Tsubaki News: Scan And Plan

TSUBAKI OF CANADA IS PROUD TO LAUNCH SCAN AND PLAN!

For the first time in the industry, Tsubaki customers can now have access to critical application information in seconds by using our new Scan and Plan QR code system.

Simply scan Tsubaki’s QR code and have the ability to plan your service needs. Be proactive and not reactive!

Contact your local Tsubaki representative to learn more or scan this QR code or visit scanandplan.ca to register and get started today!

Cost Savings Highlight: Edger Drive

Application: Edger Drive

Issue: The customer was experiencing premature chain wear due to the severity of the high speed, serpentine drives that are on the edger. Timing is critical on these applications as it ensures a smooth, linear cut, maximizing the value of the wood.

When a chain elongates on this drive, the mill runs the risk of oscillation that can degrade the value of the cut. As well, with accelerated elongation, the chain runs the risk of jumping sprocket teeth that will also cause surging in the drive and affect the edger’s performance.

Tsubaki Solution: To combat the high-speed and serpentine action of these drives, the customer went with the recommendation to use Tsubaki 120SpeedMaster chain. This chain uses a chrome-hardened pin that minimizes the mechanical wear between the pin and bushing area. This prolongs chain life by minimizing the rate of elongation and ensures the edger runs more efficiently to ensure smooth, linear cuts for a prolonged period of time.

Cost Savings: The customer paid twice the price for SpeedMaster but the application life increased by five folds and counting! This customer saved $9,000 for switching to Tsubaki’s VIP chain.

Tech Time: Using old sprockets with new chain

One of the most common mistakes made when replacing a roller chain is not changing the sprockets at the same time. Some may give the sprockets a quick visual inspection, determine that they are ok, and change the chain without any further thought. Yes, it can be a little more time consuming to change out sprockets but it is something that should be done. In relative terms of cost, most sprockets on simple drives are of a low price point and do not add significantly to the bottom line of the job. But what happens when the sprockets are ignored? Can it have ill effect on overall chain life or performance? The answer to that is a resounding, YES! Let’s take a look at a couple of different phenomenon that happen when sprockets and chains are changed at different intervals.

The easiest way to explain why sprockets and chains should be replaced as new together would be to look at it from a different angle. Using an everyday item can help to put this into perspective. One thing we all need and use every day in our lives is our vehicle. It gets us to and from work and shuttles kids off to soccer practice. When it needs repairs, it is something that usually cannot be ignored for long and needs to be done correctly. Let’s take wheel alignment & balancing for example. If you notice a vibration it sometimes can be attributed to improper wheel alignment or balancing. Now, when you take the car into the mechanic they are not only going to look at one wheel or only one side of the car. They will recommend a proper alignment be done or balance all four wheels at the same time. Makes sense right?  

Now, back to chains and sprockets. Why would you not replace the sprockets at the same time? The most common answer is that the sprockets look just fine. In reality the pocket in the sprocket does have minor wear and will adversely affect subsequent chain life. The chain will not fit properly in the pocket causing an improper articulation of the chain. Chordial action (the natural rise and fall of the chain as it articulates the sprocket) is increased and vibration can become an issue. This all puts added stress on the chain and therefore added tension. This will lead to additional wear and in more extreme cases, premature failures. In general terms, when sprockets are not changed together with the chain it can lead to as much as a 25% reduction in chain life for each additional installation on the same sprockets. This can add to additional downtime and lost production. In lieu of incurring these additional costs it would be much wiser to just change the sprockets in the first place.