Shorter delivery times because of more efficient production was the explicit aim of the Iwis Czech plant. Iwis has invested massively in the automation of production in Strakonice in recent months to further reduce manual operations. New automatic machines for inner and outer links were taken into operation to produce JWIS-branded accumulation chains, and chain assembly was also further automated.
Iwis accumulation chains guarantee problem-free positioning of conveyed goods via simple stopping points and prevent jolts when the belt starts and stops. The normal speed of the chains is 0.1 to 0.5 m/s. By fitting a simple acceleration rail, the transport speed at locations in which material is not accumulated can be doubled without changing the chain speed. Thanks to a special wax lubricant applied to the articulated points, the chains remain clean and low maintenance. This lubricant is applied directly to the individual parts prior to chain assembly. As a result, the transport rollers on which materials are conveyed remain grease-free. A special-purpose initial lubrication can be used for specialized applications. Accumulation rollers are available in the following materials: hardened steel, stainless steel, nickel-plated or plastic (including antistatic).
The JWIS L88SF and M120SF accumulation chains offer optimized load distribution and the offset arrangement of the accumulation rollers ensures better support and smoother running of the transported material. Offset accumulation rollers also reduce the load on the plastic guides by 50 percent: As a result, plastic guides can be used with up to twice the weight load.
In addition, Iwis has also invested in three new CNC lathes at the Strakonice plant in order to be able to produce 3/4-in. plastic or steel accumulation rollers more efficiently with immediate effect. And this also results in significantly shorter delivery times. The raw material for a wide variety of accumulation rollers is mostly kept in stock. This means that custom accumulation roller types can also be produced at short notice.