How to Select a Conveyor Chain-Checking the Conditions for ...

There is a lot of thought that needs to go into selecting a conveyor chain. There are different sorts of chains that are meant for different situations and uses. This is why there are so many considerations when you are selecting a conveyor chain.

Here are some questions and considerations to keep in mind, with regards to selecting the right chain:

Do you know if you will be using your chain indoors or outdoors? What will your indoor and your outdoor temperature be?

With consideration to conveyed object, what will be conveyed? Will you be moving bulk items? Are the items abrasive or corrosive? Will the temperature be low or high? What will the dimensions of the units of material be? How much will the units of material weigh, and in what measurement will they be weighed in?

What method will you use for your conveyor chain? Will you be using dog attachments, or will you use direct chain movement, etc.?

What is going to be the length of your conveyor? Have you planned out the distance of your vertical rise? What will be your shaft center distance?

What is the chain speed that will be needed? Do you know that you'll need to measure this out in meters per minute?

What will be the chain strands number and what will be the length of the interval?

You'll need to consider the conveyor chain pitch, the spacing and the types of attachments.

Think about the pitch diameter. Also, think about how many sprocket teeth will be needed?

How many hours a day could you reasonably expect for your conveyor chain to be used? How many times do you expect to use it a year? These questions will determine how durable of a chain you need to select.

- How many working hours per day will the conveyor chain be used? How many per year? This will determine how much durability you need in the conveyor chain.

Is your motor an AC or a DC type?

How much noise will be generated? If you need to keep the noise level down, then you can increase the amount of sprocket teeth.

How many chain strands will you need? You might find that certain loads need three chains, to reinforce the weight of the load.

Before you start worrying about number of teeth, or sprocket pitch, or type of motor, it's a good idea to come up with a beginning idea of the type of conveyor chain you want. This is because these other elements will be determined by the load on the roller. Going through each checklist in order is a good way to make sure you don't miss anything overall.

Derrick Anderson is the owner of Salchain, a Chain Manufacturer located in Germiston, South Africa. For additional info with regards to our Roller and Conveyor Chains please visit our website.