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Lube-free chains overcome downtime for Ricoh

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Jan 15, 2001

Ricoh has overcome the problems of elongation experienced with its previous lubricated conveyor chains by changing to Lambda's self-lubricating design

The digital revolution that is encompassing everything from mobile phones to televisions is also making swift advances into photocopiers.

Ricoh, the world leader in office automation equipment, is producing these state-of-the-art machines at its plant in Telford.

Each one is built on a pallet, which runs on Tsubaki's lube-free Lambda outboard roller chain.

Since Lambda was installed in 1998 it has required no maintenance and no adjustment for elongation.

This contrasts with the previous chain where a line could be idle for 24 hours while adjustment and lubrication were carried out.

Ricoh UK Products Ltd was the first European production plant in the Ricoh Group when it was founded in 1984.

Today the company's site extends to 51 acres, and houses an impressive mixture of manufacturing, reconditioning and recycling facilities.

Ricoh is very environmentally aware.

This means that, in addition to manufacturing photocopiers and toner cartridges, it also recycles them as part of a major pioneering initiative to protect the environment.

The main focus of Ricoh UK's business at present is plain paper digital copiers.

The demand for these machines is growing rapidly across the world as their many benefits are appreciated.

One in particular is time saving.

In contrast to the previous generation analogue copiers, where each copy of a document required a scan, digital units scan a document just once and store the data in a short-term memory.

The user is then free to print out as many copies of the document as he or she requires.

Like their analogue predecessors, digital plain paper copies are complex pieces of equipment, which are labour intensive to build.

Ricoh addresses this situation with an automated manufacturing facility employing lean manufacturing techniques and even automated guided vehicles, which the company designed and manufactured itself.

The copiers themselves are built on pallets in a continuous and synchronised assembly process.

The pallets are indexed from each respective assembly station on Tsubaki's outboard Lambda RS chain.

Lambda was first introduced to the line in an attempt to overcome the problems of elongation experienced with the previous lubricated conveyor chains.

The problem arose because these chains could not be adjusted without removing the pallets.

Removal was undesirable because the synchronisation of the line meant that the pallets had to be replaced in exactly the position they occupied before their removal.

Achieving this was not easy and took time, sometimes as much as a whole day or more Since Lambda was fitted this problem, and the downtime which accompanied it, have been overcome totally.

Moreover, maintenance and chain adjustments have gone from being a regular task to one that has largely disappeared.

The key factor in helping Ricoh to achieve this favourable outcome is Lambda 's self-lubricating design.

Even without applied oil it ensures that Lambda chain elongates only minimally and provides a long wear life.

Tsubaki introduced the Lambda series precisely to overcome the type of problem that Ricoh was experiencing.

Developed to reduce maintenance costs and downtime, Lambda offers the twin advantages that it directly replaces standard lubricated ANSI and BS roller chains and is ideal for clean environments where machines and conveyed materials must be kept free of contact with oil.

Lambda requires no external lubrication; therefore there is no oil residue on the outside links of the chain to attract dust or debris.

Also, because of its unique construction, which comprises specially sintered, oil impregnated bushings, it is most unlikely that the chain links will dry out and give uneven engagement on sprockets.

Importantly, the Lambda self-lube design is able to lubricate not only between chain and bushing but also between bushing and roller.

This means that Lambda II chain is uniquely suitable for both drive and conveyor applications where roller inner wear is a problem.