Upgrades & Tools
Steele Upgrades & Tools — Reduce maintenance and improve operating efficiency and extruded product quality
Our commitment to continuous improvement drives ongoing innovations for our global installed base.
Machinery, engineering and service
We work with our global customer base to drive innovation in material preparation and shaping. To discuss improvements for your production, talk to your regional Steele sales or service representative, or contact us.
- Extruder Tools & Upgrades
- Pug Sealer Tools & Upgrades
- High-wear Coatings for Bridges
- Model B Waste Chopper Blade Retrofit
- Hammermill Upgrades
- Mixer Upgrades
- Vacuum System Upgrades
Steele Extruder Tools & Upgrades — Improve the quality of your extruded product and make extruder maintenance easier
Steele engineers continue to refine our extrusion machinery, working in consultation with the machine operators and maintenance specialists in our global customer base.
Extended Wear Auger
A redesigned lip profile extends wear life and ensures better pre-slicking for shorter break-in. Available in all 90 Series augers.
Auger Installation Tools
Auger Puller
Use for safer and easier removal of 90 Series augers
Feed Roller Swipes
- Easy to replace as feed roller shoes, reducing maintenance and downtime
- Two mating halves bolt around the shaft — no need to remove the feed roller shaft, bearing cartridges or grease seals
- Plow bolts lock into place and won’t rotate during assembly or disassembly
Oil Filter Assembly
- Upgrade for 75 and 90 Series Extruders and Pug Sealers improves filtration
- Easier replacement than previous designs
- Improved filtration
— Cleaner recirculating oil
— Longer service life for gearbox components.
The filter assembly retrofits, mounting on the same bracket and using the same plumbing (kit contains all hardware and detailed replacement instructions). A differential pressure indicator informs operator when to replace the filter element.
Vacuum Chamber Level Sensor
- Integrates with existing control circuitry to prevent vacuum chambers overfilling
- Material enters the extruder from the pug sealer and reaches the desired level, with the sensor disengaging pug sealer clutch to stop material flow
- Optional on new Steele pug sealers
- Retrofits to existing machinery
The sensor ships with complete installation guide and wiring diagram.
Liner Adapter Installation Tool
- Makes liner installation on our 90AD Extruder faster and easier.
- Bolts to front flange of hydraulic die changer mainframe.
- Easier to center and align liner adapters or adapter/circular liner assemblies.
Upon removal, pull the assemblies past the machine front for optimum safety and convenience.
Steele Pug Sealer Tools & Upgrades — Improve pug de-airing for a better extruded product
Steele engineers continue to improve our pug sealers, working in consultation with the machine operators and maintenance specialists in our global customer base.
APS 33/36 Rear Pug Knife
The larger blade design removes material from the rear bulkhead more effectively, while reducing the load on the second-to-last pug knife, extending its service life).
- Abrasion-resistant high chrome iron alloy blade and high-strength steel shank minimize bending
- Shank can remain in service almost indefinitely (replace knife blade periodically for wear)
Installs on:
- 75AD Pug Sealer
- 75ADC Combined Machine
- 90BD Pug Sealer
- 90BDDV Double Vacuum Pug Sealer
- 5075 Mixer
- 300F Special Pug mill
- 300F Jumbo Pug mill
Low-profile Front Pug Knife
Replaceable blade protects the shank and minimizes bending (APS-style shank can last indefinitely with proper maintenance).
- Shorter than standard pug knives
- Packs sealing auger without packing dead spaces at entrance of sealing auger case
- More wear-resistant high chrome iron alloy for material contact
Pug Knife Shank Removal Tool
- Cuts downtime and maintenance costs
- Remove tapered bushing pug knife assemblies without damaging shank hardware (strike the punch with a sledge hammer)
Works with any Steele pug sealers, pug mill or mixer fitted with tapered bushing-style pug knife shank.
Renewable Sealing Auger Case
Replacement for worn sealing auger split casings on the Pug Sealer
- Twelve wear-resistant liner segments made of high chrome iron alloy for longer wear life and lower maintenance costs.
- Replaceable liners bolt to auger case
- Treat hard caking problems by adding water through liner bolts
Steele High-wear Coatings — For bridges that can last seven times longer
Running abrasive materials or looking for longer wear life? Check out the Steele high-wear coatings for bridges.
They’re engineered for specific materials with a fully customizable coating configuration.
We have three types of high-wear coatings for our bridges, each engineered for shaping specific bulk raw materials:
Brickhide
Standard on all Steele bridges, pairing well with strategic placement of our Ultra coating.
Ultra
Thicker and more textured than Brickhide (recommended for leading edge of the bridge bar and expanding to other areas as needed).
Extreme
Our most aggressive coating for greatly improved wear life (not recommended for use without an Ultra coating trial first).
C A S E S T U D Y
30 million-plus SBE on one bridge
A long-time Steele customer recently ran production with a bridge using our Ultra high-wear coating:
| Fully coated bridge | Standard bridge | |
| Standard brick equivalent | 30,150,817 | 4,595,345 |
| Cars | 3,379 | 515 |
| Week run time | 21 | 3 |
7:1 wear difference saved 7 hours of downtime, enough time to produce an additional 21 cars or 187,383 SBE.
We want to thank Nic Best, Production Supervisor at ACME’s Ouachita Plant, for his project documentation and suggestions on where to apply additional coatings. Working with him reminded us of why we’re proud to be a part of the brick industry.
Steele Model B Waste Chopper Blade Retrofit
Stronger, more durable and less expensive than the original
- Stronger, more durable, less expensive chopper blades
- Easier to change out than original equipment
- Shafts are stronger than original shafts.
Steele Hammermill Upgrades
Extend service life, increase output and improve dust control
Hammermill Feed Chute
- Improve handling of moist materials
- Pneumatic cylinder pulses air inside chute to prevent material caking
- Ensures that feed is centered over the hammermill’s dual rotors for maximum output
Hammermill Discharge Chute
- Customize to increase conveyor output
- Adjustable skirt seal seals air in as feed leaves the hammermill, with dust baffles to settle dust on conveyor
Discharge Conveyor Belt
- Flat, heavy-duty conveyor belt absorbs energy from impact of discharge chute
- Prevents pitting and conveyor warping
- Offers a simple transition to a conveyor system
Steele Mixer Upgrades
Improve operating efficiency and reduce maintenance for your Steele pug mills
APS 33/36 Rear Pug Knife
The larger blade design clears material from the rear tub seal more effectively, while reducing the load on the second-to-last pug knife, extending its service life).
- Abrasion-resistant high chrome iron alloy blade
- High-strength steel shank minimizes bending
- Shank can remain in service almost indefinitely
- Replace knife blade periodically for wear
Pug Knife Shank Removal Tool
Works with any Steele pug sealers, pug mill or mixer fitted with tapered bushing-style pug knife shank.
- Cuts downtime and maintenance costs
- Remove tapered bushing pug knife assemblies without damaging shank hardware
- Strike the punch with a sledge hammer
Steele Vacuum System Options & Upgrades
De-airing is a critical part of Steele stiff extrusion — these system options and upgrades retrofit to your existing Steele extruders, for more effective monitoring and control of your vacuum system.
Digital Vacuum Gauge
- Rugged design
- Available in panel- or machine-mounted versions, with or without output signals
- Interface with data loggers, PLCs and alarms
In-line Vacuum Filter
- Significant performance improvement in system
- Easier cleaning (daily with compressed air or water spray)
- Removes dust and dirt from airstream leading to vacuum pump
- Uses lowest possible pressure drop (high-pressure drops reduce vacuum capacity, with dirt decreasing service life and pump performance)
Vacuum Exhaust Filter
Filter elements are designed to last up to eighteen months for a typical one-shift operation. Always dispose of collected liquids in accordance with all applicable local, state and federal regulations.
- Eliminates long piping runs
- Prevents environmental problems
- Retrofit lets you exhaust inside plant, eliminating potential emissions source
Vacuum System Oil Cooler
- Maintains service oil temperature below 145ºF in the most severe ambient conditions
- Minimizes sludge in oil
- Extends service life of pump seals
Pneumatic Check Valve
We recommend installing a manual by-pass value in parallel with the pneumatic check value, as a precaution against loss of pilot pressure, electrical signal or other malfunction.
- Replaces traditional swing check valve on vacuum systems
- Provides positive shut-off, preventing vacuum pump oil from being drawn into the vacuum system when pump is turned off.
- Pilot valve supplies shop air pressure to open the valve when the pump is running
Machinery, engineering and service
E Series Even Feeders deliver reliable feeding for a wide range of bulk raw materials. To assess their suitability for your application, talk to your regional Steele sales or service representative, or contact us.