Wormgear units drop in to upgrade lift drives

When Glasgow City Council urgently needed to repair a lift drive in a residential high rise building it maintains in the city centre, Renold was the ideal answer.
When Glasgow City Council urgently needed to repair a lift drive in a residential high rise building it maintains in the city centre, Renold was the ideal solution. A lift inspector had condemned the original David Brown Radicon units because of excessive backlash which was causing the lift to jolt. Loss of a lift service in a high rise building is obviously an undesirable situation for the residents involved, and so prompt action was required to restore the lift back to working order.

The original plan was to have the Radicon unit repaired; however a chance reading of Renold Gears' 'New for old' direct mailer prompted a call to enquire about the WM Series wormgear units.

The WM Series, manufactured in both metric and imperial distances, is fully interchangeable with competitors' similar sized units, some of which are no longer produced.

The Renold WM units also have the advantage of higher specification gearing and upgraded modern taper roller bearings which give a higher power capacity.

This means that when fitted as a replacement unit it provides a longer life than the original unit.

Glasgow City Council decided to order a number of WM 8in centre units, not only to repair the condemned unit but also to begin the process of rehauling the rest of the ageing lifts in other high rise accommodation.

The units were fitted with special reduced backlash gearing for a smoother lift ride and the external shaft dimensions were manufactured to the exact dimensions of the shaft they replaced.

Fitting exactly into the position of the old units meant no modifications were needed and the lifts could be brought back into service with minimum disruption.

David Giblin, Renold Gears' Sales Engineer, Scotland commented: 'The 8in centre wormgear units were standard in high rise blocks in the late 1960s'.

'The drives are now coming to the end of their lives'.

'The replacement WM Series units are an ideal drop in replacement with the added advantage of increased life'.

To date Renold has received orders for 30 new WM units for lifts in Glasgow.