Product category:
Conveyor systems (production and general purpose)
News Release from: Tsubakimoto UK | Subject: HT Lambda lube-free chains
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 14 February 2008
Lube-free chains operate at 230 deg C
A range of lubricant-free, heat-resistant chain is now available to be used in temperature at up to 230 deg C and offers over four times the wear life of standard chain.
Tsubaki is providing all the non-lube, low maintenance benefits of its well proven Lambda chain in a heat resistant version that has an operational temperature range from 150 deg C to 230 deg C The company said that the heat resistant Lambda shows no degradation at high temperatures and offers over four times the wear life of standard RS50 chain at 230 deg C
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 3 Nov 2000 at 8.00am (UK)
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* Replacing coated chain - the launch of HT Lambda extends the lube-free, elongation- free characteristics of Lambda chain into applications such as heat sealing in packaging, semiconductor production, dry and steel furnaces and die casting - for components such as automotive parts.
Previously these processes would have been served by standard chains with special coatings, which were both costly and did not offer good wear life.
Tsubaki's HT Lambda overcomes this problem, as its design is a proprietary one purely for high temperature operation.
Further reading
Conveyor chain runs without adjustment
Since Lambda lube-free outboard roller chain was installed at Ricoh's photocopier assembly plant in 1998 it has required no maintenance and no adjustment for elongation.
Lube-free chains keep the presses rolling
Tsubaki's lube-free Lambda chain is now in its third year of operation at Mirror Group, where the unique operating conditions meant that previous generations of roller chains were wearing out.
This offers many advantages, said Tsubaki to manufacturingtalk.com, not least that, unlike standard chain, HT Lambda does not have to be derated for high temperature operation, due to chain rollers and plates losing their strength.
To account for this problem standard roller chain generally has to be much larger when used at higher temperatures.
As a result, it is more costly, takes up more space and uses more energy to transmit the same power as the HT Lambda chain.
* Higher wear life - in tests performed in a 230 deg C environment, Tsubaki's HT Lambda chain achieved over four times the wear life of RS50 standard chain and about three and half times the life of Tsubaki's standard Lambda chain, which is not designed for high temperature operation.
Importantly, although the standard chain showed degradation at this high temperature, HT Lambda did not.
The lube free performance of HT Lambda at high temperatures is the result of a construction that employs special oil impregnated bushes.
These provide stable lubrication and anti-wear properties for the chain at high temperatures.
The design also employs specially coated pins, solid rollers and inner plates that are coated with nickel.
HT Lambda employs NSF H-1 Food Grade lubricant, ideal for applications where it is an industry requirement.
In addition to its high temperature performance, HT Lambda is part of Tsubaki's eco-friendly chain group and has undergone a life cycle assessment LCA.
This is a systematic evaluation of the environmental aspects of the product through all stages of its life cycle, from raw materials to waste management, including recycling and final disposal.
With the majority of Lambda chains the LCA has revealed real ecological benefits, with CO2 emissions reduced by 89.4%. Request a free brochure from Tsubakimoto UK ...
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