth trough (see photo below).
Minimum actual belt temperature and dwell time can be found in the following Minimum Actual Belt
Readings table. If the thermocouple doesn’t register this minimum actual belt temperature, it is likely that
the weld will be compromised. It will be necessary to contact Flexco to determine the root cause of the
problem.
Thermocouple Placement

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D. The settings in the following tables are recommended as starting points only. Note that final belt
temperature is influenced by the material, the environment and the Aero press itself. For use with any other
manufacturer's platen press, the "Minimum Actual Belt Readings" can be followed but requires the use of a
thermocouple.
Welding Parameters
For use with the 12 mm thick silicone bottom plate
PC10
PC20
PC20 Cold Temp
Top Platen
Degrees F
365°
365°
370°
Bottom Platen
Degrees F
+5%
+5%
+5%
Cycle Time
Minutes
7 1/2
7 1/2
6
Pressure
Bar
1.98
1.98
1.98
Type of Cut
Split Tooth
Split Tooth
Split Tooth
Bottom Pad (12.mm)
Silicone
Silicone
Silicone
For use with the 8 mm thick silicone bottom plate
PC10
PC20
PC20 Cold Temp
Top Platen
Degrees F
360°
360°
365°
Bottom Platen
Degrees F
360°
360°
+5%
Cycle Time
Minutes
7 1/2
7 1/2
6
Pressure
Bar
1.98
1.98
1.98
Type of Cut
Split Tooth
Split Tooth
Split Tooth
Bottom Pad (8 mm)
Silicone
Silicone
Silicone
Minimum Actual Belt Readings (for use with other platen press types)
PC10
PC20
PC20 Cold Temp
Temperature
Degrees F
365°
365°
363°
Dwell Time
Minutes
3
3
3
3. Before starting the weld cycle, remove the clamping bars completely from the press. Push the start button
twice on the top platen above the digital screen (green button) to start the cycle.
A. All temperature control options must be complete
Green Start Button

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4. Cooling and removing the belt. Maximum temperature before opening the press is 150° F. When the
welder completes the welding and cooling cycles:
A. Release the pressure using the RED button on the bottom next to pressure regulator digital screen.
B. Loosen the side bolts
C. Remove the top press beam
D. Check the joint weld area for good flow.
5. IMPORTANT: Do NOT run the belt immediately. The belt requires an additional 30 to 60 minutes cooling
time.
Release Pressure Using the RED Button

Novitool® AERO™ Portable Splice Press Welding Guidelines CC40
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Belt Preparation –CC40
CAUTION, WEAR PROTECTIVE GLOVES!
1. Determine belt length
Mark belt.
To prepare belt ends for a Finger
Punch (chevron cut) the following
items are needed:
Cutting Fixture
Clamps
Nylon or Rubber Hammer
Flat Head Screw Driver
Square Edge
Finger Punch Equipment
Clamp
Hammer
Cutting
Fixture
Screw
Driver
Belts
Square
Edge

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2. Place one end of the belt into the cutting fixture.
A. Use a square edge to align one edge. For example, if it is a left edge make sure you do the other end
from the same edge and place it into the fixture the same way.
B. Cutting fixture has an open tooth on the front side. Select one side of the edge in that tooth and make a
mark on the belt or the fixture to ensure that both ends are positioned in same place
C. Hand-tighten the cutting fixture bolts.
3. Cutting the belt.
A. Start at either edge of the belt. Insert the triangular blade. Use welding clamp to squeeze one tooth at
the time.
Finger Punch

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B. Using a flat head screw driver, pry the blade out of the cutting fixture.
C. If the blade does not cut through the belt, use a nylon or rubber hammer to complete the cut. Use light
hammer pressure.
4. The “AA” end of the belt will be inserted from the back of the cutting fixture and punched from the front of
the cutting fixture. The “BB” end of the belt needs to be punched from the back of the cutting fixture but
inserted from the front of the fixture. Both cuts will match each other. In this procedure the cutting fixture
remains the same but the welding clamp will go from the back of the fixture.

Novitool® AERO™ Portable Splice Press Welding Guidelines CC40
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Press Assembly –CC40
1. Once both ends are cut/punched, place one end of the belt into the press.
Welder and Accessories
Upper
Platen
Alcohol
Clamps
Teflon
Sheet
Like-Belt
Material and
Silicone
Endcap Strips
Soldering
Gun
Tape
Lower
Platen
Clean
Cloth

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2. Place the other belt end in the press and align the belts.
3. Use the soldering gun to tack the cut in place. Add filler strips of like-material against the belt edges, place
a narrow strip (at least .015” thinner than the belt) on each side outside to cap the end of this belt-like
material.
Filler strips along the belt edges serve several purposes:
Prevents the belt material from flowing out during the welding process
Helps avoid a “necking down” appearance caused by belt width shrinkage
Helps balance the top press beam during welding
There can be no gaps or open areas on the platen bed
Tack Weld with Soldering Gun