We bring in monofilament woven polyester and tailor every membrane to your exact requirements, cut to your trough width, glued, stitched and edge-sealed in our Johannesburg workshop.
No pre-cut imports. No standard sizes. Raw material in, your specification out. Ready in 2 to 5 business days.
How Your Membrane Gets Made
We bring in monofilament woven polyester in the appropriate weights and weave densities and hold it in stock. No waiting on imports when your order comes in.
A trough width and length, a dimensioned drawing, a photo of the worn membrane, or the old membrane itself. We confirm the right fabric weight for your material and application.
The fabric is precision-cut to your exact trough dimensions, seams glued and reinforced, then fully edge-sealed to prevent fraying and material bypass. All under one roof in Johannesburg.
Packaged and ready for collection from our Johannesburg workshop, or couriered to you anywhere in South Africa. Collect or delivered, your call.
Every membrane is made to order from raw material stock. We do not sell pre-made standard sizes or repackage imported product. We tailor each membrane to the customer's dimensions and application, the same way a tailor works from fabric and your measurements rather than pulling something off a shelf.
The Component
Understanding the component and why the right fabric, selected and tailored for your specific material, makes all the difference to conveying performance.
An airslide membrane, also called airslide fabric, fluidising fabric or airslide canvas, is a permeable woven fabric panel installed in the floor of an airslide conveyor trough.
Low-pressure compressed air is fed into a plenum chamber beneath the fabric. The air passes uniformly through the woven polyester structure, fluidising the dry bulk powder above and causing it to flow freely along the slightly inclined trough toward the discharge point, without any mechanical moving parts.
The trough is inclined at just 3 to 5 degrees. That gentle slope, combined with the fluidised state of the powder, is enough to move material over long distances using gravity alone. The membrane is the critical wearing component. When it glazes, blocks or tears, the entire conveying system is affected.
Low-pressure compressed air is supplied to the plenum chamber below the membrane, distributing evenly across the full trough width.
Air passes through the uniform weave of the monofilament polyester membrane, emerging evenly across the full surface. No hot spots, no bypassing.
The emerging air suspends the bulk powder particles. The fluidised material flows freely down the 3 to 5 degree inclined trough to the discharge point under gravity, with no moving parts required.
The Workshop Process
We carry the raw polyester fabric in stock and tailor each membrane from scratch. There are no pre-assembled kits or imported ready-cuts in our workshop.
We source and hold monofilament woven polyester in multiple weights and weave densities. When your order arrives, the right fabric is already on the shelf. No waiting on a supplier lead time and no import delays.
Before cutting, we confirm the correct fabric weight for what you are conveying. Cement and fly ash need a denser, thicker weave. Flour and fine powders need lighter, more open fabric. We advise and select. You don't need to specify the grade.
The fabric is cut from the roll to your exact trough width and required length, up to 2.4 m wide. Your dimensions drive the cut. We do not work to nearest standard sizes and trim down. We cut accurately first time.
All edges are glued, stitched and fully sealed to prevent fraying and stop bulk material from bypassing into the plenum chamber. The finished membrane is rolled, packaged and dispatched, ready to fit directly into your trough.
We don't need to order fabric when you order a membrane. It's already here. That is what keeps lead times short and keeps your plant running. Urgent breakdown orders can often be expedited. Contact us to discuss.
What We Work With
All our airslide membranes are tailored from monofilament woven polyester. It is the industry-preferred fabric for dry bulk powder airslide applications. We source it, stock it and work from it daily.
Monofilament construction uses single continuous filaments rather than spun yarn. This gives the woven fabric a precise, open pore structure that remains consistent across the service life of the membrane. That consistency is critical for maintaining uniform air distribution across the full trough width and the full 3 to 5 degree slope.
Felt and spun-yarn fabrics clog more readily with fine particles like cement dust and fly ash. The monofilament weave resists particle ingress, cleans more easily and maintains its permeability for longer. That is exactly why we stock and tailor from this material rather than alternatives.
| Fabric Type | Monofilament Woven Polyester |
| Stock Held | Yes, multiple weights in Johannesburg |
| Thickness Range | 1 mm to 5 mm (selected for your application) |
| Max Cut Width | 2,400 mm (2.4 m) |
| Length | Custom to your drawing or sample |
| Trough Slope | 3 to 5 degrees typical |
| Edge Treatment | Glued · Stitched · Sealed |
| Turnaround | 2 to 5 Business Days |
| Quote Response | Same Day |
| Manufactured In | Johannesburg, South Africa |
Applications
Each application involves different material properties including abrasiveness, alkalinity and particle size. We select the right fabric weight from our stock and tailor accordingly.
The primary airslide application, covering kiln-to-silo transfer, blending silo discharge and packing plant feed. Cement is highly abrasive and alkaline. The 3 to 5 degree slope allows gravity to do the work.
Extremely fine and slightly alkaline. The preferred conveying method from precipitators to silos. Requires consistent fine permeability to prevent blowback across the full slope length.
Extremely reactive and alkaline, one of the more demanding chemical environments for airslide fabric. We select for extended service life under these conditions.
Lighter, more open fabric for flour mills and starch plants. Clean material handling throughout our workshop. Food-safe contact where required.
Silo aeration pads and airslide discharge systems use the same fabric. We tailor flat panels and custom-shaped sections to your silo geometry.
Alumina, titanium dioxide, phosphates and similar materials. Tell us what you are conveying and we will select the appropriate grade from stock.
Any standard or non-standard trough width, any required length. Supply a drawing, a worn section, or a photo with measurements and we tailor from there.
Holding the raw material in stock means we can respond fast. 2 to 5 day lead time for planned replacements. Urgent breakdown orders discussed on request.
Know the Difference
Same raw material, same workshop, same tailoring process. Different applications.
| Property | Airslide Membrane | Aeration Cone |
|---|---|---|
| Installation Type | Fixed plant, airslide conveyor trough | Mobile, road or rail bulk tanker |
| Primary Purpose | Convey material along an inclined trough at 3 to 5 degrees | Discharge material from the bottom of a tanker |
| Shape | Flat rectangular panel | Formed cone shape to fit tanker bottom |
| Base Material | Monofilament Woven Polyester, sourced and tailored | Monofilament Woven Polyester, sourced and tailored |
| Made By | STOTKO Engineering, Johannesburg | STOTKO Engineering, Johannesburg |
Why Stotko?
We source and stock the polyester fabric ourselves. When you order, there is no supplier waiting. We cut and tailor straight from in-house stock.
Every membrane is cut from raw fabric to your dimensions. We select the correct weight for your material before the first cut. You get a membrane made for your trough, not a nearest available size.
Cut, glued, stitched, sealed and packaged under one roof in Johannesburg. We do not sub-contract any part of the process. Quality is controlled at every step from raw material to finished membrane.
We know the failure modes, the abrasive conditions and the demanding alkaline environments these membranes face. Our fabric selection advice is grounded in real-world results across Southern Africa.
FAQ
Get a Quote
Send us your trough dimensions or a photo of the worn membrane. We will select the right fabric from stock, tailor it to your spec and come back with a quote the same day.
The more of these you can provide, the faster we can select the right material and tailor to spec. You don't need all of them. Even a photo and a width will get us started.
Same-day quote response · Raw material in stock · 2 to 5 business day turnaround (SAST)
Airslide Membranes, Sourced and Tailored to Your Spec in Johannesburg
Raw material in stock · Custom-cut · 3 to 5 degree slope · 2 to 5 Day Lead Time · Same-Day Quotes