Attachment chain offered in over 1300 different variants

Chris Rice, Tsubaki UK Sales Director for Industrial Products, comments: "Tsubaki has a strong relationship with UK power transmission distribution and maintenance companies for MRO business, and we have invested a great deal in stock and engineering support in order to help our distributors meet customer demands for shorter lead times on Tsubaki quality products, and for a wide range of attachment variations".

Popular Tsubaki standard attachment chains are engineered to suit the wide variety of conveyor applications found in the UK and Ireland, with attachments designed for direct or indirect product contact, typically used on industrial manufacturing, food processing and fast-moving consumer goods production lines. Standard attachments are also suitable for use in many specialist applications - such as newspaper printing and bookbinding - and are generally available the same day or the next day direct from stock.

Availability and rapid delivery

Chris Rice adds: "As end users increase production capacity and reduce maintenance windows, Tsubaki believes that this high level of availability and swift delivery can make the difference between a sale to a satisfied customer, and them turning somewhere else. This policy represents one of Tsubaki's core values, in that we are proactive in aiding customer retention for PT distributors and maintenance providers."

The Tsubaki UK build-to-order service for attachment chain opens up a vast number of chain variations and relies on the fact that a large number of chain sizes and configurations are kept in stock by Tsubaki. Stock chains are ready to accept a range of attachments in order to be tailored to suit a much wider range of applications. Depending on the type of chain formation and attachment required, delivery is normally 2/3 days. Tsubaki UK regularly builds and despatches built-to-order chains on the same day, however, usually in response to customer emergencies.

If a special attachment is required (for volumes typically under 100ft) it can often be manufactured in the UK. In such cases, the attachments are laser cut, and delivery is typically around two weeks, which is said to be significantly quicker than competitors on non-stock attachment chains.

Non-standard attachments

Made-to-order products are usually for non-standard attachments, and this includes chains that have not been made before and again are required in medium to higher volumes. There are literally millions of variations here, and Tsubaki aims to deliver this type of product in around 10 weeks, saying it relies on the flexibility of its new plant to meet far shorter deadlines than its competitors, while maintaining high quality standards.

There are over 1300 permutations of base chain and attachments available from stock on short lead times, and thousands more combinations possible using the build-to-order service, also utilising product components from stock. Tsubaki also has the facility to length-match chain in pairs or sets; this means that precision duplex and triplex applications can also be satisfied on a very short lead time. Tsubaki is also likely to be the only global chain manufacturer with a chain plant dedicated to making attachment chains.

Tsubaki chains are used in a wide variety of applications as diverse as food processing, automotive manufacture and theme park rides. In addition to standard, externally lubricated roller chain, Tsubaki also offers innovative chain variations for use with wash-down conditions, high loads, outdoor use, corrosive atmospheres and dry, non-lube applications - each with a specialist design and material developed specifically for reduced maintenance and extended life.

Advice on technical specification is provided by a dedicated engineering team working from the company's UK division in Nottingham, providing care and application support for all Tsubaki chains. For advice on innovative chains, prices and availability, contact Tsubaki UK direct.