Conveyor belts with thin film sensor-activating coating
AssigneeAdvanced Flexible Composites, Inc.
InventorsWilliam Christopher Lewis, William James Lewis, Lambert Allen Terpstra, Barton Roy Lewis, Sr.
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Abstract
A conveyor belt device wherein a detectable coating, such as in the form of a thin film, overlies selected portions of a conveyor belt substrate surface. Suitable detectable coatings include materials that are inductive, conductive, magnetic, reflective, fluorescent and color-indicating or a combination thereof. Also disclosed are associated or corresponding conveyor belt assemblies and methods of making.
Claims27
A conveyor belt device comprising:
- a conveyor belt substrate having opposed first and second surfaces;
- and
- a detectable coating overlying and chemically adhered to a selected portion of the conveyor belt substrate first surface, the detectable coating comprising a fluorescent coating and wherein the fluorescent coating comprises a fluorescent material selected from the group consisting of mica, metal ceramic powder, ink and combinations thereof.
A method of making the conveyor belt device comprising:
- a conveyor belt substrate having opposed first and second surfaces;
- and a detectable coating overlying and chemically adhered to a selected portion of the conveyor belt substrate first surface, said method comprising:
- treating at least one of the conveyor belt substrate first surface and the detectable coating with a primer effective to adhere the detectable coating to the conveyor belt substrate first surface;
- applying the detectable coating onto the conveyor belt substrate first surface wherein at least one of the conveyor belt substrate first surface and the detectable coating has been treated with the primer to form a conveyor belt device precursor having a first surface with a detectable coating;
- and
- applying a topcoat overly the detectable coating of the conveyor belt device precursor.
A method of making the conveyor belt device comprising:
- a longitudinally extending conveyor belt substrate having opposed first and second surfaces;
- a thin-film detectable coating chemically adhered to the conveyor belt substrate and overlying a plurality of longitudinally spaced apart portions of the conveyor belt substrate first surface, wherein the detectable coating comprises a detectable material selected from the group consisting of inductive, conductive, magnetic, reflective, fluorescent, color-indicating and combinations thereof;
- and a topcoat to overlying the detectable coating, said method comprising:
- treating at least one of the conveyor belt substrate first surface and the detectable coating with a primer effective to adhere the detectable coating to the conveyor belt substrate first surface;
- applying the detectable coating onto longitudinally spaced apart locations on the conveyor belt substrate first surface wherein at least one of the conveyor belt substrate first surface and the detectable coating has been treated with the primer to form a conveyor belt device precursor;
- and
- applying a topcoat to overlay the detectable coating of the conveyor belt device precursor.
A conveyor belt device comprising:
- a longitudinally extending conveyor belt substrate having opposed first and second surfaces;
- a polymer primer layer applied to the first surface of the conveyor belt substrate;
- a detectable coating overlying a selected portion of the conveyor belt substrate first surface, the detectable coating one of on or within the primer layer;
- and
- a polymer topcoat disposed over at least one of the primer layer and the detectable coating.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.