Chain joint benefits from better tribology

Below the deck, 1.5 tons of heavy machinery processes fish in two shifts. The whole thing happens in sea conditions; with multidirectional accelerations up to three times that of the acceleration of gravity acting directly on the machines and their components.

As maintenance on the chain drive is not allowed by the limited personnel on-board, special rust-proof roller chains are used. These replace conventional roller chains, which wore out after 400 to 450 hours and had to be replaced.

The new solution increased operating time to over 3,000 hours without the chains requiring re-lubrication.

Fishing trawler with fish-head processing and slaughter machines below deck.

Optimized materials

The enormous increase in service life - without maintenance - for the roller chain is due to its special joint structure. A high-performance iglide® plastic bushings from igus® was integrated and significantly enhance the tribology of the chain joint. The iglide® bushings distinguish themselves with an extremely high wear resistance, low coefficient of friction, high compressive strength, as well as chemical resistance. In addition, they are maintenance-free and resistant to dirt.

Rust-free roller chain