POWER TRANSMISSION
You Can't Afford Cheap Chain
By Tom Reed: Marketing Manager, Diamond Chain
Feb 1, 2007 - 12:59:21 PM

Diamond and IBT

Is the chain you’re using “The Weakest Link?”

Let’s face it, there are a number of “cheap” chains out there, but are they worth it? Will they meet the needs of your application? Probably not in the long run.

Why? Chain has been around for over 100 years and most seem to look the same. So is there really any difference?

There is absolutely a difference and the difference is in the details.

Building high-quality roller chain is a matter of demanding precision – a matter of establishing critical parameters that start with component fabrication and go through to the final assembly process, insuring that all of the parameters are maintained throughout each step of the process.

Critical factors include:

• The quality of the steel used to manufacture the components
• The heat treatment of each of the components
• The quality of the pitch-hole fabrication
• The type of shot and intensity of shot peen coverage
• The precision assembly of the components
• The pre-loading (pre-stretching) of the assembled chain
• The use of high quality initial lubrication

Diamond Chain Company has been and continues to be at the forefront of roller chain processes and product developments. The innovations developed by Diamond do not always lead to new product lines. These innovations are instead incorporated into every strand of chain we build, providing you, the user, a lower total cost of ownership.

Consider the costs, side by side:

Annual Chain Cost Analysis		Bargain Chain	Diamond Chain
A	Initial Purchase Price	$1,000	$1,500
B	Chains Used Per Year	2	1
C	Annual Cost of Chain (A x B)	$2,000	$1,500
D	Chain Repairs Per Year	2	1
E	Average Hours of Downtime Per Repair	4	4
F	Cost Per Downtime Hour (including cost of repair labor, lost efficiency, lost profits, etc…)	$150	$150
G	Annual Downtime Costs (D x E x F)	$1,200	$600
H	Total Annual Costs Incurred (C + G)	$3,200	$2,100

As you can see from this simple example, cheap chain can cost you plenty.

The seemingly simple replacement of one additional chain per year can cost your operation significantly. Imagine the impact if this were a truly critical high speed production line. Wouldn't your maintenance and downtime costs be significantly higher?

Please take the time with your IBT and Diamond Chain representatives to complete a similar Annual Chain Cost Analysis for your specific applications. It will clearly illustrate that the investment in a Diamond roller chain will provide you with the lowest total cost of ownership.

Can you afford not to specify Diamond Chain? We think the answer is obvious. We hope you agree.

To learn more about Diamond Chain, contact your IBT sales representative – or write to IBT.