Polycord

Polycord, also referred to as urethane or polyurethane cord, is the standard material in producing polyurethane belts and O-rings in material handling systems. These Polyurethane O Rings most commonly known as O ring drive belts run conveyors in most of the manufacturing and distribution centers around the world. Polycord can be used to make these line shaft O-rings, roller-to-roller O-rings, divert O-rings onsite within the facility. Polycord comes in spools of various diameters (1/8”, 3/16”, .21″ , 1/4”, 5/16”, and 3/8”), durometers (hardness of the polycord)  ranging from 80A-95A, textures (standard, orange, rough green, high tension blue, reinforced), and colors, which is then cut to the necessary length. Once the polycord is cut, it is heat welded or butt welded together. This is usually done in place without breaking apart the line shaft conveyor or they are made in house before disassembling the conveyor or removing the line shaft rollers. Below are the most common uses of each style of polycord on conveyors in distribution centers:

• Standard Clear: for most standard activities 83A/85A
• Orange or Clear: for divert applications when transferring boxes between conveyors (83A/85A)
• Rough Green: for lightweight handling (88A, 90A)
• High-Tension Blue:  for heavyweight items or more pulling power . Comes is various colors (blue, red, green) most common is the HT “High Tension” Blue  83/85A

There are many pros and cons to using polycord versus prewelded(endless) poly O-rings or polyurethane premade belts.

Pros	Cons
No tearing down machine	Downtime
Cheaper	Must purchase welding tool/kit
May be easier to apply	More manual labor
Ability to create new sizing yourself	Higher error potential