CONVEYOR CHAIN PIN WITH RESERVOIR

摘要

A chain pin or pin element (24) for connecting chain links (20, 22) together to form a section of a chain (14) for conveying products along a conveyor line or path of a material handling system (10) includes a shaft portion (26) and a head portion (28) at at least one end of the shaft portion. The shaft portion is received through respective chain links to define a joint of the section of chain, while the head portion or head portions retain the pin at the links. At least one head portion of at least some of the pins includes a reservoir (30) and a channel (32) formed therein. The reservoir is configured to receive a lubricating fluid, such as from a lubricating device (18) of the material handling system, while the channel functions to distribute the lubricant from the reservoir and toward and onto the shaft portion of the pin to lubricate the joint of the chain.