Inverted tooth chain developments

Smooth running and consistent speed are decisive factors for achieving a high level of quality in glass production. This prevents vibrations in vacuum-coating plants and ensures proper coating of solar glass. Constant, uniform transport, even at high production speeds and temperatures, also makes all the difference in hollow glassware production. Inverted tooth conveyor chains from AVENTICS can manage all of this and many more applications in between. AVENTICS inverted tooth chain drives are in charge of the fast and safe movement of take-out gears for bottle placement after the forming process. These high-performance chains, which have been additionally optimised for speeds of over 50m/s, work reliably and precisely even at very high temperatures.

Inverted tooth chains from AVENTICS enable precise positioning on belts and the safe transport of hollow glassware in modern IS machines, as well as being the optimal for driving ceramic rollers to transport solar glass panes. They are characterised by a long service life despite extreme ambient conditions, such as transport of glass articles with temperatures of over 600degC or transport in a vacuum.

Thanks to consistent use of a two-pin system, AVENTICS has achieved a design that is smooth running and generates minimum noise. Furthermore, thanks to rolling pivot joints, both profile pins roll against each other perfectly, theoretically without sliding friction. This design principle, used in all AVENTICS inverted tooth chains, reduces losses, minimises wear and makes it possible to reach high speeds while maintaining a long chain service life. Uniform, gentle and precise running is ensured by the comparatively low entry impact of the inverted tooth chain when it engages the sprocket.

The inverted tooth conveyor chains have a smooth surface on both sides, since innovative laser welding processes are used for the axle pivots. This creates a gap-free transition to and from the inverted tooth chain, which is of considerable importance for many loading and unloading processes and thus increases operational safety. The smooth sides of the inverted tooth chains prevent hazards found in conventionally riveted chains, such as pin breakage. Plus, this is the only process where the pivot pins are permanently fixed in an outer plate with a uniform thickness, meaning that the chain does not require relatively thick protective plates.

Operational experience

The first machine conveyor went into operation at the end of 2001, and during the last decade this tooth chain design has proved its reliability and technical superiority. The use of laser-welded chains reduces lateral wear of the guides and considerably improves guiding features on high-speed machines.

Other increasing demands are made-to-order quality pitch precision and even wear elongation. Regular tolerance stack-ups of different manufacturing lots create deviations in stock rolls delivered off the shelf. Whenever required, AVENTICS provides conveyor chains made within one production run. The reduced wear elongation created by the two-pin rolling pivot keeps these conveyor chains' smooth-running properties stable.

The use of extended pitch conveyor chains 2 × 1⁄2in has been another trend in recent years to reduce weight and cost of the long machine conveyors and take advantage of the benefits of having a reduced number of wear points within the chain. Increased production speeds, in conjunction with the reduction of contact surfaces on the toothed side of the link plates, may cause these chain types to fail earlier because of height decreases. To overcome this problem, AVENTICS developed the Trileg silent tooth chain with a significantly enlarged contact area.

As the technology leader with more than 100 years of experience in the field of research, development and production of silent chain drives, AVENTICS presents a product that offers great opportunities. The company features the largest product range of conveyor chains for the glass container industry worldwide.

Improved kinematic properties and further optimisation of the plate design are important contributions to increasing the dynamic strength of the inverted tooth drive chains. A good example is the HPC (High Power Chain) series, which consistently achieves a higher drive performance at speeds of over 50m/s, or roughly 180km/h. At the same time, much lower noise levels are generated at higher speeds and with comparable parameters than, for example, those for a toothed belt.

To learn more about inverted tooth chain products from AVENTICS, please visit www.aventics.co.uk.