A styrofoam tray manufacturer was experiencing premature chain wear on its thermoforming machine. In this application, the competitor’s chain transported styrofoam sheets into a machine where they were formed into trays used for meat packaging.
The styrofoam manufacturer noticed that the competitor’s chain was traveling out of alignment. It is important that the chains travel and wear evenly; otherwise, the styrofoam sheets would become misaligned and lead to high rates of scrap. Because of the chain misalignment, the production lines had to be stopped so the flights could be adjusted and realigned.