Mandrel Sleeve
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Protecting Coils with Polyurethane

Originally posted January, 2021 By Beth Gainer on Jan 22, 2021, Metal Center News:

Protecting coils is vital to Bruce DeMent, CEO of Kastalon Polyurethane Products, Alsip, Ill. The company manufactures polyurethane products to protect coils’ surfaces. “The surface finish is critical and needs to be protected,” he says, adding that Kastalon’s mandrel sleeves protect the coated coil from metal-to-metal contact with the mandrel drum. Furthermore, the company’s mandrel sleeves help prevent common processing damage, such as reel breaks and head-end damage.

“Our sleeves help prevent coil slippage and increase the overall efficiency of the processing line,” says DeMent. “Our proprietary chemistries and manufacturing capabilities allow for Kastalon mandrel sleeves of virtually any size and hardness, and specific to each customer’s requirements.”

Kastalon coil floor pads protect coated coils during storage as well as serve an organizational function for the production floor.  The pads are available with and without fluid-collection capabilities. In addition, rollers used in uncoilers or surfaces that support the coil are covered in polyurethane so the surface where each coil is resting upon doesn’t dent the coil.

Kastalon also manufactures polyurethane devices in coil material handling and storage. “Everything that touches that coil can be covered with polyurethane – from a c-hook to the [forks] of a forklift truck,” says DeMent.

While polyurethane is more expensive than rubber, the former lasts 10 to 20 times longer than the latter. In addition, polyurethane requires less maintenance than rubber, according to DeMent. The equipment is operating longer and doesn’t have as much maintenance, resulting in cost savings.

“Polyurethane is extremely durable and yet cushions the coil so that it doesn’t get edge damage,” says DeMent. “The polyurethane floor pads protect coils by keeping them off the floor.”

“Everything is protected.”

 

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New Summit Lathe Roll Grinder

July 2020, Kastalon has purchased and installed a new Summit roll lathe to further enhance our large roll manufacturing and repair capabilities. Kastalon now offers the most comprehensive roller services in the industry.

The Summit lathe/roll grinder allows Kastalon to not only machine metal, but to turn, mill, groove, and grind polyurethane and rubber covered rollers to ultra-precise diameters, geometric finishes, and straightness specifications. This CNC machine has a capacity of 48 inch finished diameters x 20 feet CC (1.22 x 6.1 meters) and almost 50,000 lbs with full CNC grooving. Simple to highly complex and precise grooves and finishes can be produced with this state-of-the-art equipment.

Kastalon’s roller capacity ranges from fractional diameters and face lengths to 62 inches in diameter x 30 feet overall length (1.57 x 9.1 meters). Kastalon’s polyurethane roll coverings are available from 20 Shore A to 75 Shore D (baby’s skin soft to bowling ball hard, and anywhere in between) with surface finishes and groove patterns to optimize your roller’s performance.

We’ve combined chemistry and mechanics just for you. Contact Kastalon today and bring the Kastalon’s advantage to your operations.

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Polyurethane Gib Blocks vs. Babbitt Gib Blocks

Location: 84” Hot Mill Roll Shop
Originally reported: April 3, 2009

At the 84″ Hot Mill Roll Shop, the Area Manager and his team were experiencing a short life span of three to four weeks from their Gib Blocks that had standard Babbitt material on their Herkules Roll Grinder. The Gib Blocks in question measured 5.118” diameter by 2.717” in overall height and 6.69” diameter and 3.11” in over all height. Two of each is required at time on this machine. Kastalon looking to always come up with a way to ease our clients pain, suggested replacing the standard Babbitt material used throughout the industry for this application, with our specially formulated polyurethane material. The roll shop has now been using Kastalon’s polyurethane Gib Blocks for over a year now with great success. The polyurethane Gib Blocks are lasting four to five times (12 to 16 week life span) longer than the Babbitt material Gib Blocks. Putting a cost savings number to this is as follows.

Due to this mill’s purchasing standards, the area manager was unable to tell us what they were paying for the Gib Blocks to be reconditioned with the Babbitt material, but they did gave us permission to quote him on saying “Kastalon’s material costs substantially less”

The price of the Gib Block reconditioned from Kastalon is as follows:
5.118″ diameter by 2.717” overall height $190.00 ea
6.69″ diameter by 3.11 overall height $225.00 ea
The machine uses two of each at a time for a total of $830.00

$830.00 x 15 times per year with Babbitt material equals $12,450.00
$830.00 x 4 times per year with Kastalon’s Polyurethane equals $3320.00
Savings per year to the mill: $9130.00

Using Kastalon Prices, with the substantial longer life cycle of the Kastalon Gib Blocks, we can show a savings to the mill of $9130.00 per year for one roll grinder. We have now moved passed the testing period and we are outfitting the rest of the grinders with the Kastalon Gib Blocks at the 84″ Roll shop.
In addition, weigh inventory costs, transportation costs, labor costs.

/ By Kastalon / Mandrel Sleeves • Millwork Industry • Polyurethane • Press Releases/ • • • / 0 Comments

Kastalon Engineered Mandrel Sleeves Provide Greater Productivity, Profitability


Kastalon engineers match assorted textured surfaces and material hardnesses to the application.

Kastalon offers mills and processors highly engineered polyurethane mandrel sleeves, filler plates and filler rings with material hardness and surface options to match customer needs, protecting coils from damage

Kastalon brings 50 years experience in coil processing to the task of engineering a new offering of application-specific, proprietary formulated polyurethane mandrel sleeves, filler rings and filler plates. These products are designed to adapt the mandrel to handle coils with larger ID’s and addresses the problems of damage from creasing, scratching and marring at mills, service centers, toll processors and fabricators alike. Such damage is expensive for any coil handling operation, especially when the metal is prepainted or must maintain optimum cosmetic surface integrity. By the use of Kastalon mandrel sleeves, filler rings or filler plates on the uncoiler or recoiler, the inside wraps on coils are protected from metal to metal contact. More finished material is produced or usable, as a result.

Mandrel sleeves are custom designed with engineered surface hardnesses and grooved or smooth finishes, depending on the particular application. Full sleeves are usually recommended for the recoilers, while filler rings and filler plates are more often utilized for uncoilers.


The design process begins at the company website, where a detailed needs-assessment questionnaire can be completed, followed by a discussion with Kastalon engineering to formulate the proper chemistry, surface and material hardness for the application.

In use, the proprietary chemistry of the Kastalon Polyurethane material withstands the stress caused by the weight of the coil, then reforms when the mandrel is collapsed back to the rest position, owing to the inherent memory of the Kastalon engineered material. With other materials now on the market, sleeves will often sag due to memory loss and the resulting gap can cause significant coil damage. Correspondingly, additional labor and line downtime result from this condition, as realignment of the coil, sleeve and mandrel is needed. Through the true and precise sizing of the mandrel sleeve, combined with the proper material hardness and surface texturing, a Kastalon sleeve can last up to 10 times longer than rubber, fiber or even other commodity type polyurethane products, according to company research, available on request.


Mandrel sleeves, filler rings and filler plates allow coil processing to be accomplished more efficiently, whether on uncoil or recoil reels, at mills, service centers, toll processors and fabricators.

Kastalon mandrel sleeves are non-marring, cut-resistant, abrasion-resistant and offered for friction fit, requiring a separate “keeper”, or bolt-on installation. Company engineers consult customers on the amount of lubricant, cleaning solution or other coating chemistries present in the process, as this will determine the particular formulation selected. Furthermore, Kastalon offers these mandrel sleeves in a wide variety of grooved or soft surface finishes to meet the specific tension and pressure requirements of a processor’s uncoil/recoil apparatus. Special dual-durometer sleeves are also available for mills and processors where “head-in” damage is often encountered.

For most uncoilers, Kastalon filler rings or filler plates can provide the optimum performance for the tension, pressure and metal contact requirements typically present.


Kastalon engineers match assorted textured surfaces and material hardnesses to the application.

The design process for Kastalon mandrel sleeves can begin with a visit to the company’s website, www.kastalon.com, for completion of a needs assessment questionnaire. Detailed information is gathered on this form, allowing the Kastalon engineers to calculate the best sleeve design and chemical composition to suit the job.