Chain conveyorised painting line system is widely used for it’s high efficiency and ease of operation. Especially for mass production requirements, chain conveyor system transfer products automatically through each treatment station from start to end. No manual touch during this process for guaranteed quality. Chain conveyor is a crucial component in this painting line system but not considered seriously most of the time. Here in following section we will provide in-depth guidance how to configure a suitable conveyor system to work well with production requirements in long run.
Genearl setup principle
Chain conveyor is a basic but very technical design component of painting line. The mechanical structure has to follow existing space design and fulfill paint technical requirements. Thus a good design will provide a tight structure to make full use of space and easy for maintenance. While most other components on painting line is some kind standard, conveyor is completely customized design from scratch. Painting line final operation efficiency mostly depends how we make the conveyor system. A technical engineer with sufficient production experience will study side by side and do multiple rectification in order to make a perfect design.
Main parts of conveyor
Conveyor is composed by multiple devices including support structure, a drive device, sprocket wheel system, spindle roller chain and guide etc. Each device has to be properly configured and put in suitable position or else the chain can not move smoothly.
Support structure – normally produced by square pipes welding with foot cup support for height adjustment. There’re multiple consideration when producing this support: 1, the square pipe size; 2, the pipe thickness; 3, the surface treatment method.
We normally suggest 50*50mm or bigger square pipes for guaranteed performance, but some manufacturer uses less size pipe to reduce cost. However, it’s absolutely bad way! Also about pipe thickness, 1.5-2mm is suggested as minimum choice. If made by less thickness, it will be broken in short time. Surface treatment we highly recommend powder coating for durable and reliable choice. Powder coating provides hard and extra strength protection for long time application.
Drive device – it’s not just a motor to drag the chain, it’s a motorized device including speed reducer, shaft and sprockets on various positions. Each piece is in pre-configured position then connected by spindle chain. A qualified drive device must be supported by reputable brand motor and speed reducer. Shaft and sprocket with chain has to be 100% compatible with minimum tolerance in order to run smoothly. A tiny mistake will make it hard for problem investigation.
Spindle roller chain and guide – the functional part that continuous moving during operation. The only consideration of this part is the precision and material. Precision refers to the chain production accuracy for each part. If it’s not connected well, the roller and chain plate will break easily after some time in working. Thus, the chain plate must apply heat treatment for higher strength to deal with the heat source in oven.
There’re multiple designs of such spindle roller chain. It depends the actual workpiece we’re going to paint to determine which type design is the best. The selection of different spindle chain also decides the type of chain guide to be used. There’re mainly two types guides – open design with basic support by stainless steel pipes and enclosed design by steel plate pressing (chain is fully protected inside this guide)
What to Check?
Being an important unit of painting line system, spindle chain conveyor configuration must be checked carefully before production. From material specification to process logic design, it’s recommended to verify by both mechanical and production engineers. At least, you should consult to a professional supplier to get started. If we only focus on low cost, we can never get 100% satisfied solution. You get what you pay, isn’t it?
