Guests of seven countries came to the 2nd GKT-Symposium in Chemnitz

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Some impressions [Photos: Jens Strobel]

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On 21 and 22 April 2015 the 2nd International Symposium Plastic-Slide-Chains and Tribology in Conveyor Systems took place in the historic ambience of the castle called Wasserschloss Klaffenbach near Chemnitz. The main purpose of this event was the encouragement of interdisciplinary dialogue between companies and research institutions which are working in all fields of conveyor chain systems. The topics covered the polymer materials, the design of chains and conveyor systems and their applications as well as the scientific study and dimensioning of mechanical and tribological properties of plastic components.

This year, 83 professionals from 7 countries have participated in the event, including the world's leading plastic and chain manufacturers, manufacturers of conveyor systems and their equipment suppliers as well as notable research institutions.

The professional discussions during the breaks and at the evening event were largely inspired by 11 interesting lectures and 5 poster presentations. The current challenges in the development of conveyors with plastic chains remain the increasing demands on the transport capacity in conjunction with a maintenance-free operation as well as high reliability and durability. Regarding this, new material developments with improved properties were presented. Also in this context, the improvement of the friction and wear behaviour plays a major role. Here, different approaches are taken, such as the integration of additives inside the plastics, the modification of surfaces by structures or different coatings and the usage of modern lubricants. The basis for these developments are test methods for systematic studies to get a better understanding of the tribological behavior of plastic materials and to provide reliable specific values for dimensioning. This includes model test benches as well as measurement methods for real conveyor systems.

It has been also shown, that the transport processes inter alia can be optimized by innovative extension of the chain functionality (here by integration of magnets) or by targeted control of material flow.

The working group Traction Mechanisms and Tribology presented different impulses and research approaches in the field of calculation and dimensioning of chains, conveyors and tribological systems. One focus will be the enhancement of existing models for the calculation of chain tensions in the conveyor system with possibilities to estimate the temperatures in frictional contacts and the vibrations of the chains. Also in this context, suitable test methods for the determination of reliable and comparable specific values for the dimensioning of plastic chains and slide rails are to be developed. Furthermore, the environmentally responsible and resource-saving design and operation of conveyors are in focus.

Participants of the 2nd GKT-Symposium

Ambaflex - Ammeraal Beltech - Bosch Rexroth - Celanese - Denipro - DuPont - Forbo Siegling - Habasit - Hochschule Darmstadt - Hochschule Würzburg-Schweinfurt - Igus - Intralox - iwis - Jürgen Löhrke - KEP - KettenWulf - KHS - Klüber - Krones - Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung - MINDA - Modular automation - Movex - Murdotec - Murtfeldt - NERAK - Perlatec - Rexnord - Röchling - Schulman - Simona - System Plast - TU Chemnitz - Technoform - Telko - TER HELL - VIS - Volkswagen - Walther Flender - Westsächsische Hochschule Zwickau

Presentations