Support bodies and method for improving wear and tear on support bodies in large scale grinders

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for improving wear and tear on support bodies (54) for plates or grinding belts in large-scale grinders (1). The support body (54) has a base body (18), onto which an abrasion-resistant primary layer of at least 0.3 mm thickness is applied using a thermal spraying process. This is configured as an inhomogeneous layer with an oxide entrapment of a specific porosity. If the support body (54) is a roll for the forward feed unit (20, 28), the roll body is roughened and a primer and the primary layer are applied using a thermal spraying process. Approximately 50% of the primary layer consists of chromium steel, in particular 13% chromium steel and an abrasion-resistant hard material and said primary layer provides a coarse surface with good grip that is resistant to wear and tear. If the support body (54) is a grinding-belt contact roll (9, 9′), the latter is polished after the thermal spraying process. If the support body (54) is a grinding belt shoe (50), the base body (18) is roughened and an adhesive layer and then the primary layer are applied in a thermal spraying process. The wear-resistant primary layer is polished to create a smooth surface and the layer construction is configured to produce a high degree of slip.

Description

BACKGROUND

[0001] The invention relates to a method for improving wear performance of support bodies in wide-belt sanding machines particularly at least as regards the drive rollers of the in-feed unit and/or the abrasive-belt contact rollers, and/or the opposing sanding shoe and/or backing roller. The invention relates further to support bodies for platens or abrasive belts in wide-belt sanding machines that are designed as either drive rollers of the in-feed unit and/or as abrasive-belt contact rollers and/or as opposing sanding shoes and/or backing roller.

PRIOR ART

[0002] Over the past decades, wide-belt sanding machines have developed into a class of their own. They are sanding machines of considerable size reaching 1.5 to 3 meters in height and one to several meters in length depending on the sanding heads used. Typical for these machines is their width which can reach from one to more than three meters. As a rule, the wide-belt sanding machine is adapted to the specific conditions, particularly the width of the work piece to be sanded. Work pieces are continually fed through the machine. In technical terms, larger installations are referred to as sanding lines and include in-feed and out-feed units. A typical application is the sanding of unfinished particle boards. In the process, the top and bottom surfaces are essentially sanded over the entire width simultaneously. Immediately after pressing, unfinished particle boards have an excess thickness of 0.5 mm or more and must be sanded to a nominal dimension with a thickness tolerance of ±1÷3/100 mm. The thickness tolerance should extend uniformly over the entire surface. The finish sanded work piece must have a high degree of surface quality. Calibrating, as the first stage of sanding, requires very powerful motors capable of removing relatively large amounts of material. The same requirements apply to the forced conveying system of the panels to be sanded.

[0003] This also involves a considerable amount of thrust. In the case of panels with a surface of several square meters, the enormous amount of sanding requires great precision and stability from the machine and especially the machine stand. Wide-belt sanding machines use a variety of abrasive means. This depends on the type of sanding to be done such as calibration, finish or super finish sanding. Abrasive belts and drums, or brush rollers are primarily used for this. In addition to the aforementioned panels, machines of this type are used for sanding in many other areas i.e., for wood core plywood boards, doors, hard and soft fiberboards, and plywood or other laminates, and plasterboards, fiber-cement boards, flooring materials, and rubber covering, parquet-, cork-, and straw boards, and particularly also for metal sanding. Because of at times very intensive sanding, the abrasive belts, abrasive drums and brush rollers are traditionally considered parts that are subject to wear that must be replaced or re-machined after a relatively short service life. The operating means, although tougher and stronger than the work piece to be processed, sustains nonetheless irreversible wear.

[0004] The second category comprises the carrier or support bodies used either for the abrasive belts or the work pieces to be processed, such as particleboards. These are either moving supports that have their own drive or fixed ones that press the abrasive belt rotating around them against the work piece to be processed.

[0005] The rollers of the in-feed unit are responsible for accurately guiding the work piece through the wide-belt sanding machine, and in case of drive rollers to impart the necessary thrust to the work piece. The through-feed speed should be as constant as possible regardless of the amount of sanding performed at any one time. The rollers of the in-feed unit have a profiled surface. The most frequently used surface profiling is obtained by so-called knurling. Diagonally crisscrossing grooves, milled 2-3 mm deep, create protruding knobs. The knobs offer a good grip on the moving work piece thus allowing the necessary forces to be transmitted. The slip between the roller knobs and the work piece results in abrasion of the roller surface. In order to maintain a good grip, the roller should be restored to the original condition by re-knurling it from time to time. This strips 1-3 mm and results in a smaller roller diameter after re-knurling so that a machined roller can no longer be mounted in line with the other rollers.

[0006] In practical terms, the re-machined rollers cannot be used again.

[0007] The abrasive-belt contact roller imposes different requirements. The abrasive belt is powered by the abrasive-belt contact roller. A certain degree of slip is unavoidable here because of the tremendous amount of force that must be transmitted. The situation here is twice as difficult in comparison to the drive roller of the in-feed unit. The unprocessed work piece is gripped by the knobs on the in-feed roller which results in indentations on the work piece that to a certain extent are permissible. The abrasive-belt contact roller must be smooth so that the abrasive belt meets the enormous demands of surface sanding the work piece. In order to be able to actually transmit the drive force to the abrasive belt, the surface was enhanced so that, notwithstanding the smooth roller, improved adhesion and abrasion resistance would result. The applicant made every effort to obtain said enhanced surface using a plasma spray process. Two plasma spray processes are known: In atmospheric plasma spraying an electric arc is generated between the anodic polarized, water cooled nozzle and a tungsten cathode. Plasma gases (usually Ar after the addition of H2 or He) flow through the arc forming a high-energy plasma jet. An additive in powder form is injected by means of a special powder injector and melted in the plasma jet, propelled toward the base material and deposited to the desired degree of coating.

[0008] The second process is the vacuum plasma spray. An essential component of the vacuum plasma spray device is the 2 to 3 cubic meter vacuum chamber which is evacuated before the start of the process. Because of high particle velocity and good melting conditions coat porosity of less than 1% can be obtained. An additional transmitted arc between the anode of the burner and the work piece can be sparked using this process. This transmitted arc has the following functions: preheating the work piece, cleaning the surface to be coated, supplying additional energy for the melting of particles and keeping the temperature of the base material constant during the spray process in order to obtain an improved coating structure. Special base materials having high oxygen affinity (such as Ti, Tic or Ta) can be sprayed oxidation-free using this technique.

[0009] A great number of abrasive-belt contact rollers have been vacuum plasma sprayed. However, in practice the plasma spray process has not been proven worthwhile except in very special cases. In spite of the very expensive plasma application method, there were some cases in which local damage to the roller surface destroyed the enhanced surface after a certain operating period.

[0010] The third support body which is already known to exhibit extremely pronounced wear is the sanding shoe and the opposing sanding shoe. The opposing sanding shoe must provide the good slip directly to the panels. It is known from prior art that between the sanding shoe and the abrasive belt there is a sheet-like graphite-impregnated intermediate layer. When the sanding shoe graphite layer wears out, it can be replaced. As the wear is relatively minimal, the described support body does not fall under what is normally considered a part subject to wear except for the indicated graphite layer. Still, from time to time, a complete replacement of the opposing sanding shoe, and in the case of the abrasive-belt contact roller, a relatively expensive re-machining, becomes necessary. After repeated re-machining, the diameter of the abrasive-belt contact roller is reduced so much that a new roller must be installed. Wide-belt sanding machines must be overhauled more frequently and defective parts such as bearings, motors, etc. replaced. It is a drawback that the individual components have different service lives since when their maintenance falls between two big overhaul cycles, it can cause the machine's operation to be interrupted.

[0011] The object of the invention is to develop a method and a device that would reduce the wear that affects properties, improve the service lives of support bodies, and optimize the maintenance of the entire machine.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The method according to the invention is characterized in that the support body has a base body onto which an abrasion-resistant primary coating of at least 0.3 mm is applied using a thermal spray process and the primary coating is designed as an inhomogeneous coating with oxide inclusions. Preferably, the primary coating exhibits a certain degree of porosity.

[0013] The support body according to the invention is characterized in that said support body has a base body onto which an outer, abrasion-resistant primary coating of at least 0.3 mm is applied using a thermal spray process and said primary coating has an inhomogeneous structure and oxide inclusions. Preferably the primary coating exhibits a certain degree of porosity. Metal oxides in particular are used as oxide inclusions.

[0014] The present invention has made clear that the previously proposed approach using a sprayed plasma coating did not take into account several parameters. A significant finding is the fact that an adequate coating thickness is very important. Surface damage occurs easily given that a relatively soft base material is usually used under a thin coating of 0.1 to 0.2 mm. In addition, this may lead to out-of-round running. In the case of certain applications, the plasma spray process has the basic advantage of producing a relatively homogenous coating with very low porosity. Based on the present invention, it was proven that producing a substantially thicker inhomogeneous coating in excess of 0.3 mm is a great advantage. It is particularly advantageous if the entire coating exhibits as many oxide particles of variable sizes as possible. The surface structure remains unchanged even with constant wear of the surface because new pores and oxide particles in the coating thickness are continuously coming into play. Regardless of wear, a good grip is maintained because of porosity. Even repeated re-sanding does not change the surface structure if the primary coating is sufficiently thick. The plasma spray process does not have the advantages indicated above except for very special applications. In addition, it is more complex and expensive.

[0015] Previous tests have yielded surprisingly good results, particularly as regards the drive roller of the in-feed unit. It is known that early damage and shelling may occur especially in the case of heavily used, turning rollers that are coated with various materials mostly as a result of not fully understood stress. However, these kinds of concerns have not arisen in the case of the novel approach even after an extensive trial run. Conversely, it appears that the thermal application process according to the invention has resulted in particular advantages for every support body described. The thermal application process is relatively easy to use once all essential parameters for the application are known. If needed the application process can be done at the plant unlike the plasma spray or cast process which always require a highly specialized installation.

[0016] After a certain degree of surface wear on the support body, a new thermal application can restore the original condition and dimensional accuracy with relatively few difficulties. The thermal application can be in the range of a few tenths of a millimeter depending on individual requirements. After recoating using a thermal arc spray process the support body is basically as good as new. The invention can be applied to a number of preferred developments, as is indicated in claims 2 to 8 and 10 to 13. Prior to the thermal application, as already known, the surface is roughened by sandblasting to enhance adhesion.

[0017] This opens up entirely new possibilities where the base body no longer must be made of metal as was the case in the past. The base body can be entirely or partially made of plastic and in each case a specifically suited primer is applied by thermal arc spraying before the primary coating. Using nonmetals has an immediate positive effect on vibration and oscillation properties in order to avoid surface oxidation.

[0018] In the arc spray process, the spray material is formed as electrically conductive wires. If the base body is an oxidizable metal body, the thermal spray application must be done in a narrow time window, notably in under three hours after the surface has been roughened.

[0019] The thermal spray process has the huge advantage that the metal particle coating can be produced in almost any desired thickness. In the process, a partial oxidation of oxide forming elements, i.e. metals occurs in the concomitant air stream. Once the application is finished, the outer surface of the coating is very rough and exhibits oxide particles of various size. These are primarily responsible for the wear-resistant and hard surface structure. When the hard primary coating is slowly abraded through wear, new deeper laying oxide particles come to the surface so that regardless of the degree of wear, the surface structure remains practically unchanged i.e. rough, with good grip, and abrasion-resistant.

[0020] The knurling of the rollers of the in-feed unit based on prior art is difficult and requires a somewhat lengthy production process. Even when it produces good quality (e.g. ST 52), wear is comparatively pronounced which means that rollers based on prior art are not abrasion resistant. Conversely, the arc spray process is rapid, simple and results in a substantially higher degree of wear resistance in comparison to that of structural steel. The hardening of structural steel would make any subsequent re-machining extremely difficult. In a preferred embodiment, the base body is roughened and an adhesive coating, in particular one of aluminum bronze or zinc substrate, is applied by thermal spraying prior to the application of the primary coating using an arc spray process. The primer can have a thickness of approximately 0.1 to 0.3 mm. The primary coating is applied at a thickness of 0.4 to 5 mm, preferably 0.5 to 2 mm and, and in the case of abrasive-belt contact rollers and/or sanding shoe, the coating thickness is at least 0.2 to 1 mm after surface sanding. The operation is greatly simplified because primer and primary coating can be applied using the same process. In the case of rollers for the in-feed unit, the roller body is first roughened and then a primer and the primary coating are applied using a thermal arc spray process. In the case of a roller for the in-feed unit, the primary coating consists of chromium steel in particular 13% chromium steel and an abrasion-resistant hard material thus creating on the primary coating a rough surface with good grip that is resistant to wear.

[0021] In the case of abrasive-belt contact rollers, the base body is roughened and a) a primer and then b) the primary coating are applied using a thermal arc spray process. The primary coating consists preferentially of approximately 13% chromium steel. After the thermal application of the primary coating, the surface is sanded to create a smooth surface. In the case of the opposing sanding shoe, a floating platen that has been furnished with a wear-resistant coating structure according to the invention is attached to a solid support body.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE INVENTION

[0022] The invention is further explained based on the embodiments below. In the examples, the support bodies that have an abrasion-resistant coating structure according to the invention appear in black.

[0023] There appears in:

[0024] FIG. 1 a wide-belt sanding machine with abrasive belts for double-sided sanding that has two rough and two finish sanding steps;

[0025] FIG. 2 a wide-belt sanding arrangement having two calibrating and two finish sanding steps where the latter comprises sanding drums or brushes;

[0026] FIG. 3 view in the direction of arrow III in FIG. 1, of schematic diagram of the drive of the abrasive-belt contact roller;

[0027] FIG. 4 the opposing sanding shoe according to the novel approach;

[0028] FIG. 5 schematically complete wide-belt sanding machine with machine and process control;

[0029] FIG. 6 diagram of various process sections for the sanding drums according to the novel approach;

[0030] FIG. 7 three different sectional illustrations of thermal applied coatings on top of each other;

[0031] FIG. 8 three sectional illustrations with sanded and unsanded primary coating and the relationship between the respective material hardness.

[0032] Embodiments

[0033] FIGS. 1 and 3 illustrate a side view of a larger wide-belt sanding machine 1 used for double-sided sanding of unfinished particle boards 3, for example. The rough or calibration sanding is marked as process section 2; it consists of two upper and two lower calibration heads 4 and 5, and 4′ and 5′ respectively that are equipped with abrasive belts 6 and 7, and 6′ and 7′ respectively. In the case of calibration head 4, the abrasive belt 6 (6′) loops around the upper abrasive-belt contact roller 8 (8′), and a powered lower abrasive-belt contact roller 9 (9′) at approximately 180°. In the second calibration sanding unit 5, 5′ the abrasive belts 7, 7′ loop at approximately 90° only. Each abrasive head 4, 5 has a solid transversal beam 10, 10′ by means of which they are supported on the machine frame 11, 11′.

[0034] Each abrasive-belt contact roller 9, 9′ comprises a base body 18 that according to FIGS. 1 and 3 runs over a shaft end 12 on both sides in a pillow block bearing 13 and is powered by its own drive motor 15, 16 respectively by means of a suitable overdrive 12. For standard machines this can be a 50 to 150 hp motor. The abrasive-belt contact rollers 9, 9′ are supported at the top and bottom on the machine frame 11, 11′ respectively. The upper machine frame 11 rests on top of the lower machine frame 11′ on vertically adjustable support columns 17 that can be designed as a hydraulic cylinder with piston 17′. The vertically adjustable support columns 17 serve primarily to adjust the gap width between the two abrasive-belt contact rollers 9, 9′.

[0035] The wide-belt sanding machine also has on the panel feed side a first guide and in-feed unit 20, and a second guide and feed drive 21 at the panel out-feed side. The in-feed and out-feed units 20 and 21 respectively each comprise two pairs of guide rollers 22 where at least one roller of each guide and in-feed unit is designed as a drive roller 23. The guide and in-feed roller units 20, 21 respectively comprise an upper guide roller unit 24 and a lower guide roller unit 25 whereby the corresponding guide rollers 22 and the corresponding in-feed rollers 23 provide stable longitudinal and transverse guidance. At the initial start up or after extended operation the guide roller units 24 and 25 must be accurately adjusted vertically so that the panels run exactly plan parallel to the center part of the sanding plane 26 and are optimally positioned relative to the two abrasive-belt contact rollers. For this purpose each guide roller unit 24, 25 respectively is accurately set by means of an adjusting mechanism 27.

[0036] According to FIG. 1, 29 represents the in-feed section for the unfinished particle board and comprises in-feed units 20 and 28. The rollers marked in black indicate an in-feed roller, which according to the novel approach can comprise an abrasion-resistant, rough primary coating applied by thermal spray process. It is important that the in-feed contact rollers be able to leave coarse traces [on the panel] up to the second calibration sanding when the traces are removed. The requirements are completely different for the guide units 22, 30 and 31 which can be designed as rubber-covered rollers. The bracket referenced as 40 indicates the finish sanding operation section. In FIG. 1 the finish sanding bodies 41 and 42, and 41′ 42′ respectively show each a sanding platen stage 43, 43′ respectively.

[0037] FIG. 2 shows the finish sanding step that has two finish sanding rollers 44 and brushes 45 respectively.

[0038] FIG. 4 shows an opposing sanding shoe 50 having a support body 54 to which is attached a floating platen 51 that is held to the opposing sanding shoe by means of clamps that are not shown. The floating platen 51 has an abrasion-resistant and sanded primary coating 52 (thick black line). The primary coating can be applied over the contours that are formed by a graphite layer applied based on prior art. Because there is substantially lower risk of damaging the primary coating especially by the in-fed work piece, an evenly applied primary coating having a feeding pitch 53 and a slight bevel is sufficient in some cases.

[0039] FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of an improved open-loop and close-loop control unit for the entire process according to WO 00/35628. It shows a calibration sanding head 4, 5 and a finish sanding head 41, 42. The work piece 3 is shown as a flat panel 3 sanded on one side from above. The panel 3 has a rough thickness DR prior to sanding, after the first or calibration sanding a thickness DK, and after the finish sanding a thickness DF. The thickness difference between DR and DK is for example 0.4 mm which represents 0.4 mm stock removal. Finish sanding removes stock on the order of a few hundredth of a millimeter. The sanding control mechanism after calibration is shown as a thickness gauge or thickness monitoring unit DS. Two sensor rollers determine the panel thickness DK and the corresponding signal is transmitted via data bus. The calibration head 4 and the finish sanding head run on bearings in the frame of the wide-belt sanding machine STM AND are indicated by the thick black line. Schematically shown is a height position signal transmitter HP by means of which the desired amount of stock removal is determined. In order to obtain the desired sanding accuracy the work piece or panel 3 has multi-point guidance. Corresponding simple or dual guide rolls and drive rolls that run in the machine ensure a precise and uniform throughput of work pieces on the sanding line. The throughput rate of the panel 3 is determined by velocity sensors VPS. At calibration head 4 the speed of the abrasive belt VKBS, the drive motor current AK, and AF in the case of the finish sanding head, can be determined. In practice, the height positioning of the sanding means can be done in several ways; as previously mentioned, using the entire machine frame or for example by means of a cam mechanism for each sanding head such as the calibration head HKS and the finish sanding head FHS. The signals are transmitted via data bus to the control device which consists of the three main components of the machine control SPS: a recipe memory, job and recipe input, and multivariable controller.

[0040] At present monitoring techniques as shown in FIG. 5 are introduced experimentally. The corresponding parameters must be kept under control regardless of the automation system. A very important fact is that wide-belt sanding machines, as a rule, must produce not only a well-sanded surface but even more important is the dimensional accuracy that must be obtained by relatively large amount of stock removal.

[0041] Both aspects, surface quality and the dimensional accuracy to be obtained, are equally important. They can best be obtained in a cost-effective manner when appropriate interventions to modules or support bodies are ensured on an ongoing basis according to the required dimensional accuracy and the required surface quality.

[0042] The example in FIG. 5 illustrates that opposite the abrasive-belt contact roller 9 there is a backing roller 32 which, like the former, has an abrasive-resistant coating structure according to the invention.

[0043] FIG. 6 illustrates the abrasive-belt contact roller 9, 9′ through the various processing steps from A-E.

[0044] A represents the raw abrasive-belt contact roller after it has been manufactured. The rollers are mass produced and machined to the desired dimensional accuracy, and the surface is subject to environmental influences. If a protective coating is applied to prevent this, then it must be completely removed prior to thermal spraying.

[0045] B illustrates the preparation of the abrasive-belt contact roller for thermal spraying. The light spots on the surface of the base body 18 represent the whitish metallic appearance of a smooth metal surface after surface precision machining. To enhance adherence, the cylindrical surface of the base body is roughened by sandblasting which is illustrated by the dark shade. Sand indicates sandblasting.

[0046] C In the following processing step, a 0.1 to 2 millimeter adhesive coating of aluminum bronze or zinc substrate is applied by thermal spraying. Thermal spraying is known. In FIG. 6 shows a simplified illustration of the wire arc spray process. The spray head 60 has two mechanical wire feeders 61 and 62, each of which continuously feed a wire 63, 64 respectively to the electrical ignition point 65. At the point of ignition, the material in both wires is melted by the electric arc. At the point of ignition, both materials are homogeneously mixed, atomized particles which are applied to the base body by means of a primary air stream 66 and a secondary air stream 67 in the form of a spray beam similar to paint spraying. During thermal spraying, the abrasive-belt roller is set into controlled rotation as indicated by arrow 69.

[0047] The axial movement, arrow 70, occurs either through corresponding motion in the direction of the axis of rotation 71 of the abrasive-belt roller 9, 9′ or through a controlled longitudinal axial movement of the spray head 60. The desired coating thickness, which in the case of a primer is 0.1 to 0.2 millimeters, is obtained by selecting the appropriate movement and length of application. After the thin primer has been applied, the surface roughness produced by sandblasting remains completely unchanged and can be enhanced depending on the application method in order to produce the ideal primer for the application of the primary coating.

[0048] D illustrates the thermal application of the primary coating. The process is basically identical to that used for the primer and is incorporated by way of reference. In the case of the primary coating, the material in wires 63′, 64′ and the coating thickness are as a rule different from those of the primer. It is equally significant that the materials selected for the primer and the primary coating have different hardnesses (FIGS. 7 and 8).

[0049] E illustrates the abrasive-belt roller ready for use. The last processing step is finish sanding indicated by SF. The desired finish sanding gives the surface a metallic gloss again and is shown in light color.

[0050] FIG. 7 is an example of coating structure of a coating thicker than 0.3 mm in cross section shown under various magnifications. The rough surface (upper edge) and the inhomogeneous porous structure are clearly visible in all three sections. The dark and deeper grayish parts represent larger or an aggregate of smaller oxide inclusions which make up the abrasion resistant properties. The surface roughness is recognizable as being on the order of 0.1 mm. This roughness of 0.1 mm falls in the range of thickness of the full application by means of a vacuum plasma spray process according to prior art as mentioned in the beginning.

[0051] FIG. 8 illustrates in the picture on the left two different magnifications having a rectangular black marking which indicates the hardness of the respective coating. This is a qualitative indication. The larger the rectangle, the softer the material.

[0052] The base body is made for example of ST-52 and is marked with midsize rectangle.

[0053] The thin primer coating consists of Aluminum bronze, is soft and identified by a visibly larger rectangle.

[0054] The primary coating consists of 13% chromium steel and is significantly harder than the two other materials.

[0055] The example in FIG. 8 shows an abrasive-belt contact roller 9, 9′ which must be finish sanded after the thermal spraying indicated by SF. This removes 0.1 to 0.2 mm from the primary coating. The material of the base body is marked 75, the primer 72, the primary coating 73 and the finished sanding surface 74. The rough dots and specks are oxide particles.

Claims

1. Method for improving wear performance of support bodies in wide-belt sanding machines (1) at least as regards the drive rollers (23) of the in-feed unit (20) and/or the backing roller (32)

characterized in that

the support body has a base body onto which

a) a primer (72) and then

b) a primary coating (73) are applied using a thermal spray process

and onto which said base body (18, 51) a coating structure consisting of a 0.1 to 0.3 mm primer (72) on top of which an abrasion-resistant primary coating (73) of at least 0.3 mm is applied by using a thermal spray process, and said primary coating (73) is designed as an inhomogeneous coating with oxide inclusions, and approximately 50% of the primary coating (73) consists of chromium steel, in particular 13% chromium steel, and an abrasion-resistant hard material and said primary coating (73) results in a rough surface that has a good grip and is resistant to wear.

2. Method for improving wear performance of support bodies in wide-belt sanding machines (1) at least as regards the abrasive-belt contact rollers (9, 9′)

characterized in that

the support body has a base body onto which

a) a primer (72) and then

b) a primary coating (83) [sic] are applied using a thermal spray process

and onto which said base body (18, 51) a coating structure consisting of a 0.1 to 0.3 mm primer on top of which an abrasion-resistant primary coating (73) of at least 0.3 mm is applied by using a thermal spray process, and said primary coating (73) is designed as an inhomogeneous coating with oxide inclusions, and in a preferred embodiment the primary coating (73) consists of 13% chromium steel, and the surface of said base body after the thermal application of the primary coating (73) is sanded to obtain a smooth surface.

3. Method for improving wear performance of support bodies in wide-belt sanding machines (1) at least as regards the opposing shoe (50)

characterized in that

the support body has a base body onto which

a) a primer (72) and then

b) a primary coating (73) are applied using a thermal spray process

and onto which said base body (18, 51) a coating structure consisting of a 0.1 to 0.3 mm primer on top of which an abrasion-resistant primary coating (73) of at least 0.3 mm is applied by using a thermal spray process, and said primary coating (73) is designed as an inhomogeneous coating with oxide inclusions, and said primary coating is wear resistant and the coating structure is designed to have a high degree of slip.

4. Method according to claims 1 to 3

characterized in that

the primary coating (73) is applied using an arc spray process and in a preferred embodiment has a certain degree of porosity.

5. Method according to claim 1 to 4

characterized in that

the surface of the base body (18, 51) is roughened prior to the thermal application particularly through sandblasting.

6. Method according to claims 1 to 5

characterized in that

the base body (18, 51) is an oxidizable metal body and the thermal spray application must be done in a narrow time window notably in under three hours after the surface has been roughened.

7. Method according to claims 1 to 6

characterized in that

after the base body (18, 51) is roughened, a primer (72) in particular one of aluminum bronze or zinc substrate is applied using a thermal spray process prior to the application of the primary coating (73) using a thermal arc spray process.

8. Support bodies for platens or abrasive belts (6, 7) in wide-belt sanding machines (1) where at least one of the drive rollers (9) of the in-feed unit has a base body (18) made of plastic or metal (73) [sic]

characterized in that

the support body has a base body (18, 51) that has a coating structure consisting of approximately 0.1 to 0.3 mm primer (72) and an outer, abrasion-resistant primary coating (73) of at least 0.3 mm applied by using a thermal spray process, and said primary coating (73) is designed as an inhomogeneous coating with oxide inclusions, and approximately 50% of said primary coating (73) consists of a chromium steel alloy, and an abrasion-resistant hard material and said primary coating (73) results in a rough surface that has a good grip and is resistant to wear.

9. Support bodies for platens or abrasive belts (6, 7) in wide-belt sanding machines (1) where the abrasive-belt contact rollers (8, 9) and/or the opposing shoe (50) and/or the backing roller (32) have a base body (51) made of plastic or metal

characterized in that

the support body has a base body (18, 51) that has a coating structure consisting of approximately 0.1 to 0.3 mm primer (72) and an outer, abrasion-resistant primary coating (73) of at least 0.3 mm applied by using a thermal spray process, and said primary coating (73) is designed as an inhomogeneous coating with oxide inclusions, and in a preferred embodiment consists of chromium steel and is sanded to obtain a smooth surface.

10. Support body according to claim 8 or 9

characterized in that

the primary coating (73) is inhomogeneous and has a porous structure.

11. Support body according to claims 8 to 10

characterized in that

the primer (72) has a thickness of approximately 0.1 to 0.2 mm and the primary coating (73) is applied at a thickness of 0.4 to 5 mm, and in the case of abrasive-belt contact roller (8, 9) and/or opposing sanding shoe (50), and/or backing roller (32), the coating thickness is at least 0.3 to 4 mm.