An aluminum conveyor-belt cutting tool augments an earlier steel cutter line with 15% lighter-weight alternatives for easier handling, plus added features for better operation.An aluminum conveyor-belt cutting tool from Flexco, designated the Clipper 845LD Cutter, augments the company's earlier steel cutter line with 15% lighter-weight alternatives for easier handling, plus added features for better operation. Designed for light-duty conveyor applications such as in-plant parts/package handling, the 845LD adds extra-strength belt-clamping springs that prevent shifting during the cut. This assures the straight, smooth, perpendicular cut essential for proper installation of mechanical belt splicing, longer splice life and a truer-tracking belt.

In addition, a 90deg squaring attachment is offered as a time-saving option for use with new belts, an external take-up control allows convenient field adjustment of blade drive-chain tension, and aluminum construction keeps the tool free of corrosion.

Unlike conventional push/pull belt cutting tools, the crank-driven 845LD assures single-pass cutting with virtually no resistance, through rubber and PVC belting up to 1/2in (13mm) thick.

The 845 LD cutter is offered in four lengths: 36in, 48in, 60in and 72in (900, 1200, 1500 and 1800mm).

Cutter operation is simple and designed for greatest possible safety, even in tight workspaces: after proper belt-squaring procedures, the user lifts the tool's clamp bar, positions the belt across the cutter-blade track, lowers the clamp bar and secures it with a detent pin.

Two top-mounted spring clamps are activated to hold the belt firmly in place.

The user then turns a top-mounted double-handle crank to draw the tool's dual-edge blade through the belt in either direction; the unit's chain-drive crank system significantly reduces the effort and time required to make a cut.

A crank socket at each end of the cutter body accommodates situations in which workspace is available only along one side of the tool.

The hold-down bar can be secured in an open position to eliminate the need to manually hold it while aligning the belt over the cutter-blade track.

For low-clearance situations, the hold-down bar can be completely detached.

For greater safety, the top of the blade is flat and blunt, and steel pockets at both ends of the blade track provide guarded areas for parking the cutter blade while the tool is open.

Each unit arrives with one blade installed; replacement blades, sold separately, are easily installed by the user.

Flexco belt cutters can be bench-mounted for workshop applications or carried with a convenient, built-in handle for remote on-line belt repairs.