Productive Times: Kick out the jams

END USER: Amsted Rail – Brenco Inc., (804) 732-0202, www.amstedrail.com

SOLUTION PROVIDER: Jorgensen Conveyors Inc., (800) 325-7705, www.jorgensenconveyors.com

CHALLENGE: Eliminate bushy stringers from repeatedly jamming chip conveyors.

SOLUTION: A chip conveyor with a dual-belt conveyor that reduces or eliminates jamming problems.

When it comes to turning the modified 8720 steel needed to produce railroad bearings, Amsted Rail – Brenco Inc. effectively handles the task. However, the manufacturer has struggled to convey the bushy stringers generated by its turning operations.

The bundles of chips consistently jammed the conveyors, said Mark Vieira, machining process engineer for the Petersburg, Va., company. “I would see maintenance people put a pipe wrench on the motor shaft to force the conveyor past the jam. That’s not the best way to clear a jam.”

Partly as a result of that activity, he added, the conveyors were falling apart after a couple of years of around-the-clock operation.

Jorgensen’s MunchMan II chip conveyors are well-suited for the long, stringy chips that Amsted Rail – Brenco generates when turning bearings. Image courtesy of Amsted Rail – Brenco.

Because the previous conveyors were attached to each machine tool above the coolant tank, a large quantity of chips and debris fell into the approximately 200-gal. (757 L) tanks. The company had to clean the tanks every 3 months, Vieira said. “We would lose 96 hours of production per machine each year to clean our coolant tanks during regular working hours.”

He added that Amsted Rail – Brenco has eight Murata MW400 and three MW200 twin-spindle CNC chucker machines.