Page 32 - Glass Machinery Plants & Accessories no. 6/2017
P. 32
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Research and Development
Additionally, with slower only guard against pin head wear,
speeds came less conveyor wear, but also greatly reduce the size
making maintenance and down- of gaps between adjacent side
time a lesser concern. However, plates. With much smaller gaps
as production speeds steadily between the links, smooth prod-
increased through the years, new uct transfer on and off the con-
problems emerged. Faster speeds veying surface is assured and
meant more risk for breakage, the potential for snagging on
higher costs for downtime, and lateral guides is reduced. As a
increased wear on equipment. result, Lifeguard chains can be
run in direct contact with lateral
PATENTED CONVEYING guides. The Lifeguard link design
PRODUCTS THAT IMPROVE also reduces the need for expen-
BOTTLE CONVEYING sive, complicated guide profiles
Recognizing the challeng- and is especially beneficial when
es inherent in higher convey- transporting small glass prod-
ing speeds, as well as customer ucts, which are less prone to tip-
interest in improved productiv- ping as gaps in the conveyor are
ity and reduced maintenance, minimized. In a production envi-
Ramsey began a decade long ronment, these features translate
period of intensive research and directly to fewer ware handling
development. These efforts pro- problems, extended chain life,
duced a multitude of improved and improved productivity.
conveying chains and related
products. Three of these prod- R-SELECT – WEAR RESISTANT
ucts, Lifeguard®, R-Select®, ALLOY CHAINS acteristics, and are less concerned
and Ramsey’s RKO Knock Out Over time, conveying chains about added cost, can have chains
Tool®, are so unique and inno- wear at the link tips and within the made entirely from R-Select links.
vative they have earned a total of chain joints. This causes chains to The development of R-Select
eight patents in the United States elongate, also known as “stretch”, required years of research, as
and Europe. A fourth product, and link height to decrease, con- well as testing in both labora-
Sentry™ conveying chain, is the ditions which lead to product tory and production settings. The
only two pin conveying chain breakage and more frequent chain results have shown that R-Select
which has recessed pin heads and maintenance. R-Select chains are chains elongate much more slow-
is also pre-stressed. Ramsey’s solution to these prob- ly than standard chains, resulting
lems. R-Select chains are built in fewer maintenance shut downs
LIFEGUARD – REDUCED with special wear resistant steel to remove excess chain length.
WEAR AND IMPROVED alloy links, which have been shown Some customers have reported
PRODUCT HANDLING to last up to twice as long as a doubling of chain life with
Designed to improve convey- standard steel links. Because of R-select chains.
ing chain performance and life, their improved resistance these
Lifeguard® chains utilize unique links reduce both link tip wear RKO KNOCK OUT TOOL
interlocking side links that not and chain joint wear. But what – SIMPLIFYING CHAIN
makes R-Select chains unique is CONNECTION AND
the chains can be assembled so the DISCONNECTION
wear resistant links are only used Chain connection and dis-
in the parts of the chain which connection can be tedious and
are expected to wear the most. time consuming, especially with
Other parts of the chain, which are wear protected chains, where pin
less subject to wear, can be made heads are recessed below chain
with standard, more economical link surfaces. The RKO tool can
links. This results in a chain with save hours when connecting the
improved resistance to wear and chains on a typical IS machine or
only a modest increase in cost. cross conveyor.
Alternatively, customers who are Ramsey’s RKO tool is
looking for optimum wear char- designed to simplify connecting
glass machinery plants & accessories 6/2017
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