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A bolted connecting link that requires no welding – Lapua innovation improves production reliability

The newly launched Lapua BoltLink™ connecting link can significantly reduce production downtime caused by conveyor chain installation and repair work. 

Production downtime is costly for industrial plants. If a conveyor chain breaks, production may come to a standstill for hours or even days. In some industries, the cost of downtime can reach tens of thousands of euros in just one hour. 

Lapua BoltLink™ has been designed to minimise the duration of such shutdowns. It saves time during repair and installation work because it does not require hot work at the customer’s site or the fire watch and follow-up procedures associated with welding. The installation itself is also straightforward. 

– In many industrial environments, hot work requires a separate permit. In many cases, the permit procedure, fire watch, post-work monitoring and cleaning take several times longer than the actual repair itself, says Lassi Siuruainen, Technical Sales at Lapua Chains. 

– For these reasons, installing a conventional welded connecting link has often been a time-consuming task. We supply many chains to end users in the wood industry and pulp mills, where welding requires special procedures, continues Tuomo Pollari, R&D Director at Lapua Chains. 

– Eliminating the need for welding was one of the main objectives of this product, and that is exactly what we have achieved. With this connecting link, production can be brought back online as quickly as possible, Pollari says. 

Strength without on-site welding 

– In Finland and the Nordic countries, we have a particular method where chain pins are welded in place, increasing breaking strength by approximately 40%, Pollari explains. 

This know-how has also been applied to Lapua BoltLink™. 

All welding required for the product is carried out at the Lapua Chains factory. This makes the connecting link durable without requiring welding during installation or removal at the customer’s site. Its breaking strength is comparable to that of a conventional welded connecting link. 

There are also other connecting solutions on the market that do not require welding by the customer. Their weakness, however, is often that the connection is not as strong as the rest of the chain. This can reduce the overall load-carrying capacity of the conveyor chain. 

A patented innovation from Lapua 

• Lapua BoltLink™ is a patented innovation developed in Lapua. With the product, Lapua Chains aims to serve its domestic customers while also increasing exports to the European market. 
• The product has been developed and manufactured responsibly with durability in mind. It was launched on 24.9.2026 and is now available exclusively from Lapua Chains. 
• In the future, Lapua BoltLink™ will be available in several sizes for different chain dimensions. 
• Active development of the connecting link began one year ago, although the idea had already been under consideration within Lapua Chains for several years. 
• During the product development process, Lapua Chains’ specialists utilised proven chain manufacturing technology backed by more than 70 years of experience. 
• Designed to fit Lapua chains 

Lapua BoltLink™ has the same overall dimensions as a conventional welded connecting link. It is therefore an excellent fit for use with chains manufactured by Lapua Chains. 

Our customer service team will be happy to help you select the correct chain and connecting link for your application.