subject: The Many Uses Of A Chain Conveyor System [print this page] The main function of a conveyor chain is to drive a system by transmission of built up power. A chain is primarily utilized in many different manufacturing settings. However, most of the time you will notice these chains carrying an immense amount of materials from one place to another.
A lot of large factories use these chains to make the production process go by a little faster. Most of these factories are only paid for the amount of goods that they can complete, so you can only guess how important these chains are. A factory worker will simply need to set the item that they need transported to another workstation onto the belt, and it will guide itself to the next workstation.
These chains are normally made from blocks or other solid material that can be left dull or laminated with an oil to lubricate them during their transport process. Normally, the chain consists of one large piece of material that has a series of pins and plates on it. The plates make a difference in the manufacturing process, the deeper the plates are constitute to more items being able to be carried by the belt.
Most of the time, the chains are welded together, but it is not odd to run across chains that are not welded in some places. All chains need to contain a part that is referred to as a sprocket. This small part makes a large difference in the way that the chain operates.
The sprockets resemble teeth, and the chain fits in between these teeth. The sprockets is what allows the chain to move at the speed and precision that it does. Without this one crucial part, your belt may not be able to work in the way that you require it to.
There are two materials that your chain can be made from, either a source of plastic or stainless steel. Chains that are made from steel parts must be heated first in order to provide the resistance pull that is necessary for the manufacturing process.
The material that you opt to use for your conveyor chain will depend on what you plan on transporting. For heavier materials, it would behoove you to use a steel chain and for lighter materials a plastic chain will probably be sufficient enough to carry out the task of transporting goods.
In most cases the chain is covered with nickel so the chain doesn't begin to rust or corrode overtime. You can opt to obtain a chain that comes with a source of lubricant or one that does not.
It's your decision if you want to utilize a source of lubricant for your conveyor chain or not. However, using some kind of lubrication will make the chain be able to perform tasks a little easier. You can get the chains that are already made or you can obtain a chain that you have to put together.
Before making your decision on what type of conveyor chain to obtain, you need to think about the materials that are going to be transported on the conveyor as well as the weight and the overall size of the items that you are going to be transporting. Speed is also another factor to consider, the faster you can manufacture a product the more money you will make once it sells.