FB Chain links up with Mitutoyo

Residing in Letchworth Garden City, FB Chain are a globally recognised manufacturer specialising in high-quality leaf chains and associated products for a wide range of industries, including automotive, material handling and industrial machining. Established with a focus on precision engineering, the award-winning company has built a reputation for producing durable, reliable, and high-performance chains that support critical operations in demanding environments. Their product range includes leaf chains, roller chains, anchor bolts, sprockets and bespoke chain solutions tailored to specific customer requirements.

One of the company’s innovative products is their leaf chain kits, which provide comprehensive solutions for industries requiring customisable chain assemblies. These kits include pre-measured components, such as chains, bolts, and attachments, allowing for easy and quick assembly for customers. The kits are designed for ease of use in industries such as heavy-duty material handling, where precise and efficient chain systems are essential for operational safety and efficiency.

As a key supplier to industries that demand exceptional quality and performance, FB Chain’s commitment to precision and manufacturing is integral to their continued success and growth. The company is fully focused on embracing sustainability initiatives, striving to reduce its environmental impact through innovative processes and green manufacturing practises. FB Chain has built a strong, ongoing partnership with Mitutoyo, which has been instrumental in maintaining the highest standards of quality control while ensuring their products meet industry specifications.

FB Chain’s challenge was to ensure that their components met the strict quality standards required by their diverse customer base, including those working in high-stress, heavy-duty industries. One particularly confidential customer requires a detailed quality analysis of products such as anchor bolts and pins manufactured within the facility. To meet these high expectations, FB Chain needed to adopt more precise and efficient measurement technologies. With production volumes increasing, and the demand for tighter tolerances growing, the desire to perform faster, more automated measurement processes was vital. The company needed a solution that would not only improve measurement accuracy but also ensure that all components were within the required tolerances and ready for immediate use in production.

FB Chain turned to Mitutoyo and their Roundtracer Flash for an advanced, non-contact measurement solution. This cutting-edge optical measurement system was ideal for inspecting the intricate surface profiles and geometrics of the anchor bolts and pins requested. The Mitutoyo Roundtracer Flash allowed FB Chain to measure dimensional accuracy and geometric consistency down to microns, ensuring that each component meets the specific requirements of their growing customer base. The measuring machine provides clear process control for demanding customers and has an expanded data pool collection to keep them more than satisfied.

The strong relationship between FB Chain and Mitutoyo played a crucial role in implementing the Roundtracer Flash system. Chris Cook, the Operations and Manufacturing Manager at FB Chain, attended Mitutoyo’s Coventry site where he was provided invaluable experience and support from the Mitutoyo team, working closely to customise the measurement processes and integrate the Roundtracer Flash into their existing production line.

Chris mentioned “bigger customers require more accurate results, and we knew Mitutoyo could cover the range we were looking for due to Mitutoyo’s reputation for high quality. We were after a machine that would be easy to implement and could provide static and dynamic measurements for our anchor bolts, blocks and pins.”

With a Mitutoyo Hardness Tester, Small Tools and Gauges already being used within the facility, Chris and his team followed suit with Mitutoyo when searching for a shopfloor measuring machine. With the aim to run machines 24/7, FB Chain have set themselves an ambitious production target of 168 hours a week and are keen to calculate if this can be possible when factoring in measurement and loading/unloading times. With more accurate and consistent measurements from the Roundtracer Flash, this helps determine tool life limits, contributing to the 168-hour target with an increase in unmanned working hours. With the demand continuing to rise, FB Chain go through roughly 25-30 tonnes of steel per month. With 97% of their manufacturing being in-house, their automated Milling Machines and Lathes with robot arms are being pushed to the limit to meet customer demands, resulting in a high priority non-contact measuring machine requirement To begin with, the Roundtracer Flash will be manually loaded, but as production increases, FB Chain will be looking to integrate another robot arm for improved integration.

After installing the Roundtracer Flash, Chris said “we are very happy with how the machine has performed. It is very easy to use, with great user interaction and has increased measurement efficiency since the installation. We already had trust in Mitutoyo due to the previous machines we have used, but seeing the performance of the Roundtracer Flash and its vast capabilities has further proved why we continue to use Mitutoyo products.” Chris also mentioned they are already looking towards further upgrades and to expand their measurement capabilities by purchasing a Mitutoyo CMM.