In order to maintain a high level of quality and productivity, Jesse J. Heap & Son offers several accessories:

Welding Guns - Through regular use telfon belts may become worn. Our welding guns can be used for patching old/worn teflon belts. Ask about our welding board and welding film

TBC-3 - Fusing surfaces can become stained from fusing adhesive residue. TBC-3 is a safe and effective fusing machine belt cleaner.

Temperature Strips - Temperature calibration is important to ensure proper temperature for bonding. We offer four types of temperature strips for belt temperature calibration.

It is important to keep the working surfaces of your fusing machine as clean as possible.

TBC-3, a powder substance, cleans the fusing surface fast, at operating temperatures...during slow periods, lunch, or breaks. It melts instantly, loosens residue, and wipes right off.

Through the normal cycles of operation, the fusing machine teflon belts and plates will accumulate adhesive residue. This residue can stain the fusing fabric face, cause parts to stick to the belt, and potentially stop production because of machine jams.

TBC-3 reduces time spent cleaning. With the use of a cleaning flag, the TBC-3 can clean any Teflon coated surface in less then 10 minutes. It melts instantly, loosens residue, and wipes right off.

TBC-3 conditions and refines. TBC-3 cleans and polishes your fusing machine belts. This reduces parts stickage, and makes cleaning easier. Since less rubbing is needed, your fusing surface will actually last longer.

TBC-3 is safe. Under normal operating conditions, TBC-3 has no odor, is non-flammable and has no hazardous fumes.

Most fusing machines have silicon rubber coats on the pressure rollers. These coatings cannot withstand silicon cleaners and may fail prematurely as a result.

A cleaning flag can be used to automate the cleaning process, without the need for an operator manually rubbing the cleaner on the belts.

A cleaning flag consists of a Terry Cloth with a wooden dowel on one side. Simply place the cleaning flag on the input conveyor during down time and sprinkle the TBC-3 powder on the middle portion of the terry cloth. Once inserted into the heat chamber, the wooden dowel will engage the sheet metal and cause the flag to drag against both the top and bottom teflon belts. < Picture of Process >

Scrub pads will scratch the teflon belt which can cause contaiminants to become embedded in the belt. It is recommended to use a less abrasive non-liquid cleaner to loosen the residue and a soft cloth to wipe it away.

It is not recommended to use liquid cleaners since some contain chemical solvents that can emit toxic flammable fumes. These fumes are not only dangerous to the operators, but they can also damage the paint inside the machines.

Using TBC-3 Teflon Belt Cleaner will revitailize the fusing machines belts by leaving them smooth and non-sticky. This smoother surface will prevent part jamups and make cleanup easier.

A10. What determines whether a fusing belt should be repaired or replaced?

If the main belt seam has failed across the width of the belt then it is almost impossible to repair. Small rips and tears should be patched immediately. Generally speaking belt repairs should be made to the belt at the factory while it is on the machine before the rip or tear becomes too large. To repair fusing machine belts a welding gun, patching material, and welding film are required. Welding film is 1 in wide and sold by the foot. We sell it in 12 ft packages. We also sell patching materials

Jesse J. Heap & Son offers welding guns for joining and patching machine belts.

Most importantly make sure the fusing machine is on a level surface. If the machine is out of level the tracking system will not work properly. Belts are typically guided by a steering roll. In a standard two belt configuration, there is one steering roll for the top belt and one for the bottom. The roller can be adusted with the screw. When the steering roll is adjusted you will notice that one side of the belt will be slightly tighter than the other. If you are having tracking problems start with the pin in the middle of the slot for whichever belt is giving you problems. Adjust the screw one way or the other depending on which way you want the belt to travel. The adjustment should be in small increments.

It is very important that you do not try to solve tracking problems by tightening one tension spring on the top or bottom belt more than the other. The tension springs for the top belt should be of equal tension on the left and right side. The same goes for the bottom belt tension springs. If you increase or decrease the tension on the left side spring for the top or bottom belt you need to do the same on the right side for the top or bottom. Improper and or uneven spring tension will cause the belt to crease.

If you are comfortable using the internet we offer an intelligent fusing machine search that can be used to help narrow down your choices based on your production requirements.

If you'd rather speak to a live person feel free to call or email us to discuss your needs. Be prepared to be able to answer the following questions:

A. What type of garments does your customer manufacture.
B. What parts of the garment are to be fused (ie: front, facing collar, pocket, sleeve wigan, etc.)
C. How many parts does your customer want to fuse per day.(daily production times the number of parts per garment)

If you are fusing men's dress shirt collars and cuffs we would recommend a high pressure fusing machine. Today's high density polyethylene fusibles need sufficient pressure to drive the glue into the shell fabric to prevent de-lamination after repeated launderings. We have three high pressure machines available:

Model #4524 High production machine
Model #3024SC Medium production machine with return to operator conveyor
Model #289 Small to medium production high pressure platen type machine

We also carry a line of refurbished presses, and from time to time, we have these models available at a lower-cost:

Refurbished Astex #4524
Refurbished Astex #289

And finally, we have a table top lower pressure machines which are suitable for fusing collars and cuffs on ladies sportswear.

Model #2000 Continuous Table Top Fusing Press

Fusing and laminating are very similar processes. Generally, fusing means adhering or fusing a hot melt adhesive backing to cloth, often cut apparel parts such as a jacket facing, front, collar or pocket. The backing gives the part stability and some wrinkle resistance. Laminating is the combining of two substrates with an adhesive.

The rebuilt machines we offer can handle soft flexible foam substrates up to about 1/2". We do offer new machines with element gapping which enables them to handle substrates up to about 2". The new machines can also be equipped with cooling chambers.