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8844 Zealand Ave N, Brooklyn Park, MN 55445
(two blocks north of Fleet Farm)
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Light Duty or Industrial Chains and Sprockets – Minneapolis, MN

Like belts and pulleys, chains and sprockets are used in many applications to transmit force through a drive system.

Chains and sprockets can be self-cleaning and very quiet.

With the connector link, chains allow for breaking the length for maintenance, assembly or changing lengths.

Types of Chains and Sprockets

industrial chains and sprockets

Chains all have links held together with pins that go through outer plates. Variations come in the sizes of the link elements, configuration for different applications (e.g.- the toothed profile of side plates found in so-called “silent chain”), make-up of sealing in the pin and bushings, numbers of rows (usually single- or double-row) of chain working in parallel, and so forth.

  • Standard roller chain
  • Multi-strand / multi-row roller chain
  • Double-pitch roller chains
  • Non-standard chains for custom applications
  • Steel, plastic and composite chains are available
  • Sealed roller and self-lubricating chains

As far as sprockets go, their tooth configurations match up with the chain type and will vary in thickness and hub configurations and method of manufacture.

  • Sprockets can be cast, molded, roll-formed, assembled or fabricated by welding
  • Sprockets can be segmented or split for assembly and maintenance
  • Multiple sprocket wheels may be present
  • Hubs may be absent, offset or centered
  • Shaft mounting can be by spline, key, shaft flat (e.g.- square, D-shaped, etc.),
  • Sprocket heat-treating

Cutter-Sales is one of the very few outlets in Minnesota to stock British chain. British chain is found in many applications, including equipment from Japan, China and many Australian manufacturers as well as Italian pasta equipment manufacturers.

Brands of Chains and Sprockets

Cutter-Sales carries the important chain and sprocket brands of:

  • Martin
  • AMEC
  • UST

Prime Uses of Sprocket and Chains

To pull or turn something, chains and sprockets from Cutter-Sales may be the right choice.

Chains have a stigma of being “old” technology, but advancements in modern chains and sprockets make them extremely viable solutions in drive systems, especially where harsh environments or large amounts of force need to be transmitted.

Some brief examples of the kinds of applications we see at Cutter-Sales include:

  • Electric motor and drive systems
  • Industrial equipment used in dirty, oily or other harsh conditions or where large force transmission in small spaces is required, such as in oil well drilling applications.
  • Chains and sprockets are mainstays of plant material handling and conveyor systems
  • Pipe manufacturing and pipe threading machinery uses chains and sprockets

Chain and Sprocket Problems to Avoid

Chains can be more forgiving than belts, but also share a number of the same needs for extending life and improving reliability. Proper specification of chains and sprockets, along with layout of the drive system and environment are important considerations.

  • Chains can stretch, which changes tensioning in the system
  • Improper lubrication can lead excess wear on the moving roller chain links and sprockets
  • Corrosion can eat away at materials and inhibit free motion of chain links
  • Improper tensioning can cause backlash and impulse loading, if too loose. If too tight, noise, stretch and fatigue and sprocket hub bearing issues can arise. Sprocket / hub run-out is also a factor in this class of problem
  • Alignment, as in any drive system, is crucial to the smooth, quiet operation with the least amount of wear. This includes bent sprockets, hub to tooth disc perpendicularity, shaft parallelism, and so forth.

Let the expert technicians at Cutter-Sales help you find the part you need for your application. We go the extra mile to make sure you get what you need as quickly as possible.

Cutter Sales has been providing superior customer service selling industrial supplies since 1980 to Northern Minneapolis Minnesota Businesses.

bearing supply expert

Our expertise matters. Call us at (763) 425-8696

We are results-oriented and make no excuses. Give us the part number and we will find it.

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