Drives Particleboard Manufacturing Case Study

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The Challenge

A particleboard manufacturer wanted to increase service life on their flaker drives. These flakers were upgraded to a larger screw and trough to accommodate increased production demand. The competitor’s chain was preloaded to 30% MUTS (minimum ultimate tensile strength) and unable to meet the demand of the newly upgraded flaker.

The particleboard manufacturer had to install a jack screw on the motor mount to prevent wear between the chain and motor. As the competitor’s chain continued to elongate despite this, the particleboard manufacturer had to replace the chain every six weeks.

The Solution

As a solution, Drives experts recommended switching to Drives® 120-2 chain with dynamic pre-load to 50% MUTS – exceeding the competitor’s 30% MUTS rating. For applications involving heavy shock loads, Drives exceeds the 30% pre-load rating to firmly seat the pins and bushings.

The Result

At time of publication, Drives 120-2 chain had already exceeded the competitor’s chain life by 31 weeks. Drives experts project that the 120-2 chain will run on each flaker for a minimum of one year. Considering total replacement costs, production loss and maintenance interventions, the switch is projected to save the particleboard manufacturer $1,065,000 per year.

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