Accella unveils new "Leak Alert" coloring for TLC Line for Mining OTR vehicles
Accella Tyre Fill Systems has unveiled a new, vibrant color for its industry-leading TLC Tyre and Rim Protection that will deliver greater safety and functionality to field operators and drivers of Off-the-Road (OTR) vehicles working in mining and other related industries. TLC is a protective coating that conditions the tyre wheel and maintains cooler tyre operating temperatures, which helps to eliminate premature failures caused by rust and other deterioration. Accella's most recent TLC Tyre and Rim Protection formula—to be showcased at this week's 64th Annual Off-the-Road (OTR) Conference in Tampa, Florida, held February 20-23 — features a bright, highly visible "Neon Red" that will enable earlier, safer detection of dangerous tyre and rim leaks.
Accella Tyre Fill Systems is best known as the manufacturer of TyrFil Flatproofing, the industry's leading polyurethane tyre fill technology for pneumatic tyres for heavy commercial and industrial equipment. The company's TLC Tyre and Rim Protection technology is another centerpiece of the brand's complete 360-degree tyre care solution. TLC features industry leading corrosion protection that helps reduce equipment downtime by making it easier and safer to dismount tyres, which directly helps operators to better manage labor costs. Now, the brand's new Neon Red coloring will make it far easier for operators to quickly identify and catch the early-stage rim cracks and leaks that can lead to catastrophic tyre equipment failure on the job site.
Independent color and corrosion testing conducted in fall 2018 by Applied Technical Services, Inc. (ATS), one of the industry's top tier consulting engineering firms and independent labs, compared Accella's new Neon Red coloring with other leading competitors' formulas. Results show that TLC's Neon Red maintained its color visibility and vibrancy, even when other brand color markings had faded.
"Our TLC Tyre and Rim Protection formula is a mainstay of our end-to-end technology solution offered for the OTR marketplace, and most specifically, the mining industry, where temperature extremes and volatile working conditions can take a toll on tyres—creating both performance and safety risks for field operators," said Mike Arnold, General Manager and Vice President of Accella Tire Fill Systems division. "The ability to better protect tyres on the job, while also ensuring early detection of the most dangerous leaks, cracks and unwanted deterioration, directly saves our mining customers valuable time, money and manpower."
Weather-borne effects are one of the biggest detriments to mining equipment's wheels and tyres. A signature of Accella's TLC technology is the fact that it maintains cooler operating conditions even when faced with fluctuating temperature extremes of hot and cold. The TLC Tyre and Rim Protection formula's superior liquid coating is added to the tyre air chamber and coats the inside of the rims to provide rust protection, while offering continual vapor dispersion to extend the life of tyres and rims. Plus, TLC is non-toxic, non-flammable, and non-hazardous.
In addition to testing the color vibrancy of TLC's new Neon Red markings, ATS also conducted a series of rigorous corrosion tests, comparing TLC to other industry leading products. ATS constructed specialized chambers to simulate a year of field use in a mining OTR tyre that operates at up to 176°F (80°C) on a two-shift basis. Corrosion testing was conducted at extreme temperatures of 212°F (100°C) and 100 PSI. At the end of the test, the results were clear-cut. The sample steel coated in TLC Pro had only a 0.005% reduction in weight; the competition sample had corroded over 2.6 times as much, with a 0.013% weight loss, providing proof of performance of much higher levels of corrosion protection from TLC products.
Also, internal lab testing conducted extensive evaluation of TLC's ability to withstand the "freeze test." TLC and a competitor product were subjected to below freezing temperatures of -10°F (-23°C) for over six hours. The competitor's product froze solid within one hour. The TLC formulation did not freeze. Even in the most severe operating conditions, Accella delivers a TLC product specifically formulated to perform from lows of -40° F to +20° F (-40° C to -7° C).
For OTR operators who rely on the safety of properly maintained tyres for their heavy equipment (and especially those working at often dangerous mine site locations), Accella's new color offering and standard TLC performance features play a critical role in better protecting operators and eliminating unwanted productivity downtime due to costly equipment failures.
