R-Select^™ Conveying Chains

“Wear resistance, where you need it most.”

Over time, conveying chains wear at the link tips and within the chain joints. This causes chains to elongate, also known as “stretch”, and link height to decrease, conditions which lead to product breakage and more frequent chain maintenance. R-Select chains are Ramsey’s patented solution to these problems.

Wear Resistant Alloy Links

R-Select chains are built with special wear resistant steel alloy links, which have been shown to last up to twice as long as standard steel links. Because of their improved wear resistance, these links reduce both link tip wear and chain joint wear. But what what makes R-Select chains unique is the chains can be assembled so the wear resistant links are only used in the parts of the chain which are expected to wear the most. Other parts of the chain, which are less subject to wear, can be made with standard, more economical links. This results in a chain with improved resistance to wear and only a modest increase in cost. Alternatively, customers who are looking for optimum wear characteristics, and are less concerned about added cost, can have chains made entirely from R-Select links. R-Select is covered under US patent 8,474,607 and European patent EP2640651.

Developed For and Tested by Bottle Producers

The development of R-Select required years of research, as well as testing in both laboratory and production settings. The results have shown that R-Select chains elongate much more slowly than standard chains, resulting in fewer maintenance shut downs to remove excess chain length. Chain links also wear much more slowly, with some customers reporting a doubling of chain life.

Customers who change to R-Select chains should see a noticeable improvement in chain life. The amount of improvement to be gained in a specific application will depend on many operating variables and the type of R-Select chain used. Ramsey can help customers select a chain for optimum results but the actual results can only be determined by running the chain in their application. Generally speaking, the more R-Select links built into a chain the greater the improvement one should expect.

Custom Built For Your Operation

R-Select allows customers to customize conveying chains for their operation. For example, consider a customer running a multiguide style chain who finds the link tips in the central portion of the chain wear more rapidly than the guide links on the outsideedges of the chain. Over time, this can create an unwanted dip in the middle of the chain which can cause bottle tipping. To address this problem a chain can be made using R-Select links in the chain’s center to slow the rate of wear. Standard links are used elsewhere and all the chain dimensions will be the same as before. The chain will also be fully compatible with the existing sprockets. The result is a chain which will wear less rapidly in the center with only a slightly higher cost.

As another example, a customer who is most interested in reducing the rate of chain elongation may elect to use R-select links throughout their chain. Chains made entirely of R-Select links will provide the most improvement.

Compatible with existing chain and sprockets

Almost any style of Ramsey conveying chain can be made using R-Select links. This includes single pin and two pin chains, chains with or without spacers, side guide, center guide, or multiguide chains. Lifeguardand Allguard FX chains can also be customized with R-Select to achieve optimum wear resistance.

Ordering R-select Chain the first time

When placing an initial order, we recommend you contact a Ramsey customer service representative who will help you select a chain which best fits your application.