Spin riveting boosts conveyor chain performance

Although most conveyor chain these days is wedge riveted as standard, the option to specify spin riveting is an important one, and should be considered for critical applications both by designers of original equipment and maintenance engineers alike. It’s an important consideration and an effective solution on applications where attachments have been fitted to the side plates of conveyor chain that could be carrying heavy loads.

The recommendation comes after one manufacturer using a large amount of conveyor chain, at one of its plants, sent an inspection team to Renold Chain’s Bredbury Service Centre to check on the quality of its spin riveting process. Conveyor chain operated by the manufacturer was fitted with attachments that had to carry very heavy loads through underground chambers that were inherently dirty and foul smelling. The load on the chain’s side plates was causing them to work loose over time and eventually come off. An engineer would then have to descend into these dark, unpleasant, chambers to carry out repairs.

The maintenance team at the manufacturer took the decision to specify replacement conveyor chain with spin riveted side plates as the solution. Not only would this virtually eliminate the need for engineers to enter the unpleasant environment to carry out repairs, but the spin riveted chain would also cut maintenance generally and increase productivity.

Wedge riveting is cheaper and quicker than spin riveting, which is why most conveyor chain manufacturers have adopted it as a standard. It’s fine on most applications, especially where the side plates are not fitted with load carrying attachments, but spin riveted conveyor chain provides enhanced side plate security, and Annand recommends that it should be considered for all critical applications.

During the spin riveting process, at Renold’s customer service centre, the pins are end softened to prevent cracking during riveting and to provide easier on site installation, riveting and dismantling for customers. The spin rivet itself has a mushroom-like head and provides much greater surface area contact with the side plate. It is this feature that provides the enhanced security of the chain’s side plates. Renold Chain’s Bredbury Service Centre produces both transmission and conveyor chain to customers’ exact specifications with a wide range of standard and custom designed attachments. It serves a wide range of industries including industrial equipment manufacturers, famous theme park rides, packaging, printing, food manufacture, bottling plants and many more.