A FEATURE ON CINCINNATI MINE MACHINE COMPANY’S TRIM CHAINS
By: Scott Bahr
We have proudly worked with Cincinnati Mine Machine Company for over 3 decades. As a company, they have been manufacturing machinery for nearly a century, and their trim chains have unique and high-quality features that make them ideal for our customers. Their company is focused on providing high quality and reliable products, and the best possible customer service – these core values are aligned with our values at Bit Service, and is just one of the reasons we have such a great partnership.
We are also a company that prefers to buy machinery domestically, and as such, we are proud to be purchasing products from a North American company like Cincinnati Mine Machine Company. When there are such high-quality domestic manufacturers so close to home, the development of a partnership is natural.
In June, we wrote an article titled An Introduction to Trim Chains, a useful resource for anyone interested in learning more about what kind of trim chains might be best suited for particular projects. Trim Chains mainly come in two varieties: conical and radial designs, with conical trim chains often used in potash mining. As an underground boring machine, trim chains cut a more rectangular cross-section from the area left by the rotors. This provides operator safety by removing most of the ore in the upper corners of the travelway which would need to be scaled in the future, as well as the same on the floor, making transit safer.
Selecting the trim chain to use on an underground boring machine is an information-heavy process. Today we will be highlighting some benefits of the Rap-Lok trim chain from Cincinnati Mine Machinery to help with your research process.
The Rap-Lok trim chain is an alternative to a conical trim chain. Its unique radial bit design has been proven effective and reliable in mining over the past several decades. With a typically wide cutting width, these trim chains are suitable for potash and trona mines. The Rap-Lok trim chain is similar in design to the larger rap-lok style blocks used in potash and trona cutting.
Both the lacing pattern (the order of bit positions in the assembled chain) and cutting width can be customized to a certain degree to suit different cutting conditions and cutting needs. The trim chain’s main parts, the lug, and the link are forged from high strength steel. We can achieve a wider cutting kerf than the typical conical trim chain because of the Rap-Lok trim chain’s robust design without compromising chain life.
The majority of the Rap-Lok trim chain parts are CNC machined, which allows for high-quality parts to be created from digitally rendered files. Chain lugs are forged, CNC machined, welded, and heat-treated to produce consistent, accurate, and strong parts. High-heat resistance retainers hold the bit firm and also allow the bits to be replaced easily.
As with most trim chains, the Rap-lok trim chain can be disassembled, inspected, and rebuilt to get the maximum life out of its components. Continual updates to the design and improvements have been made throughout the years to ensure this chain remains a contender when selecting the right trim chain for your project. The Rap-Lok trim chain is continually going through design updates to meet or exceed customer requirements.
If you have any questions regarding Cincinatti Mine Machine Company trim chains, reach out to us at Bit Service. Our team of highly-qualified workers can assess your needs and tell you more about your options based on your specific needs. We want to get you the parts that work the most efficiently for the work you’re doing, so let’s collaborate and create a plan specific to your needs.