Hydro Aluminum installed a Belco Automatic Die Cleaning System from Belco several months ago, upgrading from a process that relied heavily on manual operation for die cleaning.

Nearly all self-contained, safety is key with Hydro’s new Belco system.  Gone are several points in the process that involved operators to coming into close contact with caustic substances while wearing protective equipment under a ventilation system.

Many features help improve the process, including double mix propellers to keep the solution evenly distributed and cooling accelerated by the system’s rinse cycle. The system’s diagnostic and optimization capabilities allow for continuous improvement as well.

Belco continues to build new systems and improve safety and equipment intelligence for customers. Will your business be next? Contact us today to learn more about the ways the Automatic Die Cleaning System can benefit your business.

We’re excited to announced our new working relationship with Kind & Co., an all-in-one steel maker and supplier of extrusion tooling.  Located outside of Cologne, the German company has over 120 years of experience in the development, processing and finishing of high alloy steels and other metals, including implementations for extrusion systems.

Kind & Co.’s work in extrusion tooling complements Belco’s work in extrusion equipment, giving customers of both companies strong confidence they have a trusted source for all of their extrusion needs.  If one company doesn’t produce something, the other is sure to have it.

The partnership is something customers in the industry asked for, according to Bryant Bronner, Kind & Co’s key accounts manager for North and South America:

“The industry is calling for complete solutions for their extrusion needs,” said Bronner. “Therefore, it made sense for us, a steel maker and tool supplier, to pair with a respected extrusion equipment supplier. It definitely makes sense for us to work with Belco.”

Bonner also states that the move would not have worked for just any two companies.  He cited the size and family-owned background of both companies as a good match, explaining that both companies value the same things.

“Belco is a family-owned company. They have family values.” said Bronner. “Kind & Co. and Belco both value customer service, flexibility and quality.”

If you are looking for a comprehensive source for your extrusion needs, Belco and Kind & Co. can work with you.

For more information on Belco’s range of products or how Kind & Co. can help serve your business as well, please contact us today.

For more information on Kind & Co., please visit www.kind-co.de.

Announcing the all-inclusive Probe Maintenance Kit from Belco, which includes all the spare parts you may need to service your Belco Log or Billet Furnace temperature probe.

The components available in this kit encompass all aspects involved in servicing the probe assemblies in your furnace. The Probe Maintenance Kit system is specially stocked, with a volume of parts based on the number of probes in your plant.

Belco knows that your furnace may not be conveniently located right next to your parts inventory, so they put it on wheels for easy relocation. Instead of wasting time traveling between your parts inventory and your furnace, the inventory moves easily to the workspace at hand.

Just a sampling of what the rolling kit will contain:

• Probe cylinder and cylinder rebuild kits
• Probe leads
• Insulators
• Springs
• Probe rods
• A probe maintenance manual

Time is money, and your furnace probes must remain in top working order to get the best performance out of your furnace. Get your Belco Probe Maintenance Kit to maximize performance and efficiency.

Bonnell Aluminum Co. – Carthage, TN

Since the replacement of the log shear on Press 1 in March of 2005 with the Belco Hot Log Saw, we have
been exceptionally happy with its performance. Everyone (both maintenance and production) agrees
that it is an excellent system and a huge step forward compared to a log shear or a billet press. It
requires much less baby-sitting by the press operators and much less fine-tuning by maintenance. It
offers all of the flexibility/infinite variability in billet length and scrap savings of a press equipped with a
shear, requires no cut billet inventory, but does not have the shortcomings of a shear (excessive
maintenance, “football” shaped billet ends). We are so convinced that it is superior to a log shear that
in 2008 when we were specifying the equipment for our 5th press line, we insisted that it be equipped
with a hot log saw.

We hope to be converting our one remaining shear press and the two billet presses with hot log saws in
the coming years.

I’d be happy to speak to anyone regarding the superior performance of a saw versus a shear.

Best regards,
Craig Daily
Technical Services Manager
Bonnell Aluminum
Carthage, TN

In Belco Manufacturing tradition, I started packing Oven Panels with the other “low man on the totem-pole (Nick Kohn) on October 22, 1979. Since that 1st day I have been given the opportunity to do many different things and almost all were things I had never done before so it was a ”learn as you go experience”.

A lot of my “Shop” time was spent on the road doing repair, modifications & installation work, when with a Belco-Crew we got done what had to be done, when out alone for 6-7 weeks it was always very busy at the job-site but you miss your family, home-cooked meals, someone to talk to, etc. so when we added the Handling Department & needed a group leader I jumped at the chance to stay closer to home.

In November 1990 I went into Engineering for about 5 years until a position doing Spare Parts came my way, talking to customers, quoting & processing orders sounded more exciting than making, stretching & dimensioning lines!

Parts Sales was short lived when the Ionia Plant wanted to add a 2nd foreman to give Ray Stewart some needed help & this again was short lived when our then Purchasing Agent left & Sean Alkire moved from Parts Sales into purchasing so back to Inside Sales I went. Doing sales can be very fast paced at times between a very excited/broke-down customer & the shop being very, very busy but the shop has always found a way to do what it had to a customer in need.

A few months ago Chris Kohn joined Belco & this has really helps us to respond faster to our customers with an added bonus for me in that the; 60 to 65 hours weeks are now gone allowing me to spend my weekends at home. Almost all of my time away from work is spend with family, Sandy & I along with our kids; JR, Shelly & her husband Matt, Eric (attending Ferris), Kate (living home & going to GRCC) & our four Grandchildren; Nevaeh, Westin, Faithlyn & Amelia.

Other than talking a lot I really don’t have any hobbies but here are a few things I enjoy doing (no particular order) when away from work: boating/pontoon rides around on Big Pine Island Lake, boat-cushion floating in the lake on hot summer days, Deer Hunting (have not missed an opening day with Dad for 42 straight years), any projects that needs to be addresses at home or around one of the kids homes, camping/sleeping under the stars, nature (waterfalls are simple but amazing & fun to try & find in the U.P.), backyard bonfires with family and friends – Oh wait… did I forget to mention, that I make the best Hobo-Pies in the world & that I don’t know when to shut-up!!!

Batch Ovens
Special shaped parts and small quantities call for batch ovens to cure painting. Air-circulating, convection type ovens are a Belco specialty. Custom designed batch ovens are available to meet specific requirements.

Dry-off Ovens

• Moisture removal from parts between the spray washing and the painting or coating process.
• Ovens are equipped with an overhead or belt conveyor.
• All ovens available with choice of heat source and designed for maximum productivity.

Curing Ovens

• Belco Ovens are individually designed and built to accommodate your product requirements.
• Designs include floor, elevated and roofmounted curing ovens.
• Six inch thick insulated walls and ceilings provides maximum energy efficiency.

Belco Advantages

• All components from only the top name suppliers for easy replacement.
• Long lasting heavy duty materials of construction—no shortcuts.
• Belco’s never walk away policy—if we make a mistake we fix it at no additional.

Belco’s in house production allows us to tightly monitor and control quality assurance. It also gives us the flexibility to create custom solutions that help increase manufacturing standards and improve production quality.

Founded in 1959 as a sheet metal fabrication shop, Belco Industries rapidly expanded into building turnkey systems for the paint /powder coating and aluminum extrusion industries. Today we are an international corporation with equipment worldwide with a full compliment of service professionals.

Located in Belding, Michigan, our manufacturing facility exceeds 70,000 square feet. The strength of our manufacturing and engineering capabilities has translated into installations around the globe. The end result: superior quality, reliable results and a commitment to long-term service.

When not working, Jon spends his time pursuing the wild outdoors hunting and fishing. He shares this passion with Tom Kohn (owner) and recalls a business trip the day before deer season. It was late and Jon and Tom were trying hard to get back. Tom was also getting ready for a hunting trip early the next morning and shared with Jon that he wanted to make it back because he still needed to borrow a gun for the hunt the next day!

Quality Manufacturing is a custom fabricator of most anything made of metal.

The new paint system is primarily designed to handle long heavy parts that serve the agricultural equipment suppliers that rely on Quality Manufacturing on a daily basis.

The system is complete with a new Pretreatment system, Moisture Drying Oven, Two (2) large downdraft Paint Booths, Three (3) Air Make-up systems, Paint Bake Oven, Cooling Tunnel and a complete enclosure from the start of the pretreatment cycle to the exit of the Bake Oven.  A PLC control system allows for fully automatic start up and shutdown and ongoing diagnostics for any potential shutdowns. The enclosure assures a minimum amount of airborne contamination on the parts during the painting process for maximum paint quality.

Working with the power & free conveyor manufacturer parts can be loaded and unloaded on the system while standing still and then released into the painting process under a controlled environment.

Installation of the system commenced in July with expected full operation in early October.

SAPA’s 9” diameter press will receive a Model 810-HLS Hot Log Saw, along with a Model 810-20-4-PR25-2-P-L log furnace. The furnace will be capable to heat and cut up to 9,000 lbs per hour of 9” logs. The saw will cut accurate and consistent-length billets that will be sent to the press. The hot log saw also includes a “No-Scrap” cycle that will use the complete log.

SAPA – Yankton is a single-source supplier of soft alloy extruded aluminum products for a variety of aluminum applications.