Not all polyurethane, or “urethane,” liners are created the same or possess the same properties or quality. But how urethane is manufactured and fabricated determines how effective it is in a specific application.

Industries that can benefit from the use of urethane liners include the grain, sand and gravel, crushed stone, coal, gold, silver, copper, salt, and many others involved in the handling or conveying of bulk materials.

Industry applications for urethane liners include:

• Grain: Areas of the bucket elevator including head section, distributors, transitions, elbows, spouts and chutes and screw conveyors; to protect grain, feed and other materials from breakage
• Mining: Spouts and chutes, elbows, bins and hoppers, belt scrapers, noise and vibration dampening, feed boxes, classifier shoes, perforated particle sizing screens and skirt boards
• Concrete: Lining of central batch mixers and blades
• Foundry Castings: Lining of vibratory trough for deburring of parts; sandblast and shotblast curtains

Urethane is an elastomeric material with outstanding properties and wear characteristics that offers superior cut and abrasion resistance. It possesses the ability to “self-heal,” and can be formulated to have specific properties (i.e. co-efficient of friction, resiliency and compression set can be formulated high or low). Other benefits include its excellent resistance to ozone and aging, it’s resistance to many oils and solvents, and its outstanding low-temperature properties. It increases the lifespan of equipment and solves wear problems. Urethane can be molded and bonded to a variety of substrates, and it is lightweight, making it flexible and ideal for many applications.

When it comes to urethane liners, as with many products, you get what you pay for. For example, not all of them meet FDA standards for dry food handling and cushion grain, feed and other materials from breakage. So be selective when choosing a type and brand of liner so you don’t sacrifice quality, durability or service. You want a reliable, high-quality urethane liner because it will prove to be most cost-efficient for your business in the long run.

At KC Supply, quality urethane liners are stocked and ready-to-ship today!  Call our experts at 800.527.8775 to discuss what kind of urethane liner is best for your business, or visit our website at www.kcsupply.com/lining-materials to view our wide selection of lining materials.

When it comes to your bins, it’s critical to know whether they are empty, full or somewhere in between.

If you don’t have the resources required to install electrical wiring to your storage bins, KC Supply Co. offers two bin-level monitor options for you: The LevAvert and the Binzful.

The LevAlert is a simple, mechanical lever-operated bin-level indicator, while the Binzful is a slightly more robust indicator that also works with your handheld two-way radios. In a glance, the LevALERT black and yellow Indicator shows you the level of material in your bin while you remain safely on the ground. Whether you fill your bins once a year or several times a day, LevALERT saves you time, labor and money.

LevALERT benefits include:

• Safety:  see the level of material in your bin while you remain safe on the ground
• Easy Installation:  fully assembled and ready to install from outside your bin
• High visibility:  can be easily seen from 200 feet, day or night
• No electricity required:  completely mechanical
• Adaptability:  easily accessorized with an optional electrical sensor to activate horns, lights, motors, etc.
• Increased safety:  virtually eliminates the need to climb bins
• Saves money:  greatly improves your operation by saving you time, wear and tear on equipment, and your body. You only need a second to check how full or how empty your bin is.

Binzful is available in a single- or multiple-bin monitor version. The benefits of these portable, wireless bin-level monitors include:

• Easy set up and use
• Prevents bin overfilling
• Completely portable
• No expensive wiring to install
• Customizable wording and frequency of alarms
• Rechargeable battery lasts up to 6 months  battery

Binzful monitors work with your existing two-way handheld radios. Simply lower the cable and switch to the desired depth (supplied with 30-foot cable). Verbal warnings are sent directly to your radio – when the monitor is turned on, a “bin is monitored” message is sent to your radio, and the “monitor is on” message can be repeated every hour to let you know it’s working. When the tilt switch is activated by the grain pile, a warning message is repeated until the condition is corrected.

Both LevALERT and Binzful bin-level monitors boost productivity, as they allow you and your employees to work instead of babysit your bins, saving time, labor and money.

KC Supply Co. is your trusted source for bin-level monitors. Call us today at 800.KC Supply today and ask our experts which bin-level monitor option will work best for your business.

Conveyors are used to economically and efficiently move bulk materials from point A to point B. But are you using the right type for your business?

Screw and drag conveyors are the most commonly used types of conveyor systems. Choosing the one that best fits your business depends on your application and needs.

Screw conveyors move product from one point to the next by pushing the product with a rotating shaft and flight assembly. With screw conveyors, the inlet is usually control-fed by equipment that discharges the product at a specific rate. Screw conveyors are a completely enclosed system, which helps reduce product spillage as well as reduce dust emissions. They require minimal maintenance because they have few moving parts, and they can carry a wide variety of products from free-flowing to slow moving.

Screw conveyors are available in various designs and sizes, ranging from 4-inch to 24-inch in diameter and up to 120-inch in diameter with flights as thick as 2 inches. They can be made from a variety of metals, including mild steel, galvanized steel, stainless steel, aluminum, hastalloy, monel, Inconel and other alloys.

If you are limited by space, drag conveyors may be your best option for conveying bulk materials over, under and around other equipment. They are energy efficient, requiring less horsepower to move a product than most other conveying equipment. With drag conveyors, the bulk material enters the conveyor through a bypass inlet to allow the product to fill the lower portion of the housing without contacting the chain and flights on the return rail.

Drag conveyors are available in a round-bottom or flat-bottom option. Drag conveyors, by design, can convey product with little to no product degradation, which is important when you have bulk materials that are pelletized or you want to maintain a product’s integrity. Drag conveyors typically do a better job when you need to thoroughly clean out product at the discharge point.

Is your current conveyor system meeting your needs? KC Supply Co. experts can assess your current screw and drag conveyor system or any other system and answer questions, including how to make your conveyor more economical and efficient. KC Supply offers new and replacement parts and can customize conveyors, including screw and drag conveyors, to fit your unique application and business. We have many years of experience and several manufacturing plants throughout the United States to meet your needs. We offer various parts and sizes for screw and drag conveyors and can even customize them for you. Call 1.800.KC.SUPPLY.

Do your access ports, inspection doors and manways meet OSHA’s regulations?

If you need help making your facility compliant with OSHA standards, contact KC Supply Co. KC Supply is the largest stocking distributor of Knappco and Civacon access doors in the United States. We offer pressure-rated, non-pressure-rated and pressure-relieving options. KC Supply also stocks Knappco and Civacon access door screens to prevent unauthorized entry.

Knappco specializes in products for access to petroleum, chemical and dry bulk cargo tanks and conveying equipment. These include: access ports, manways, weld rings, hatches, fill covers, swing check valves, pressure vacuum hatches, pressure relief valves, bottom loading equipment, delivery elbows, overfill detection devices and vapor recovery adaptors.

For Knappco products, you can depend on KC Supply Co. We stock the complete line of Knappco products. We also are the largest Knappco stocking distributor and have been a Knappco distribution partner for decades. If you need a product immediately, KC Supply offers same-day shipment options on most items.

In addition, KC Supply is Knappco’s only authorized, factory-trained repair center in the United States.

Contact KC Supply today to order Knappco and Civacon access doors. We also can answer questions about OSHA regulations and about which products meet those regulations. KC Supply Co. is your trusted source for conveying and elevating equipment plus safety supplies.

The Greibrok brothers were breaking up rotten corn in a Glenville, Minn., bin earlier this month when disaster struck. David Greibok became stuck and knew he was in trouble.

Glenville Fire Chief Matt Webb and his father, Wes, were close by and first on the scene to help. They brought in rescue equipment to help free David. They were joined by more firefighters, who used a grain rescue tube and an auger to relieve some of the pressure and remove the corn.

“With any grain bin situation, you want to get the person out as quickly as possible. That grain is like quick sand, as you sink down in you can sink down out of sight,” Chief Jeff Laskowske with the Albert Lea Fire Department, told local TV station KTTC. “The grain itself can create pressure on the chest, not allowing a person to breathe, cutting off circulation to different parts of the body.”

Firefighters arrived on the scene just before 10 am that day and freed David Greibrok just before noon. Webb said Greibok is safe thanks to a great team effort and the grain entrapment rescue devices they had on hand.

According to Jeff Lavery, owner of KC Supply Co., the rescue tube is designed to act as a barrier to allow the pressure of the grain from being exerted on the trapped person. Once the tube is assembled around him, the grain is removed from inside the tube, allowing him to be gradually unburied. The steps on the inside of the tube allow first responders to provide first aid and other rescue activities – without standing on the person who is trapped.

Because the fire department had the right rescue equipment on hand, David Greibok’s story had a happy ending. KC Supply Co. supplied the fire department with the yellow rescue tube used in the rescue and offers a patented, red version of the rescue auger, Lavery said. The KC Supply Red Rescue Auger is a one-of-a-kind tool engineered specifically for grain entrapment rescues. KC Supply carries them in stock.

Every second counts in a rescue operation and being prepared for an emergency can mean the difference between life and death. If you don’t have the right grain entrapment rescue devices at the ready, you can find what you need today at KC Supply. KC Supply offers tubes, augers, and other critical rescue equipment. Contact KC Supply Co. today for all your grain entrapment rescue device needs.