Chain Conveyors

Strong, repairable link by link, and hard to damage — chain is the workhorse of recycling and material handling. These are the styles we build most.

Chain can be used as a means of conveying products in many different ways. There are almost endless styles of chains made specifically for use on conveyors, and the possibilities for chain attachments are practically unlimited. Chain is easy to drive with the appropriately sized sprocket, can be repaired by replacing individual links, and is strong and hard to damage.

Common Types in the Recycling Industry

Drag Chain with Rubber or PVC Belting

The most basic type of chain belt. The chain lies flat on its side as it slides on tracks made of angle iron with UHMW wear surfaces to reduce friction. The chain belt is guided around both ends of the conveyor on sprockets; the sprockets at the discharge end grab the chain as the shaft is turned by a motor with a reducer.

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Roller Chain with Rubber or PVC Combination Belt

Also called a "combination belt." Similar to a drag chain belt, except the chain has steel rollers built into each link which roll on rail tracks instead of sliding — reducing the drag of the belt as it travels along the conveyor.

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Roller Chain with Steel Pans (Steel Belt)

The same as the roller chain with rubber belt, except steel panels are substituted for the rubber belting. Remcon offers a variety of steel belt options — contact us to discuss which configuration works best for your needs.

Close-up of combination roller chain belt links and rollers
FIG. 01 Combination roller chain belt, close-up at the links
Steel piano hinge conveyor belt panels
FIG. 02 Steel piano-hinge belt with roller chain

Other Chain Conveyors We Build

Drag Chain with Steel Flights (Beltless)

Simple and robust — there is no belt surface to puncture or bend. Two parallel strands of chain are connected with steel cross-members that carry material along a flat steel surface, horizontally or uphill. A common choice for conveying metal.

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Chain Conveyors for Bins or Pallets

A uniformly shaped object such as a bin or pallet sits on two strands of heavy-duty chain riding edge-on over UHMW wear surfaces. The strands aren't connected to each other, but are pulled simultaneously by the drive shaft at the discharge end. With sensors, these can be arranged for automatic staging, conveying, dumping, raising, and lowering of bins throughout a plant.

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Drag chain conveyor with steel flight cleats
FIG. 03 Drag chain with steel flights — no belt to damage
Chain conveyor carrying a bulk material bin
FIG. 04 Bulk container conveyor staging bins on twin chain strands

Single-Strand Drag Chain for Bulk Materials

The simplest form of drag chain conveyor: a single, wide strand of chain slides along a flat wear surface, dragging loose material with it. Depending on the design, the chain moves only the material sitting inside the links — or both inside and on top of the chain, sometimes called "en-mass conveying." Paddle or wing attachments can help move material along, but aren't always required.

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Need a chain conveyor that survives your material?

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