2. Small Pitch Conveyor Chains If you require greater accuracy than is available from Plus α Alpha attachments, make a shuttle that supports the conveyed objects, and use chains only for tracking. When you need high accuracy in other dimensions besides height, contact the chain manufacturer. Cost The reason chain manufacturers can produce attachments at low cost is that they use a punch-press process, which is efficient but takes time to set up. To absorb the cost of set-up, parts need to be produced in large quantity: hun- dreds of pieces. (The smaller the part, the more parts needed to offset the set-up costs.) If you need a special attachment in low quantities, the chain manufacturer can help work out a design that can be produced at lower cost. Turnaround Time Chain manufacturers can supply almost all the standard attachments from stock. Special order attachments require lead times. The lead time for specialty attachments runs from several weeks to several months. To prevent a crisis sit- uation, in the event of normal wear or catastrophic failure, you should stock replacement chain and re-order well in advance. Figure 2.32 shows several examples of specialty attachment chains that can be made.
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