EDITOR’S CHOICE
CHANGING OF THE SEASONS
TSUBAKI
Sweet success for Tsubaki Neptune™ chain
installed on ice cream plant palletisers
Ice cream is a food that inspires universal
joy like no other. People worldwide will
always need ice cream to complete the
perfect day out or take the edge off a
hard week. However, one factor that does
affect ice cream demand is the season.
Obviously, more ice cream is sold during
summer than winter, which means ice cream
producers have to increase production to
capitalise. These duty demands can cause
the premature failure of power transmission
components such as chains, especially
when production is taking place in sub-zero
temperatures.
An ice cream plant in Germany realised
that an increase in production was causing
chains on its pallet lifters to fail prematurely,
resulting in operational delays. To maximise
chain service life, engineers at the plant
contacted Tsubaki to supply a more reliable
option.
FROM LUXURY TO INDULGENCE
Historically, frozen desserts such as ice
cream have been a luxury item. In ancient
China, Greece and Rome, records attest to
high profile members of society consuming
them. In Italy during the 17th century, ice
cream became popular, radiating out to
courts across Europe. Modern ice cream
production didn’t take off until the advent of
industrial refrigerators in the 19th century1.
Since then, a rise in average incomes and
our penchant for sweet foods has grown
the market2. From being the preserve of the
privileged throughout history, the global ice
cream market had expanded to $57 billion
U.S. by 20173.
THE CHALLENGES OF MODERN ICE
CREAM PRODUCTION
Propping up the majority of this large sector
of the food and beverage industry are ice
cream plants. Designed to operate with high
efficiency to maximise profits per unit, these
facilities rely on equipment that can operate
in an application environment that, in many
places, is well below freezing and laden with
moisture. For example, ice cream is cooled
Specifically honed for hard operation in a
low temperature environment, the Neptune
chain allowed the German ice cream plant
to effectively capitalise on summer demand.
to a holding temperature of around -25°C for
storage4. This presents increased corrosion
and fatigue risks to engineered equipment.
These conditions can be exacerbated
by the seasonal demand for ice cream.
During the winter months, with December
a notable exception, demand for ice cream
falls. To reduce surplus, some facilities will
scale back operations during this period.
However, in summer, demand rises, which
will cause facility operators to maximise
available production capacity to capitalise.
The inherent challenges of the application
environment and the yoyoing of production
intensity can cause equipment to fail
prematurely. This risks facility uptime and
profitability. Standard chains installed at ice
cream plants are especially susceptible, so a
specialised solution is needed.
CAPITALISING WITH SPECIALISED
CHAINS
As a German ice cream plant increased its
production schedule from five to seven days
a week to meet summer demand, engineers
on-site noticed the service life of the chains
installed on the pallet lifters was adversely
affected. The pallet lifters were operating in
a sub-zero ice cream storage area, moving
heavy loads across the facility.
The nickel-plated, 16B-1 roller chains were
designed to lift loads of up to 800kg. The
lifter itself was driven by a 1.5 KW motor at 32
rpm. Over a five-day production schedule,
the lifetime of each chain averaged to
around 2 years before replacement was
required. However, as production was
moved to a seven-day schedule, the average
service life of the installed chains fell to only
six months. The inner links of the chains were
breaking due to increased fatigue, a result of
the combination of intense duty requirements
and the cold application environment. This
resulted in palletisers requiring increased
maintenance work, which was reducing
efficiency and increasing repair costs.
To solve the issue, engineers contacted
Tsubaki, a global designer and leading
manufacturer of premium quality drive &
conveyor chain for most industries ranging
from food & beverage to the steel industry.
After an initial inspection, Tsubaki engineers
worked closely with the engineers at the
plant to specify a new roller chain that
would maximise reliability and reduce
maintenance. The RS16B-1 Neptune chain
was selected, which offered a 20% maximum
allowable load (MAL) compared to the
original chain. Another key aspect was the
Neptune’s inherent resistance to corrosion.
A specialised coating provides exceptional
protection against the debilitating effects of
condensation in the low temperature storage
area.
The Neptune chain was able to greatly
improve chain service life during the high
intensity production period, eliminating
premature link breakages. Maintenance
requirements for the palletisers were
consequently reduced, minimising repair
costs and maximising uptime. Specifically
honed for hard operation in a low
temperature environment, the Neptune
chain allowed the German ice cream plant to
effectively capitalise on summer demand.
For further information, please visit www.tsubaki.eu
20 PECM Issue 46