K&W Transmissies’ product specialists in collaboration with the supplier of a renowned chain factory carried out a project involving the replacement of a tensile chain for a major manufacturer of aluminium profiles, flagpoles and light poles.

How did the process go?

At the customer's request, our tensile chain product specialist has been on location to test the wear of the current tensile chain. The current tensile chain pulls at an angle and when measured at different places, the chain appears to show deviations of an average of 0.64 mm with a pitch of 160 mm. This means that the 30-meter chain, measured globally, has become 120 mm longer over the entire length. It is not possible to tighten the chain. Both the chain and the sprockets had to be replaced. During the measurement, and also during the replacement, the installation must stand still. Such a replacement will then always have to take place during a summer or winter break.

The challenge

The challenge for this client lied mainly in finding an innovative solution to improve the chain, which in particular should improve its service life. We also wanted to ensure a good economic investment for the future for our client. Together with the factory where the production of this chain took place, the construction of the plate compressors was examined. The replacement of the sprockets was a very different kind of challenge. The dimensions of the sprockets were not known in advance, since there were no drawings and the sprockets could not be measured in advance because of the construction. Thus, during the dismantling of the chain the final details of the sprockets could be measured and the already partially produced sprockets could finally be finished. All this happened in a period of a few days, since the installation had to be put back into use right away.

The solution

The solution for a tensile chain with a longer service life has been found to be compressing the bush to make the bore perfectly round. This ensures that the surface contact between the bolt and washer is very precise. During the entire process, our product specialist kept a close eye on whether the delivery times for the chain and sprockets were going to be met. The factory was supplied with chains and sprockets just-in-time. The tensile chain is now running to the complete satisfaction of our customer.

More information

If you are interested in the possibilities of such an engineering project within your company, please contact us. Our experts are happy to work with you!