Tsubakimoto Europe BV develop new conveyor chains

New Tsubaki conveyor chain range offers prolonged life in waste treatment facilities

WASTE Treatment Facilities are becoming more common as public opinion continues to grow in favour of environmental issues and landfill is seen as unacceptable. The facilities, which incinerate waste before processing the remains, will often rely on conveyors to transport the waste from process to process.

Due to the harsh environments encountered, traditional conveyor chains often wear quickly and need replacing in a matter of months. In response, Tsubakimoto have developed a range of long-lasting conveyor chain designed specifically for the industry.

A typical waste treatment facility will require a conveyor chain that is capable of surviving in several different environments. The initial chain transporting waste to the incinerator will need to meet regular use and shock loading, while chain further along the process may be required to carry dry ash, which can seep into the chain's internal workings or molten slag.

This requires resistance to high temperatures, acid and alkali. With such extreme conditions it is no surprise to learn that many traditional chains installed in these facilities are only capable of operating for a matter of months before needing to be replaced; leading to high maintenance costs.

Many within the industry, including some chain manufacturers, believe that such short life spans in such environments are inevitable. They say the only way to keep replacement costs at a minimum is to source low-cost products. However, Tsubaki disagree. The manufacturer has developed a range of conveyor chains which is specifically suited to the different operational requirements that are found within the waste treatment industry.

The new range has been built on Tsubaki's many years of experience in developing long-lasting solutions and is said to offer many times the operational life of traditional chain product in some applications.

The waste treatment range includes chains for transporting waste to the incinerator; transporting fly ash (including corrosive ash); and chains for molten slag. Each chain series has been optimized for the needs of the individual process and has been shown to offer significantly extended operational lives when compared to product traditionally used within the application.

Derek Mack, sales director for Tsubaki UK, commented: ‘We understand that many of the processes involved in the waste treatment industry present unique challenges, and we see it as our job to offer long lasting solutions that deliver both economical and environmental benefits in terms of reduced replacement requirements.’