Modes of Management - Shifting Management Gears as Your Company Grows

Modes of Management

Adjusting Your Management Style To Your Company's Stage

By Bob Norton

From the moment a new company is founded to its appearance on the Fortune 500 list, executives must be able to transform the way they manage a company — shifting gears, often dramatically to a different management style — to ensure the company’s optimum development. I am not referring to individual executive style here. What I am talking about is the total adjustment and evolution of the context in which major management decisions are made. I call this the “Mode of Management”, which is very dependent on the company’s current developmental stage.

Would you make the same product development decisions in an identical way with one hundred dollars in the bank and no customers as you would with $50 million in the bank and 1,000 customers? Of course not! So why do many managers often run an organization in the same way despite the many gradual and often sudden changes that happen between these two extremes? It is human nature to continue to do what we have always done; to simplify and repeat what worked in the past, despite vastly differing circumstances. We need a system or context for adjusting and teaching the different “modes of management” as companies evolve. Some of these changes come naturally, but most are very subtle and linger far longer than they should. A failure to change can do substantial damage to a company before adjustments are made, or even doom the company to flat sales in the long term.

A key to ensuring corporate success is to let the various stages of a company's development determine it’s overall management “mode”. It is a given that we must use the appropriate management mode for each and every decision and action we take in a company. The company's existing condition and/or stage of development is always the major determining factor or context for almost every significant decision.

Companies can reap enormous benefits when the style by which they are managed is adjusted quickly to accommodate the company’s shifting complexities, stages and sensitivities. In fact, quickly adjusting this mode of management can be a huge competitive advantage since most companies fail to adjust quickly enough. Just about every company exhibits often-overlooked, but critical, stress points that signal the need for decisive action or gradual reorganization. Recognizing these signs during a company’s gradual metamorphosis, and responding to them appropriately, may mean the difference between bankruptcy and survival, or at least will help avoid stagnation.

Any good manager knows an adjustment in style and tone is warranted for different individuals and situations. People have different motivations and often respond differently to the exact same circumstance. This is natural; people react to other people’s tone and body language in very individual ways. We receive immediate feedback in the form of facial expression, body language and actions, and adjust our reactions accordingly. However, a company, which is a much more complex organism that consists of many individuals interacting with complex outside market conditions, provides little immediate feedback. Therefore, it is very difficult to use direct feedback to fine-tune your management mode. Only years of experience can build enough data to form theories and adjust management modes.

Why We Simplify Too Much

Millions of years of evolution have taught us to run from danger and created a mind that adheres to simple "rules" that have worked for us in the past. Our mind wants basic rules we can reuse and has been designed to use these learned shortcuts again and again. For example, we all know that fire is hot, don’t touch it. The more pain (failure) or pleasure (success) that results from a lesson, the deeper these rules are ingrained. This is why people who experience a single, huge success often have a tougher time changing or accepting input from outside sources. They take this success as proof that they are “always” right and begin to repeat what has worked for them before. If they use their one learned mode in a different context then they are very likely to fail.

Unfortunately, the world is much more complex, and changes much more rapidly, than ever before. In fact, this trend is accelerating because human knowledge is now doubling every few years. One hundred years ago, most people still used horses to get around and technology of any kind was primitive by today’s standards. Because life is currently so much more complex, we need these mental simplifications more than ever. Yet now, we must overcome these past evolutionary behaviors and discipline ourselves to take hundreds of variables into account for complex and unique decisions we may never again make under the same circumstances.

Overcoming evolution can be difficult, but it is simply an exercise in conscious thinking that can be facilitated by some simple methodologies that force us to review important circumstances. The challenge as an executive is to force ourselves to think through all the variables of a given situation and make a decision in the proper, current context, not simply by referring to past experiences or rules of thumb.

Cognitive dissonance, the mind's tendency to see only those factors that reinforce what we are expecting to see, greatly aggravates this problem. We tend to distinguish only those things that reinforce our beliefs and actively avoid or explain away those things that disprove these beliefs. At the extreme, this can become the proverbial ostrich with its head in the sand — the "What I don't know can't hurt me" pose. Of course, this statement couldn’t be further from the truth. Any company that fails to adjust to rapidly changing world, economic, and market conditions is doomed. Even great Fortune 500 companies are rarely still there 25 years later. As managers we have to overcome human nature and cognitive dissonance in order to make the proper contextual decisions for the benefit of our company.

Cognitive Dissonance – The strong tendency to see and acknowledge only that which reinforces what you already know and ignore or easily explain away data that conflicts with your beliefs. The desire to avoid dissonance, or inconsistency, that would make you rethink things you already believe to be true.

The 5 Stages of a Company's Development

1) Raw Startup No revenue (by definition) 0-50
a) Innovation as a priority
b) Always in flux, high risk
c) More unknowns than knowns
d) Product or service looking to prove its market exists
e) Everything is fragile

2) Early Revenue $100 to $5MM, 5 to 100 employees, Product delivered proving some value proposition, but still no proven sustainable or profitable business model. Most companies slow or stop growing here due to organizational and people limits. This is often the hardest leap to make which requires the most changes in the smallest period of time.

3) Established Customer Base $500,000 to $20MM in sales, 20 to 200 employees
a) Profitable or clear path to profits based on scaling business.
b) A proven market and value or price formula, with profits clearly available in a steady state world when scaled.

4) Expansion/Growth Phase $1MM to $1 billion in sales, 100 to 1,000 employees
Market opportunity is many times larger than the company and there is a desire and ability for significant market share and/or revenue growth.

5) Mature (or large) $2MM to $100+ billion in sales, 100 to ∞ employees
a) Slow growth, stagnation of market or company, or focused on harvesting past investments.
b) Slow/little change in market and/or company or commoditization of products forcing a focus on costs above innovation.
c) Consolidation of competitors and focus on finding new distribution and/or leverage.

Companies come in many types, styles and sizes, and an approach that works tremendously well at one company can be a miserable failure at a different place and time. Every company and situation is different, so there are literally hundreds of possible “styles” or “management modes.” For practical purposes, it is necessary to create a simpler, more workable model, which can be used to illustrate a company’s major plateaus and organize this infinite spectrum into useful stages. Then we can probe along the required dimensions for key issues.

Only experience at executive levels in large, medium and small companies can help to identify the pivotal developmental stages that dramatically affect the context of a given company’s decisions. Success comes from implementing a management mode that is a direct function of the company’s current stage, industry and market conditions. The risk is that a company will be run in the same way as its VPs, managers and/or CEO have always run their past companies or departments, irrespective of the important and differing macro variables created by this stage of development.

What is Different about This Philosophy?
Conduct a search via Amazon.com or the Internet on the term “management” and you will literally find tens of thousands of books on the subject. From project management to company management, lots of authors push their particular methods and styles. These range from micromanagement and the One-Minute Manager to how to transform “good” into “great” behavior. What you will not find is much discussion in any of these books about an approach that helps you define and implement a management mode that clearly correlates to your company’s current status and position in the market. Yes, there are a few good books and some successful startups, but, in general, there is little on this topic available in the millions of books in print! I don’t know if the lack of discourse is just because authors want to appeal to the broadest possible audience, or if they are actually naive as to how one must manage differently according to the different stages of a company. I am certainly not the first person to recognize this natural phenomenon. I suspect that authors are addressing the stage of company they are most familiar with without much thought to the others. Unfortunately, for the bulk of their readers, this can make the majority of their recommendations and advice wrong, which is of little help. When making a major decision, too little credence is given to the enormous number of variables that make every corporate situation unique.

Actually, I have seen very successful executives with significant experience in large company environments give perfectly good talks on management that are 100 percent true for large companies — and almost 100 percent wrong and potentially fatal if followed by smaller companies. They are talking about steering an oil tanker when their audience consists of nothing but little speedboat captains. These executives must have little experience and perspective beyond that large company perch, and they often wind up preaching to a crowd of entrepreneurs about things they must do, when in fact, following that advice could kill their companies. The problem is that there was no context defined for the lecture and no language or thinking in the advice about a company’s current stage. If it had been qualified as advice for companies over $70 million in sales, for example, it would not have been a potentially lethal lecture for the many startups and entrepreneurs in attendance that day. It seems we pay little heed to the simple fact that what can be right for a small company can be totally disastrous for a larger company and vice versa.

Of course, the opposite situation can also be true, wherein entrepreneurs, more often than not, fail to change their company’s and personal management styles from raw startup mode to the next level. They cannot “let go” and delegate to others. This is why entrepreneurs are often replaced by “professional management” or people with specific experience in that stage of company development. It is also a major reason why most companies stagnate at a certain level, which is ultimately the maximum level or size at which a controlling entrepreneur can be effective or remain in their comfort zone. A Board of Directors of any company with more than a single shareholder has a fiduciary responsibility to replace such a CEO as soon as there are signs the entrepreneur is not evolving with the company so as to ensure that stockholder value continues to grow. I believe a solid, well thought-out system can allow many entrepreneurs to make this evolutionary transition as their company grows.

Adjusting to the Best Management Mode

My goal is to shine a light on this failure to preach in context and to create a methodology to qualify these recommendations and comments and adjust our mode of management. This needs a system of definitions, models and language. To be successful, we must also have some guidelines for management modes that are appropriate for certain stages and situations in a company’s life. This would allow us to benchmark our management mode and proactively evolve it as a company grows.

Unfortunately, there are not many people who have experience and perspective in various different size companies and can speak to these vast differences. Academia cannot properly recognize and study this problem without first establishing a framework by someone with experience across most stages of a company’s development. After all, this is not so much a theoretical problem as a real world experiential learning issue and therefore it is hard to define and bound properly.

Each decision we make is highly context-sensitive to many macro factors. Sometimes, these macro factors are developed or institutionalized over time. For example, IBM would never go after a very small market because doing so would distract management and resources from bigger market opportunities that would better serve its corporate size, overhead and growth needs. Everyone at IBM knows this and, accordingly, would not present a plan to the IBM corporate machinery for a product with a very small market opportunity. However at the other extreme, younger companies have not had the time or experience to develop such rules or systems, forcing executives of small and medium-sized firms to make them up as they go along based on the specific circumstances of the day. People may attempt to adopt their own "rules of thumb" from their former companies, but the odds that these are also appropriate for their new company are slim indeed. I have seen many young companies enter markets that were way too big for them to be successful in because larger companies will replicate what they do quickly and because they have not already secured a beachhead they can protect before evolving into the larger market. This classic startup without a market entry strategy is common in technology where technologists do not have enough experience in building businesses and attaching markets. I cannot possibly count the number of companies with a superior product that ultimately failed because they did not adjust their market entry strategy to the size of their company’s resources or because they managed the company like a large one when it was just in its infancy.

An executive’s ability to shift gears in the face of a situation that appears familiar, but is actually ALMOST ALWAYS a different context compared to what they have seen in the past, can make or break a company. When a decision’s context is very different due to the corporation’s current stage, it must be recognized immediately to produce a vibrant, growing company.

So what do you do differently along the spectrum from a raw startup to a mature company? There is enough information for an entire book or at least a long series of articles. It requires many examples and structural models to aid the decision-context management. The first step toward success is acknowledging the need for a decision-context management framework and an understanding that the biggest factor in almost any corporate decision is this framework. Upcoming articles will compare and contrast management modes for a wide range of companies, from small through large.

Motoring: New style gearbox on the way

OF THE many Heath Robinson-like contraptions that make up the modern car, none is so needlessly complicated as the manual gearbox. For starters, it demands that a car has three pedals when, to paraphrase Dickens, popular prejudice runs in favour of people having only two feet.

Even Grand Prix drivers have given up the challenge. Modern F1 cars do not have foot clutches, the technical boffins having discovered a better way. The clutches of F1 cars are engaged automatically, as drivers change gear using steering column-mounted paddles.

Yet modern road cars still make do with a stick having to be negotiated through an awkward H-pattern and a clutch which, in concert with the brake and the accelerator, demand the most dextrous of feet movements. Even if you are good at it, it can still be a pain. Juggling with clutch, throttle and gears as you fight your way home in nose-to-tail traffic is irritating, tiring and bad for wearing out the soles of good shoes.

Until recently, the only alternative has been the automatic gearbox. In America, where motorists are less macho than in Europe and take less pleasure in driving, almost everybody buys automatic. In the past year or so, new style semi-automatic gear changes have also surfaced, the Porsche 911 Tiptronic was the first, which seek to replicate clutchless F1 gear shifts using paddles, buttons or a stick. Most are at least partly a con, for they use automatic gearboxes as their base. As a result, power is not parcelled to the wheels as efficiently as on a manual gearbox.

That is changing. The large car makers are on the verge of releasing gearboxes which can double as both manuals and automatics. Of the mass makers, Renault is likely to be there first. Next year it launches a new transmission called the BVR (boite de vitesses robotise, or robotised gearbox). I drove a prototype version recently, fitted to a Twingo. At the touch of a button, your fully automatic gearbox (ideal in traffic) can be converted into a five- speed manual. Hit some traffic again, or lose interest in DIY gear changing? Then go back to full auto mode.

There is no clutch, even in manual form. On the prototype I drove, you changed gear by using a conventional stick. In production form, gear changes will be made by F1-style steering column paddles and the change pattern will be sequential, as in a motorcycle. Push a button, and you are back in full auto mode.

The BVR system is likely to be offered in the Clio and Megane from next autumn. Other clutchless manual gearboxes from other manufacturers are imminent.

For those who like to labour, the clutch will probably always have its place. But for those who like their machinery to shoulder as much of the responsibility as possible, the "third pedal" is on its way out. Although few will admit it, most drivers must privately be rather glad.

Hey buddy, can you spare a gear? Expect more - and less - from transmissions - Column

Mike Kluger manager-automatic transmission technology section at Southwest Research Institute (SWRI), has authored or co-authored numerous SAE papers relating to transmission technology and SWRI tests. He also evaluates transmissions for many of the world's major automakers. Mr. Kluger recently shared his thoughts on near-term automatic-transmission development with WAW.

The industry has experienced numerous interesting developments in automatic transmission configurations in recent years, some of which appear almost contradictory. In the next five years we'll see an accelerated degree of engineering research focused on transmissions.

In particular, there will be increased demand to, reduce manufacturing costs while simultaneously improving transmission efficiency. These goals will partially be realized through material advaces and with a heavy emphasis on reducing parasitic, or "spin" losses.

A sampling of some near-term automatic transmission trends and advances: Future transmission configurations At the top end of the market, a recent trend has been the move toward 5-speed automatics, now beginning to appear in a number of luxury and near-luxury passenger cars. The impetus behind this development is a typical 5% improvement in fuel economy over vehicles with 4-speed transmissions. To transition to 5-speed configuration, some existing 4-speed automatics comprised of three planetary gear sets will obtain the additional gear ratio by "swap" shifting, which allows two clutch packs to be shifted simultaneously. During swap shifting, one clutch pack is engaging while the other is disengaging. The additional precision hydraulic control required for this procedure is provided with fast-acting solenoids and by installing increased memory in the powertrain control module.

Coincidentally, consumers concerned about the cost of new vehicles show an emerging industry need for inexpensive vehicles with simple, serviceable automatic transmissions.

For this reason, we will see a return to traditional 3-speed automatic transmissions. Although they reduce fuel efficiency by approximately 12%, they are significantly less costly because of the reduced number of parts.

To obtain improved shift quality in the future, automatic transmission clutch bands will no longer be used - they do not provide the precise engagement control clutch packs offer.

Automatic transmission fluid (ATF)

In future transmission designs, the automatic transmission will incorporate a fill-for-life ATF system. In addition to eliminating the need for a dipstick and tube, sealing prevents incorrect ATF levels, a condition that today accounts for a large degree of serious transmission damage.

Sealing transmission fluids, however, places a considerable burden on the quality and composition of the ATF. More stable friction modifiers are necessary to withstand continuously slipping torque converter operation. Sealing the ATF also requires increased oxidation protection, as well as the use of thinner, less viscous transmisision fluids that may need to include synthetic base stocks for improved efficiency - and will certainly make ATF more expensive.

Torque converters

In an effort to improve fuel economy, shift quality and NVH characteristics, there have been attempts in recent years to adopt continuously slipping torque converter they allow transmisisons to transition easily from the "unlocked" to the "locked" mode. Current transmission designs are torque-limited because the friction load-carrying capabilities of today's standard lock-up clutch permits low-torque operation only in third and fourth gear.

Future advances will incorporate locked-up converter operation in all but the lower two-thirds of first gear. Test results using the recommended Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) city-cycle guidelines show a 7% improvement in fuel economy in the locked converter mode.

Solenoids

Fast-acting solenoids - providing better control and more "precise" transmission performance - were first introduced eight years ago for torque converter lockup clutch engagement. Since then, the use of solenoids has increased exponentially to the point where certain quality transmissions contain more than eight, overseeing such tasks as gearshift selection and pressure control. Most current transmissions use only four solenoids, but the number undoubtedly will increase in the future.

Pump systems

Pumping loss accounts for a disproportionately high percentage of the overall power consumed by an automatic transmission and can be as high as 20% in some cases. To reduce these losses, manufacturers have developed new, duocentric and hypocycloid gear designs for the fixed-displacement, internal gear tooth forms.

The advantage of a hypocycloid design, for example, is that it requires only half as many teeth as a conventional internal-external gear form, is at least 15% more efficient and is less expensive.

In some new automatics, there is increasing use of a fluid-recirculation "boost" loop that returns unused, pressurized fluid to the pump inlet. The boost loop dramatically improves fluid flow at crankshaft speeds greater than 3,500 rpm and helps forestall the damaging effects of cavitation at high speeds. Cavitation can be a critical problem for new vehicles with advanced engines delivering shift speeds as high as 7,200 rpm.

Machine gear producer synchronizes engineering changes and documentation - Pro/ENGINEER software and BPS Industries

Companies often move into new areas of business because of changing technology or the introduction of new products by a key customer, who requires their support. Such a scenario unfolded for BPS Industries, Baltimore, Maryland, a firm that machines industrial plastics. The customer was Flowdata, Inc., a manufacturer of precision flow-metering systems. The product was a radically new gear-like impeller called the Vector.

Flowmeters measure liquid flows with paired impellers, and great accuracy is required in machining their complex geometries. To work properly, Flowdata's impellers have to mesh perfectly. The patented Vectors mesh so well and run so smoothly that Flowdata eliminated the synchronizing gearboxes, a system common among competing flowmeter designs. Based in Richardson, Texas, Flowdata designs, assembles, tests and calibrates but does not cut metal. It relies on BPS, 1400 miles away, for machining.

Vector impellers are true gears but contain only three or four oversized teeth known as lobes that twist around the impeller's core. Although elegant, Vector's lobes are generated like any other gear teeth, with a mathematical formula called an involute curve. Machining the curved surface of the product, however, is a challenge using standard approaches.

Cutting the teeth of the Vectors required a breakthrough in metal cutting. BPS bridged the chasm between gear cutting and CNC machining by mastering the mechanical design through manufacturing software, Pro/ENGINEER, from Parametric Technology Corp. (PTC) in Waltham, Massachusetts.

The most important aspect of any gear design is the profile of its teeth. These are machined with a tool called a hob. The hob itself is generated from mathematical and kinematic formulas unique to gear making. Though Flowdata's Vector is a standard gear profile - a double-helical similar to a herringbone - it could not be hobbed.

In its search for smoother-running and tighter-meshing gears, Flowdata modified the characteristic V of the herringbone tooth into a gracefully rounded U. "We softened the edges and added a gentle nose twist, which lets BPS machine the lobe in just one pass," said Pedro Fernandez, lead Vector designer.

The biggest challenge of the new involute design was machining the root surfaces between the Vector's lobes. BPS and Flowdata quickly realized that four- and five-axis CNC machining was their only alternative. However, CNC machining requires complete geometric surface data, not just the involute's mathematics.

BPS and Flowdata realized that machinable tooth profiles could not be generated simply by plugging the involute calculations into the 3D solid modeler into a CAM package. Flowdata painstakingly converted the mathematics of the involute into surface data points accurate to 0.00001 inch.

When BPS received Flowdata's impeller work, it invested several million dollars for new machine tools and a coordinate measuring machine (CMM). Seven new vertical machining centers with 10,000 rpm main spindles were bought. Two have five-axis capability and three have four-axis controls. The other two VMCs are three-axis machines with automatic pallet changers. For years, BPS had made nearly all of Flowdata's plastic impellers and gearing. But until the Vector, BPS had cut very few metal parts for Flowdata.

Having designed the Vectors using Pro/ENGINEER, Flowdata urged BPS to buy the system. "Having 3D solid modeling and parametric-design capability was the only way to design these impellers effectively," said Flowdata President Dave Foran. "We did in weeks, days and sometimes only hours would have taken us months with our old CAD system." After testing a few other CAD packages, BPS concurred. Using the same system "means more than just avoiding IGES transfers and eliminating geometry translations and cleanups," said BPS President Richard G. Scherr. "It lets us look at the model the same way the customer does. It's all about embedding design intent among critical features of the part."

"Using Pro/ENGINEER, I can modify designs from two lobes to ten in just a few minutes," explained Mr. Fernandez. "I can re-size the impellers anywhere in a one-to-ten range. I can change the helical twist, which determines the amount of lobe contact, from zero (that is a simple spur gear) to 180 degrees, which wraps the lobes halfway around the shaft. With each change, the 3D solid model of the gear is automatically reconstructed, and it is completely accurate."

At BPS, parametric capability plays a major role in keeping up with changes like these and dozens of Vector engineering iterations. Of particular importance is the fact that new surfaces can be substituted quickly and easily in the 3D solid model. Each time Flowdata makes changes, BPS obtains a Pro/ENGINEER file in self-extracting zipped (compressed) format on its electronic bulletin board system.

Lead BPS Programmer Jim Narimatsu explained how the engineering-change process works. "The first step is to replicate the lobes and assemble the new impeller model in the software along with the accompanying fixture using Pro/ENGINEER's assembly mode. This enables us to visualize potential part or cutting tool interference problems and collisions. We graphically compare the new model with the previous version, then develop new cutting strategies, redesign the fixtures and select new tools," he explained.

Textron Acquires ALSTOM Gears; Acquisition Establishes Preferred Supplier Relationship and Enhances Technological Offerings

Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) announced today the acquisition of U.K.-based ALSTOM Gears, part of ALSTOM, a leading supplier of components, systems and services to the world's energy and transport infrastructure markets. ALSTOM Gears manufactures and sells a range of gears and gearboxes, including high-speed epicyclic and parallel shaft gearboxes, for the industrial, rail and marine industries. The acquisition will be fully integrated into Textron's Power Transmission Products business, part of the company's Fluid & Power Systems Group. For the fiscal year-ended March 1999, ALSTOM Gear's revenues were approximately $10 million. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

"Textron's acquisition of ALSTOM Gears further strengthens our power transmission capabilities, adding a range of technologically advanced gearbox systems to our existing product brands, including David Brown, Cone Drive and Textron Industrial gears," said Textron Fluid & Power Systems President Bob Geckle. "Furthermore, the acquisition establishes a multi-year preferred supplier agreement for Textron with ALSTOM for power transmission products," he added.

With approximately $1 billion in annualized revenues and locations in 23 countries, Textron's Fluid & Power Systems Group is a leading manufacturer of mechanical power transmission, motion control, fluid handling and electronic systems and components. The Fluid & Power Systems Group is part of Textron's $4 billion Industrial Segment.

Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) is a $10 billion, global, multi-industry company with market-leading businesses in Aircraft, Automotive, Industrial and Finance. Textron has a workforce of over 64,000 employees and major manufacturing facilities in 23 countries. Textron is among Fortune magazine's "America's Most Admired Companies," and Industry Week magazine's "Best Managed Companies."

Multispeed gear transmissions - Andantex USA Inc.'s new products

A new line of multispeed gear transmissions from Andantex features two, three, four, six or nine speeds within one gearbox housing and from 12 to 288 speeds by coupling up to four boxes. Applications include agitators, capstan drives, vertical drilling machines and track drives.

The gearboxes feature form-ground gears that are shrunk onto the shafts, eliminating the use of keys, which eliminates fretting, the company said. The housings are manufactured from precision iron castings with a cubic configuration which allows installation in any position. When coupled in tandem, overall length is held to a minimum by a design which eliminates the need for external shaft couplings.

Available in seven sizes over the entire ratio range, the gear boxes are 96 percent efficient with ratings from 5 to 800 hp at 1500 rpm, the company said. Output shafts can be supplied to rotate in the same direction as input, or in the opposite direction. Reversing boxes can change direction either manually or electrically. Motor flanges are available for direct motor coupling.

New gearbox assembler set for smaller, high-volume production

With all that has been chronicled regarding the trend toward OEM outsourcing, it's easy to believe that most equipment manufacturers have shopped out large portions of their sub-assembly work. Seeking to capitalize further on this trend, a new gearbox assembly operation has been established to serve the higher volume, smaller size assembly requirements of off-highway OEMs.

Drive Systems, Inc., located in a 6000 sq.ft. facility in Antigo, Wis., traces its roots directly to both the gear and gearbox industries through its two principal policymakers. Bill Sims, Drive System's president, was formerly with Cotta Transmission and Terrell Gear Drives, while Eric Schumann, a financial partner in Drive Systems, is also the president and owner of Merit Gear Corp.

"The springboard for Drive Systems was the fact that Merit Gear customers had begun expressing the desire to buy an assembled gearbox, as opposed to doing their own work," explained Sims. "From the beginning, our actual and anticipated accounts are the companies that are already buying the gears, but would prefer to buy one ready-to-use product, rather than the multiple components needed to assemble these units."

Initially the company will focus on assembly operations for a variety of geared products that have been previously designed and built by OEMs. These will include special motor drives and right angle gearboxes, as well as worm and planetary drives. "One of our first products, for example, is a very special, hydraulically driven two-speed planetary gear reducer," said Sims.

As the company develops, Sims added, Drive Systems would offer drive packages which might incorporate hydraulic motors and pumps or brakes. Sales and engineering support will be a combination of factory-direct and manufacturers representatives.

"The concept of Drive Systems is to eventually be able to control the engineering input for the drive package design and assembly," said Schumann. Stressing that the new company is an entity completely separate from Merit Gear, Schumann said Drive Systems will compete for the best component prices on everything from gears and shafts, to bearings, housings and seals.

"Right now, by being an assembly operation, we're going to focus on being a very efficient operation," Sims noted. "We won't have manufacturing as an issue. It's white walls and a very clean operation - no chip-making anywhere, We'll be purchasing the components of our assemblies from extremely high-tech, high-quality machining houses - buying from companies that specialize in that size, that type - whatever it may be. If we are asked to quote on a certain volume, then we'll go to those companies that specialize in that volume and that specific size."

Schumann added, "Merit Gear has done a good job as a gear manufacturer, which is basically a raw material conversion process. Whereas with gear assembly, the gearbox has various components coming together in a particular fashion at some future point of time. It's a different system.

"At Drive Systems we can specialize in assembly and really make that cost effective and then start looking at design. It has been interesting to separate the manufacturing of gears from assembly, inasmuch as the two companies are in more of a niche at either end of the process."

Composite gearboxes could fly

The Center of Excellence for Composites Manufacturing Technology (CECMT), operated for the Navy by the Great Lakes Composites Consortium (Kenosha, WI), is working to demonstrate the viability of resin transfer molding (RTM) in complex structures such as aircraft accessory gearboxes. As a class, these types of parts, currently fabricated of cast aluminum or magnesium, are costly to machine, require corrosion and fatigue-crack preventative maintenance, and produce high noise levels. The weight of the metal components degrades lift efficiency and reduces aircraft payload capacity. According to CECMT, resin transfer molding could reduce part weight by about 30 and life cycle and acquisition costs by some 15 over current conventional machining processes for cast housings.

Researchers chose an accessory gearbox currently in service on the Chinook helicopter's T-55 engine to demonstrate resin transfer molding's payback. They had access to an operational experience database for composite component comparison, as well as an existing T-55 dynamic testing facility for ground evaluations of the composite gearbox under fully loaded in-service conditions. Although significantly smaller than accessory gearboxes for the Navy's V-22 Osprey, the T55 accessory gearbox meets all essential design and fabrication challenges of the larger gearboxes. Once resin transfer molding is proven on this part, researchers will scale up the technology to fabricate and test full-scale composite gearbox housings for the V22 in parallel with the currently base-lined metal design.

Gear Units produce torque up to 370.000 Nm

Designed for medium- and high-power transmission markets, High Power Series features configurable, space-saving design that combines S series planetary gearboxes with PIV's modular POSIRED 2 family of helical and bevel-helical gearboxes. Products come in 5 harmonically developed sizes that offer nominal torque from 37.000-370.000 Nm, transmission ratios from 100-670, and nominal power from 160-950 kW.

(Vernon Hills, IL - July 2005) Brevini's High Power Series is a new development in gear technology, designed to provide the medium and high power transmission markets with a family of products that are easy to configure, offer the highest levels of torque, and are both space saving and extremely reliable. The High Power Series provides these benefits by combining the high efficiency and reduced size and weight of Brevini's new S series planetary gearboxes with the flexibility and modularity of PIV's POSIRED 2 family of helical and bevel- helical gearboxes.

The main features of the new "High Power" Series are:

o 5 harmonically developed sizes

o Nominal Torque from 37.000 to 370.000 Nm

o Transmission ratios from 100 to 670

o Nominal Power from 160 to 950 kW

About Brevini USA

Brevini USA is a supplier of high quality planetary and helical gearboxes for a wide range of industries and applications - from manufacturing to agriculture, transport to mining. The company is headquartered in Vernon Hills, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. Its facility includes a large warehouse and assembly area, where the company builds most gearboxes from stock. The quality system of Brevini USA, including manufacturing and design, is registered to the ISO 9000:2000 standard. Brevini USA is a division of the power transmission group of Brevini Riduttorti, S.p.A., Reggio Emilia, Italy, a worldwide manufacturer of planetary and helical gears.

Motorized Pulleys offer integrated shaft encoder

BDL motorized pulleys allow conveyor system operators to synchronize product movements. Shaft encoders utilize SKF or SNR pulse outputs to monitor motorized pulley movement and control conveyor belt speed, position, torque, and rotational direction. Accurate conveyor belt movements, up to [+ or -]0.0002 in. at speeds of 19-500 fpm, are achievable. Mounted with 2 brackets, pulleys range from 3.18-12.6 in. in diameter with face widths from 7.8-67 in.

Motorized pulleys with integrated shaft encoders, that allow conveyor system operators to accurately synchronize product movements, are available from BDL America, Wilmington, N.C. The encoders utilize either SKF or SNR pulse outputs to precisely monitor motorized pulley movement to control conveyor belt speed, position, torque and rotational direction. The motorized pulleys have been successfully applied in applications requiring properly timed conveyor movement, such as: positioning, dispensing, adjusting, cutting, tape winding, pick and place operations, and constant speed applications, among others.

The encoders are hermetically sealed within a stainless steel housing, eliminating the possibility of external influences and providing an extremely reliable control system. Accurate conveyor belt movements up to [+ or -]0.0002-inches at speeds of 19 to 500 fpm are achievable with the motorized pulley and integrated encoder design. The motorized pulleys are protected from dust and moisture, meeting class IP66 and IP67 standards.

The integrated encoders are available on the complete line of BDL motorized pulleys ranging from diameters of 3.18 to 12.6 inches, and face widths from 7.8 to 67 inches. Power from the motor is transmitted through the gearbox which is coupled to a geared rim fixed to the drum and housing.

Mounted with just two (2) brackets, there is no need for multiple parts - and multiple vendors. Ordering and installation are quick and easy requiring less than half the time needed to install external drives. The motorized pulley requires no external component maintenance.

Motorized pulleys in the BDL family feature durable steel gears with precision cut and honed teeth - reducing noise levels to only 50dB to meet OSHA requirements. Efficient and reliable, the motors run at 96 percent efficiency, saving up to 32 percent (unloaded) and 47 percent (loaded) on power consumption when compared to exposed drives.

Industrial Gear Oils help prolong gear life

Mineral-based Shell Omala, suited for highly loaded gearboxes operating under normal temperatures, exhibits water separation properties critical for operations in wet environments. Formulated for harsh industrial environments, Shell Omala HD synthetic oil is based on PAO and other select additives and exhibits thermal and oxidative stability. Synthetic Shell Tivela S is designed for enclosed, sealed-for-life or worm-helical gear units operating at higher temperatures.

Shell lubricants companies have launched a revitalized range of mineral and synthetic industrial gear oils for the US market. Shell Omala, Shell Omala HD and Shell Tivela S gear oils, have been specially formulated to help prolong gear life and reduce unscheduled downtime, which can help industrial companies reduce their overall operating costs.

The revitalized range of Shell gear oils has been developed to meet the challenges placed on modern gear systems, which are becoming increasingly sophisticated, smaller and designed to run longer. In a recent survey conducted by Shell of US industrial companies, 50% of respondents said that industrial gearboxes were one of their most critical components, while 30% said that they had experienced a lubricant related gearbox failure within the last 12 months.

Darren Cross, Shell's Industrial Lubricants Sector Marketing Manager, explains: "Today's industrial environment is more demanding than ever with trends towards smaller equipment and commercial pressures to raise throughput. The result is equipment needs to be able to run at higher operating temperatures, handle increased loads and cope with exposure to water and other contaminants. In these tough conditions, operators need a gear oil that is designed to tackle the problems that can affect operational efficiency. Shell has invested heavily in lubricants R&D to ensure that we can provide a revitalized range of gear oils for the US that meets these new challenges."

Transmission considerations: beyond the manual gearbox

As far as the majority of European drivers are concerned, the only transmission worth considering is the manual, which accounts for four out of every five gearboxes found in new cars sold in the region. There are two key factors in this dominance: (1) the extra cost in purchase price of automatic transmissions; (2) the in-built prejudice against automatics. The typical European driver still believes that not having a shift stick dilutes control of the car. "In Europe, if a customer can obtain an air conditioning system or light-alloy sports wheels for the same extra cost as an automatic transmission, the majority choose the other options," said Dr--Ing Gerhard Wagner, group vice president, ZF in his plenary speech at the Innovative Automotive Transmissions conference organized by the Car Training Institute in Berlin at the beginning of December 2005. "However, it should be noted that the extra cost charged for an automatic transmission is not in any way related to their manufacturing costs. Instead, the whole issue is governed by the pricing policy of the vehicle manufacturers which still determines that some items of equipment are cost options."

Wagner continued, "The figures quoted in sales brochures for fuel economy, emission levels and 0-100 km/h acceleration times are the next obstacle to overcome when selling a vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission. If these figures are significantly worse than those of a vehicle with a manual transmission, European customers tend as a general rule to favor the manual transmission. As a consequence, the requirement for low fuel consumption and good performance figures form an essential component in any automatic transmission development work."

Things, though, could be about to change in Europe as the transmission has now come into the front line in the carmakers' quest to meet emissions legislation. "The primary requirements and customer benefits underpinning the further development of automatic transmissions," said Wagner, "include a reduction of fuel consumption, a reduction of pollution, vehicle performance improvement, increasing torque capacity, greater comfort, sportiness, noise reduction, resource conservation, and competitiveness."

Clutches, clutch brakes, gearboxes - Mechanical Powertrain Component Report - North American Clutch Co

North American Clutch Co. (Noram) continues to develop its designs of clutches, clutch brakes and mechanical gearboxes for small engine applications. Clutches are designed to fit engines ranging from fractional horsepower up through 50 hp applications. They are available in standard off-the-shelf configurations or designed to fit an OEM'S specific requirement.

Noram centrifugal and mechanical clutches are designed to allow for safe, no-load, quiet starting of power equipment, the company said. Once engaged, the clutches reduce vibration, utilize peak torque for more efficient engine performance and provide overload protection for operator and equipment safety.

The company's reduction gearboxes are designed to fit most small (3/4 in. bore) and medium frame (1 in. bore) four-stroke engines available. Gearboxes are made of rugged aluminum castings, and precision machined gears. Noram's high-torque clutch brake has a variety of uses in the outdoor power equipment marketplace and industrial applications such as pump drives, blowers and agricultural seeders.

Gear Grinder rough and finish grinds gears in one setup

Built on mineral-filled cast polymer base, 6-axis GS:G2 produces gears from 1-12 in. dia, employs near net-shaped or hobbed gears, and requires 15 min of setup. Machine requires users to install proper tooling and enter part form, dress, and grind parameters into control in order to start-up new jobs, while menu-driven screens and Gear Smart(TM) Programming facilitate operation. Product features dual wheel machining and infinitely variable wheel speeds and feeds.

Sometimes a new machine is just destined to happen. Markets evolve, new technologies emerge, and an experienced machine tool builder seizes the opportunity. The result: the right machine, at the right time, at the right price.

Drake Manufacturing in Warren, OH is putting the finishing touches on a highly productive 6-axis gear grinder that will be grinding quality parts after just 15-minutes of setup. Best part is - like Drake's other gear and thread manufacturing machines - it's priced to provide high return on investment for the job shop owner as well as the large, automotive supplier.

Drake is best known for its line of CNC gear hobbers, thread and worm grinders, rack mills and bore grinders. The GS:G2 is a machine that blends the best of Drake's specialty grinding and gear making expertise.

As the basis of competition in the power transmission and speed reducer markets increasingly shifts toward quiet operation and efficiency, more and more manufacturers are calling for precision ground gears. The Drake GS:G2 enables manufacturers to source near net-shaped or hobbed gears from low-cost suppliers and still control the final product quality. "This is a high value-added grinder, that with minimal capital outlay, can help our customers remain globally competitive for years to come," said Stig Mowatt-Larssen, Drake's Manager of Research and Development.

A flexible grinder

The GS:G2 has the flexibility and capability to handle a variety of grinding roles: job shop work, manufacturing cell environments, high volume grinding - even prototype work. Fast changeovers with menu-driven setup screens-no more change gears or dressing thread wheels-make it easy to switch from job to job.

Gearboxes provide torque from 25-5,200 Nm

Lubricated for life, PowerGear Gearboxes are available in 8 sizes, with 6 standard ratios from 1:1-5:1 and efficiencies to 98%. Units feature taper roller bearings, Gleason cut gears, and spheroidal graphite iron housing and flanges. They provide fretting-free torque transfer using friction-locked fit between shaft and gear. Units come with solid or hollow shafts in 2-way, 3-way, and 4-way shaft arrangements, and can be mounted from all sides.

The New PowerGear range of products have been produced following the increasing technical demands from our customers, which has lead to the merging of the old Universal and Power Gear ranges, the main technical features of the two older ranges have been taken into account when producing the New range which replaces them.

The New PowerGear series has been produced to meet with a specific torque / speed spectrum. The advantages of this approach are:

o The compact and rigid design assures highest performance at small dimensions and low weight

o Lubricated for life, the gearboxes are, depending on their size, maintenance-free, if operated under normal conditions

o The high efficiency of the gearbox, 98%, saves energy costs

o Housing/Flanges made of spheroidal graphite iron for maximum rigidity

o Fretting-free torque transfer using a friction-locked fit between shaft and gear

o High quality taper roller bearings taking axial and radial loads and guaranteeing long operational life

o Gleason cut gears for high torque ratings

o Optimized gear tooth contact pattern during assembly leading to uniform load distribution

The units are available in 8 sizes, with 6 standard ratios from 1:1 to 5:1. Shaft arrangements include 2 way, 3 way and 4 way and are available with solid shafts and hollow output shafts, the units are also available with motor input flanges allowing many standard IEC framed motors to be fitted. Torque range from 25Nm to 5200Nm with input speeds up to 6500rpm.

The units have been designed, with universal mounting, allowing the units to be mounted from all sides.

Additional accessories include

Shrink Disc - with hollow shaft extension for friction locked connections Keyless Shafts - for attachment via clamping connections Minimum Backlash - for greater accuracy than already offered as standard Cooling packs - gearboxes fitted with aluminium cooling fins, with or without the addition of an axial fan to provide increased heat dissipation from the unit.

Textron Acquires ALSTOM Gears; Acquisition Establishes Preferred Supplier Relationship and Enhances Technological Offerings

Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) announced today the acquisition of U.K.-based ALSTOM Gears, part of ALSTOM, a leading supplier of components, systems and services to the world's energy and transport infrastructure markets. ALSTOM Gears manufactures and sells a range of gears and gearboxes, including high-speed epicyclic and parallel shaft gearboxes, for the industrial, rail and marine industries. The acquisition will be fully integrated into Textron's Power Transmission Products business, part of the company's Fluid & Power Systems Group. For the fiscal year-ended March 1999, ALSTOM Gear's revenues were approximately $10 million. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

"Textron's acquisition of ALSTOM Gears further strengthens our power transmission capabilities, adding a range of technologically advanced gearbox systems to our existing product brands, including David Brown, Cone Drive and Textron Industrial gears," said Textron Fluid & Power Systems President Bob Geckle. "Furthermore, the acquisition establishes a multi-year preferred supplier agreement for Textron with ALSTOM for power transmission products," he added.

With approximately $1 billion in annualized revenues and locations in 23 countries, Textron's Fluid & Power Systems Group is a leading manufacturer of mechanical power transmission, motion control, fluid handling and electronic systems and components. The Fluid & Power Systems Group is part of Textron's $4 billion Industrial Segment.

Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) is a $10 billion, global, multi-industry company with market-leading businesses in Aircraft, Automotive, Industrial and Finance. Textron has a workforce of over 64,000 employees and major manufacturing facilities in 23 countries. Textron is among Fortune magazine's "America's Most Admired Companies," and Industry Week magazine's "Best Managed Companies."

Gear Grinder rough and finish grinds gears in one setup

Built on mineral-filled cast polymer base, 6-axis GS:G2 produces gears from 1-12 in. dia, employs near net-shaped or hobbed gears, and requires 15 min of setup. Machine requires users to install proper tooling and enter part form, dress, and grind parameters into control in order to start-up new jobs, while menu-driven screens and Gear Smart(TM) Programming facilitate operation. Product features dual wheel machining and infinitely variable wheel speeds and feeds.

Sometimes a new machine is just destined to happen. Markets evolve, new technologies emerge, and an experienced machine tool builder seizes the opportunity. The result: the right machine, at the right time, at the right price.

Drake Manufacturing in Warren, OH is putting the finishing touches on a highly productive 6-axis gear grinder that will be grinding quality parts after just 15-minutes of setup. Best part is - like Drake's other gear and thread manufacturing machines - it's priced to provide high return on investment for the job shop owner as well as the large, automotive supplier.

Drake is best known for its line of CNC gear hobbers, thread and worm grinders, rack mills and bore grinders. The GS:G2 is a machine that blends the best of Drake's specialty grinding and gear making expertise.

As the basis of competition in the power transmission and speed reducer markets increasingly shifts toward quiet operation and efficiency, more and more manufacturers are calling for precision ground gears. The Drake GS:G2 enables manufacturers to source near net-shaped or hobbed gears from low-cost suppliers and still control the final product quality. "This is a high value-added grinder, that with minimal capital outlay, can help our customers remain globally competitive for years to come," said Stig Mowatt-Larssen, Drake's Manager of Research and Development.

A flexible grinder

The GS:G2 has the flexibility and capability to handle a variety of grinding roles: job shop work, manufacturing cell environments, high volume grinding - even prototype work. Fast changeovers with menu-driven setup screens-no more change gears or dressing thread wheels-make it easy to switch from job to job.

Miniature Electroformed Baffles

If you use cold shields or radiation shields within applications, Abssac might have a product to help increase the efficiency of the absorption or reflection rates.
Using a unique patented process a hollow electroform with internal baffles can be produced with high structural integrity and minimal weight. The electroformed process allows integral baffles to be produced that can replace the need for costly secondary assembly operations.

By allowing a infinite amount of variations to be available, not only can the size and shape of baffle be explored but also the aperture in the baffle.

The aperture can be cut to any shape and orientation so that the baffled electroform will filter the 'light' radiation passing through it, by physically blocking wavelengths of light while not blocking others.

These electroforms are often Gold plated on the exterior for reflectivity and blackened on the interior for absorption.

Another advantage of these coldshields are used to filter out the unwanted frequencies of the visible and non-visible light spectrum as light passes through the baffle.

Shaft Collars Hold Tight Face Tolerance

Shaft collars are widely used components in the power transmission industry.
Shaft collars function as mechanical stops, clamps often used on split hubs, bearing faces and as a means for locating components on a variety of equipment including motors, gearboxes, linear actuators, packaging equipment, printing presses, medical devices, and measuring instruments. Shaft collars from Ruland are single point faced to ensure a high level of face to bore perpendicularity. The result is face runout of TIR < .05 mm (.002') on standard collars with even tighter tolerance on bearing locknuts and special designs.

A precise shaft collar face to bore relationship is important for many applications.

It ensures that components are both properly positioned and not tilted on the shaft.

Collar face perpendicularity also ensures even pressure on interfaced components.

Uneven pressure can result in premature failure of components such as bearings.

When shaft collars are subject to shock loads, precise facing reduces the likelihood that the position of the collar will be shifted.

A circular groove indicates the precision face on Ruland shaft collars.

The collars should be installed so that the groove is on the side that will receive shock loads or is against components needing precise positioning or even pressure.

Ruland offers shaft collars in aluminium, black oxide carbon steel and stainless steel, as well as engineered plastic collars.

One- and two-piece clamp-style designs are available with bore sizes from 3mm to 80mm.

Clamp-style shaft collars do not mar the shaft like traditional set-screw types (DIN 705).

Clamp-style collars also have higher holding power because they wrap around the shaft when tightened thus applying compressive stress nearly uniformly on the circumference of the shaft.

Two-piece clamp-style collars have an additional advantage since they can be installed on the shaft without removing other components.

Ruland uses forged socket hardware in all its shaft collars, which allows for higher screw torque and increased holding power.

Shaft collars are part of Ruland's complete product line which also includes rigid couplings with precision honed bores and five types of zero-backlash motion control couplings: beam couplings, bellows couplings, oldham couplings, miniature disc couplings and curved jaw couplings.

Expanded range of high capacity screwjacks

WMH Transmissions has recently expanded the range of high capacity screwjacks in stock
WMH Transmissions has recently expanded the range of high capacity screwjacks stocked at its Midlands based UK Headquarters. We have done this to ensure we continue to be one of the UK's leading suppliers of Power Transmission products. With our ever-expanding international customer base we have decided the way to continue with an extremely high level of customer satisfaction, is to maintain a stock of components that very few others can match, but also to ensure that these parts are of the very highest quality available.

We stock our range of high precision German screwjacks in component form, this enables us to produce virtually any length of stroke that a customer may require, this includes either traveling screw or traveling nut.

With our in-house leadscrew manufacture, and the recent expansion of our manufacturing capacity (which has been increased to specifically develop our trapezoidal leadscrew and nut production), we are able to offer an extremely fast turn round on our ex-stock screwjacks.

We recently supplied a complete screwjack with an extended stroke as an alternative to another manufacturer who was quoting 6 weeks.

It was assembled in less than two hours, from the time the customer arrived at our doorstep, to the time he left an extremely happy man.

RCV to showcase innovative UAV engine design

RCV Engines will exhibit a prototype multi-fuel, compact and high power-to-weight ratio engine which aims to deliver key benefits for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) applications.
Already the subject of discussions with a number of potential aerospace customers, RCV is seeking additional partners interested in developing UAV power units based on this highly promising engine technology. Based on the company's patented Rotating Cylinder Valve (RCV) engine technology, the new engine design to be unveiled at Farnborough has been developed based on the specific needs of UAV applications for reliability, performance, light-weight construction and compact packaging.

It is capable of multi-fuel operation being already well-proven on gasoline, methanol, diesel and JP8 fuels, and considered feasible for development to operate on JP10 and Jet A.

The engine is based on a 2-cylinder 'boxer' configuration of up to 60cc with higher capacities possible in radial configuration.

The high specific power achievable through RCV technology has been shown to deliver in excess of 100hp/litre across a range of gasoline applications.

Prototype testing of the UAV concept has also demonstrated highly competitive performance, fuel consumption and cold-start capabilities on JP8 fuel.

RCV engine technology is already well proven in a wide range of applications.

To date the company has sold some 10,000 engines for model aircraft applications of up to 20cc capacity and is active in the development of engines for forest and garden and motorcycle and scooter applications up to 125cc capacity.

Commenting on the exhibition of the new UAV engine design at Farnborough, RCV Engines managing director, Eric Hill said: 'We are pleased to be able to display our new UAV engine concept at Farnborough'.

'This UAV power unit draws upon the unique benefits of performance, economy and multi-fuel tolerance of RCV technology'.

'We are already working with a number of aerospace partners but remain enthusiastic to seek out new opportunities for this highly promising engine technology'

Custom gears keep compressor going offshore

David Brown showed that it can bring its unique brand of service to the offshore industry in a critical contract for Kerr McGee.
It manufactured a custom-designed set of high speed gears for a competitor's gearbox which drives a vital compressor, in order to meet the installation schedule during a planned shutdown of the North Sea oil rig. To prepare for the onerous task of installation, two David Brown service engineers underwent offshore safety training involving simulated helicopter crashes into the sea while manufacture went ahead.

The manufacture of the gears was completed on time enabling the project to proceed to the installation stage which involved nearly a hundred site engineers from a number of partner companies.

The rig outage, which included the gear installation, was completed on time with David Brown's Adam Penrose-Bottom being named as Man of the Shutdown in a very complimentary letter from Kerr McGee.

Both David Brown men displayed 100% commitment during severe adverse weather conditions and took ownership of the project to get it completed on time.

Teamwork accelerates gearbox replacement

Pete Jackson of Jackson Power Transmissions was delighted with Flender's fast-track supply service for larger gear units when his customer, a Midlands quarry, suffered a gearbox breakdown in May.
Jackson Power contacted Flender on a Monday evening, and within 36 hours two Flender FZG size 6 units had been built and delivered to site. Had the customer opted for straight replacements of its existing obsolete gearboxes, there would have been a three-week lead time.

The new Flender gear units had to be designed and retrofitted into place by Jackson Power engineers, but the fast build and delivery time from Flender's Bradford factory meant the quarry, which produces tar and asphalt, was back up and running with a major 160-tonne order within five days of the original phone call.

The two Flender units had ratios of 25:1 and torque capacities of 15,500Nm.

Jackson commented that he had specified Flender FZG units before and particularly liked the latest split case designs, which enabled better access for maintenance in situ.

For Flender, Distribution Manager (UK and Ireland) Paul Dudley described the order as a great example of successful teamwork between Flender and Jackson Power

Couplings add flexibility to custom linear systems

The three-part sliding disc Oldham coupling is typically recommended by LinTech for applications that involve high acceleration and the starting and stopping of high inertial loads.
The design and manufacture of customised linear positioning systems on short lead times is key to LinTech's success. This California-based company offers an exceptionally wide range of options enabling its customers to create the optimum system for the job. To compensate for misalignment between the motor shaft and screw (or belt) drive shaft extension LinTech's product programme includes the choice of three different coupling types.

The middle option is especially apposite to LinTech's policy as it too can be tailored to suit the specific needs of the application.

This flexibility is provided by the Oldham Series couplings, which are manufactured and supplied by Huco Dynatork.

This British manufacturer of precision drive products was the first to employ the sliding coupling designed by the 19th century engineer, John Oldham, for locomotive applications.

It introduced a plastic torque disc to achieve zero backlash and applied the principle to modern precision drives.

The Oldham coupling has been central to the Huco product programme since the mid 1980s.

The three-part sliding disc Oldham coupling is typically recommended by LinTech for applications that involve high acceleration and the starting and stopping of high inertial loads.

Naturally it is supplied in a choice of diameter and length sizes and with bore diameters to accommodate various NEMA and metric motor shafts.

However, it is the choice of hub styles and disc materials associated with this coupling that has particular appeal for LinTech.

The hubs determine the method of installation and shaft attachment and the discs, the quality of motion.

The Oldham is precision engineered throughout and comprises two hubs with inward facing tenons.

These engage with matching slots spaced at 90 degrees in a central lightweight torque disc.

As the coupling rotates, the disc compensates for any parallel shaft offset by sliding the commensurate distance along each tenon in turn.

A hard, low friction facing on the working surface guarantees long, trouble-free operation.

Quality of motion is a function of the carefully controlled relationship between the tenons and the torque disc.

The disc is precision moulded from high grade engineering polymers and, being easily replaced at low cost, is the sacrificial element in the drive train.

A choice of torque discs is available including those resistant to radiation and heat.

If severely overloaded the torque disc will break, acting as a mechanical fuse, thereby protecting associated equipment from damage.

A replacement torque disc quickly restores the drive without the need to dismantle the drive system.

'We like the flexibility of mixing and matching different bore hubs to create a total coupling for an application', explains Gary Wester, Vice President of Sales.

'And we favour standard nylon torque disc that provides a nice degree of system damping between the motor output vibrations and the input shaft on our positioning slide'.

This ability to fine-tune the component to the exact performance requirements of the application has earned LinTech a substantial customer base.

Its systems are used in a broad variety of general automation applications but particularly for precise positioning in the medical, automotive and packaging sectors.

Khurana takes novel engine to Indian market

Advanced engine technology provider RCV Engines has appointed Bhim S Khurana as its representative in India.
This key appointment is intended to further support the application of the company's high performance, low emissions and low cost rotating cylinder valve (RCV) technology for Indian engine manufacturers. Bhim Khurana joins RCV Engines from automotive parts manufacturer Federal Mogul Corporation where until recently he held the position of technical advisor.

Following early training in the UK his career to date spans over 35 years and has included a wide range of automotive technical and business development appointments.

Khurana's skills and experience will be of use to RCV Engines in promoting new applications of its patented rotating cylinder valve engine technology.

This will be particularly important for motorcycle and scooter manufacturers, an area in which India boasts one of the world's largest markets.

RCV technology has proved to be particularly beneficial in two-wheeler applications, as demonstrated by the highly promising performance results published earlier this year for the 125cm3 RCV scooter engine developed for Motive Power Industry of Taiwan (which markets its scooter products under the PGO brand).

Khurana will become the primary point of contact with RCV Engines for Indian OEMs and component suppliers.

With his considerable knowledge of the market he is ideally placed to understand the requirements of Indian manufacturers and his input will be invaluable in facilitating license opportunities for RCV Engines in India.

Commenting on the appointment of Bhim Khurana, Eric Hill, RCV Engines Managing Director, said: 'I am pleased to welcome Bhim Khurana to the RCV Engines team and look forward to the contribution he will make in developing opportunities within the Indian market'.

'Our technology is particularly suited to high volume production two-wheelers with its competitive performance and manufacturing advantages'.

'This appointment underscores our commitment to the Indian market and to the development of an infrastructure for licensing our technology in the world's leading two-wheeler markets'.

Hybrid provides step change in CO2 emissions

The Efficient-C collaborative research project has successfully met the UK Department for Transport's Ultra Low Carbon Car Challenge.
Ricardo, QinetiQ and PSA Peugeot Citroen have revealed the results of the Efficient-C collaborative research project which has successfully met the UK Department for Transport's Ultra Low Carbon Car Challenge. The two year Efficient-C programme has culminated in the delivery of a full-hybrid diesel demonstrator vehicle emitting just 99g/km CO2 (equivalent to 3.75 litre per 100km or over 75 miles per gallon) based on a fully featured Citroen Berlingo Multispace family car. This is a significant leap forward of 30% improvement in fuel economy and CO2 emissions when compared with the equivalent diesel production vehicle.

Furthermore the same diesel hybrid powertrain fitted in a C-segment five-door saloon would only emit 90g tank-to-wheel CO2.

The five-door Euro IV compliant Efficient-C demonstrator meets all the expected performance, comfort and safety levels for today's market and comprises the following integrated technologies: a highly fuel-efficient PSA Peugeot Citroen 1.6 litre HDi, turbo-charged and intercooled common rail diesel engine; a compact 23kW 288V DC electric motor mounted between the engine and the transmission, providing up to 130Nm electrical torque assist, efficient electrical power generation, regenerative braking and full electric vehicle (zero emissions) operation at low speed; a five-speed automated manual transmission delivering cost-effective automatic functionality; and an advanced 288V lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery pack and battery management system to monitor state-of-charge, cell temperature and cell voltage balance.

Supporting systems include a low-temperature cooling circuit to protect the electric motor and power electronics, an electrohydraulic power assisted steering system, electrically powered air conditioning and a touch-screen driver display.

The advanced supervisory control system is based on the Ricardo rCube prototype controller to co-ordinate the many vehicle systems to meet driver demands while optimising fuel economy.

Dave Greenwood, Ricardo Chief Engineer and Efficient-C Project Leader, commented: 'The Efficient-C project has highlighted a range of future technologies which are capable of delivering ultra-low CO2 without compromising vehicle function and performance'.

'The project team is proud to have successfully met the UK Government's Ultra Low Carbon Car Challenge'.

Alain Klein, Director of Hybrid Vehicles Development, at PSA Peugeot Citroen, said: 'We are delighted with the results from this research project which demonstrates the potential for a step change in CO2 emissions reduction with a diesel parallel hybrid'.

'The challenge now is for the motor industry and its suppliers to achieve the cost reductions required for the mass production of diesel hybrids to be considered'.

Sugar mills order replacement turbine rotors

Sudanese Sugar has chosen Peter Brotherhood to supply four replacement steam turbine rotors to the Assalaya and Sennar Sugar Mills in Sudan.
Sudanese Sugar has chosen UK engineering company Peter Brotherhood to supply four replacement steam turbine rotors to the Assalaya and Sennar Sugar Mills in Sudan. The rotors are from existing Peter Brotherhood steam turbines which have been running in waste-to-energy systems installed at the mills thirty years ago. The company has a good relationship with Sudanese Sugar having worked with the company on several sugar mill projects.

With associated services, this latest order is worth almost GBP 800,000.

The rotors will be delivered to the mills during September and October 2006.

Peter Brotherhood specialises in the design and manufacture of steam turbines in the range 1 to 40MW.

The company won the contract because of its extensive experience in the cane sugar industry.

It has been working in this industry for over 50 years and has over 500 turbines installed worldwide.

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.

Couplings combine stiffness with low inertia

Couplings feature zero backlash and even higher torsional stiffness required in today's demanding servomotor applications with high reverse loads and precision positioning requirements.
The latest generation of ServoClass couplings from Zero-Max feature zero backlash and even higher torsional stiffness required in today's demanding servomotor applications with high reverse loads and precision positioning requirements. Manufactured from RoHS compliant materials, and containing no banned substances, the new ServoClass couplings are designed with 304 stainless steel disc packs and 7075-T6 aluminium hubs and centre members. Their design provides high torsional stiffness with low inertia to avoid system resonance in all types of servo systems.

ServoClass couplings handle system speeds up to 10,000rev/min and have a torque rating range from 0.5 to 60Nm.

A system designer can select from 16 sizes and from combinations of inch and metric hub bore sizes to meet exacting servo drive requirements.

All models and sizes feature clamp style mounting hubs with recessed, corrosion resistant clamping bolts.

As the application cycle times become faster, the wind up in beam couplings or the fragile nature of the bellows couplings become more of a serious problem.

The robust design of the Zero-Max ServoClass coupling performs reliably in precision high-speed servo applications.

Zero-Max ServoClass couplings are ideal for use in most high precision applications including packaging machines, pick and place systems, printing machinery, machine tools and most systems using servomotors.

An all new, free eight-page brochure is available that includes complete selection information for ordering and a CD ROM with the Zero-Max ServoClass sizing and selection software included.

The CD ROM gives the designer the ServoClass catalogue in PDF format, a comprehensive sizing and selection program and 3D CAD drawings for all of the couplings.

Right-angle gearhead is a powerful reducer

The SPK+ right-angle gearhead combines the best of two Alpha product families: the top selling SP+ planetary gearhead and the SK+ right-angle gearhead unveiled last year.
In today's world where the intensity of economic change is greater than ever, innovation has become not so much a sought-after key to exclusivity as a simple precondition of a company's survival. Globalisation, copying, volatile raw materials markets and added financial pressures are just a few of the factors which pose a multitude of risks.

At the same time, the rapid pace of development in industry and science generates a steady stream of new innovation opportunities.

For the machine building sector this means new challenges with regard to productivity, end product quality, plant availability and engineering flexibility.

The urgent need for innovation remains unbroken in all these areas, with the design of the machine's drive train frequently playing a vital role.

Since precision and productivity are often constrained by the selected gearhead and motor, improvements to these and other drive components have a significant impact on the machine as a whole - and consequently on their value for users.

SPK+, a new right-angle gearhead for applications with high reduction ratios and torques, is Alpha's response to this trend.

The SPK+ combines the best of two Alpha product families: the top selling SP+ planetary gearhead ('the new generation') and the SK+ right-angle gearhead unveiled last year.

This alliance promises unprecedented performance in an integrated package crammed with practical new features.

The SPK+ is more compact, lighter and more economical than conventional bevel planetary gearboxes, which were never well suited for many important applications.

It achieves higher reduction ratios than other right-angle gearheads with the same number of stages.

Not only is it more powerful, it is also more economical.

In particular, handling tasks - often necessitating a reduction ratio of i=30 to i=40 - now profit from the superior performance of a planetary gearhead from Alpha.

compared with low-backlash worm gearheads, the next smaller size usually suffices.

The output stage assures impeccable positioning accuracy and perfect synchronism - both lasting a lifetime thanks to the fatigue-resisting design of the Alpha hypoid and planetary gearsets.

Its weight is only a third that of low-backlash worm gearheads with similar power transmission - an immense advantage for handling robots and loading/unloading machines with moving drives.

It has a low noise level, courtesy of the smooth-running hypoid gearset on the input and the optimised helical teeth in the SP+.

On the output side, SPK+ is characterised by significantly lower noise emissions than conventional designs.

There are options of i=16 and i=32 for applications like endless positioning, where binary reduction ratios are a must.

A host of solutions featuring SPK+, the SK+ right-angle gearhead, Alpha's high-precision rack-and-pinion system, TK+ and several further products can be implemented for the seventh axis of industrial robots or other additional axes in robotics applications.

cymex 3, the sizing software developed by Alpha, calculates the complete drive unit.

cymex 3, the most advanced servo gear sizing software in the world, has now been extended to include the new SPK+.

It works out all possible solutions to specific drive problems and allows the design to be varied by choosing from thousands of parameter settings.

This enormous versatility is attributable partly to the diversity of the gearhead and accessory solutions (pinions, racks etc) and partly to the fact that cymex 3 also optimises the motor selection process.

The SPK+ comes in four sizes with acceleration torques from 80 to 1100Nm (with 1000 cycles per hour) and 11 reduction ratios from i=12 to i=100.

The torsional backlash is between 2 and 6arc-min, depending on the version (with a deflecting torque equivalent to 2% of T2B).

Thanks to the universal Alpha motor mounting system, all popular servomotor types can be easily mounted.

The gearhead output is compatible with SP+, the de facto industry standard.

And the SPK+ is usually dispatched within one to two weeks.

Technical support and customer service are available worldwide through Alpha's own sales companies and agents.

Universal joints for harsh environments

Belden's standard stainless steel universal joints have AISI 303 stainless steel yokes and AISI 416 steel pins and blocks to provide higher strength and improved wear resistance.
Harsh environments call for corrosion-resistant materials. Some environments, for example in marine or underwater applications, require machines and components with an exceptionally high resistance to corrosive elements. Belden's standard stainless steel universal joints have AISI 303 stainless steel yokes and AISI 416 steel pins and blocks to provide higher strength and improved wear resistance.

Standard single joints can be modified with a variety of stainless steel grades, including 304, 316, 17-4 and 15-5, to meet specific applications' requirements.

Diameters range from 13 mm to 153 mm with a standard operating angle of 35 degrees.

From underwater oil field equipment to drinking water conveying systems and food processing applications, Belden's universal joints and complete shaft assemblies are available in a variety of stainless steel grades and with various hub configurations, lubricants and additional protective measures, such as boots, for use in a wide range of applications in even the most corrosive environments.

Cam followers form expanding range

A range of cam followers are part of the shafts and bearings range available from mechanical drive components specialist Ondrives of Chesterfield.
There is a standard sealed version with 3-30mm stud diameter with many of the popular sizes available off the shelf. Customers can choose from either a crowned or cylindrical outer ring according to their specifications.

There are also miniature cam followers available, the sizes available being 2-6mm stud diameter.

New for 2006 is a range of thrust disc type cam followers with a hexagon hole in stud diameters from 3-5mm, and these are available in either carbon steel or stainless steel, shielded or sealed.

Solid eccentric stud type cam followers in a sealed version are ever popular as they range from sizes 6-18mm covering a wide variety of applications and problem solving projects.

Stainless steel cam followers are also available for clean-room or food preparation environments where hygiene is a must.

Easy mounting and heavy duty type cams complete this range to offer customers a wide choice whatever their application or budget.

Planetary gearheads promise true value

ValueTrue is a reliable, value-priced extension to Danaher Motion's family of Micron True planetary gearheads - with over 1000 size and ratio combinations.
Danaher Motion introduces Micron ValueTrue planetary gearheads. ValueTrue is a reliable, value-priced extension to Danaher Motion's family of Micron True planetary gearheads - with over 1000 size and ratio combinations, the largest selection of planetary gearheads worldwide. They offer simple drop-in replacement for most common helical gearheads at up to 30% less cost than comparable gearhead technology.

ValueTrue provides precise operation with just 4arc-min of backlash.

They are available in eight frame sizes from 60 to 200mm, with inline and right-angle configurations.

Additionally, they are RediMount compliant for mounting to any motor in three easy steps - simply align, mount and tighten.

ValueTrue gearheads are lubricated for life and require no maintenance and feature a stainless steel output housing that provides the durability required in harsh application environments.

Customised gearbox aids extraterrestrial search

Cone Drive enlisted the help of sister company David Brown to upgrade the shutter motion of the world's largest optical and infra-red telescope.
The second stage of an upgrade project has seen Cone Drive working with Dangel Robots and Machinery to provide another specialist solution for the world famous WM Keck Observatory at the summit of Hawaii's Mauna Kea. Cone Drive had already been involved in a successful project to replace exterior mounted worm boxes in 2004 and this time returned with additional expertise provided by its sister company David Brown to upgrade the shutter motion of the world's largest optical and infra-red telescope. The latest stage of the project involved installation of new drives for the two massive shutters on the dome that encloses the Keck I telescope.

The upper and lower shutters weigh around 47 and 23 tonnes, respectively.

Central drive motors were replaced with synchronised drives on each side of the shutters.

Cone Drive and David Brown - both Textron companies - worked together to provide custom gearbox input and output shafting to match the drive train requirement and simplify the installation which was an onerous task given the telescope's location at 4300m elevation and the requirement to complete the work during a scheduled shutdown.

It was critical to minimise the length of the shutdown required to perform this work in order to avoid losing valuable observing time.

Dangel Robots was engaged to assist with the drive train design and provide the motion control system and software.

The new motion control system incorporates a number of unique features not available previously.

The most significant operational improvements are the ability to use the shutters to track the vertical motion of the telescope to minimise the effect of wind buffeting, and faster shutter speed to close up quickly if the weather turns bad.

Other new capabilities are to move the shutters together with a minimum gap for daytime maintenance, to independently operate the left and right side drives for alignment, and to control shutter speed during portions of the move profile.

For the power transmission, Dangel Robots specified a David Brown G14 right angle bevel-helical gearbox to combine the functions of both the original mitre and helical reduction boxes.

A motor bracket was designed to mount both the motor and the G14 gearbox using some of the existing holes in the shutter frame to ensure the drive train output alignment.

The close working relationship between Cone Drive and David Brown provided custom gearbox input and output shafting to match up the drive train requirement.

This drop-in solution greatly simplified installation on the shutter.

Dangel Robots built a custom enclosure for the motion controller, 40hp inverter drives and drive components to fit inside the curvature of the dome.

Dangel Robots also created a twentieth-scale model of the shutters with 1hp motors to test the motion control electronic components and the software.

The mechanical model and motion control system were interfaced to the Keck telescope operating computer to test all of the motion control functions prior to installation on the actual dome.

Keck Observatory personnel installed the new drive train hardware and control system during a shutdown in the late summer of 2005.

Installation went smoothly and was completed on time.

Shutter motion is faster, smoother and quieter than it was with the old power transmission.

The Keck I telescope is one of two operated by the California Association for Research in Astronomy at the summit of Mauna Kea.

Each telescope stands eight storeys tall and weighs 300 tonnes, yet operates with nanometre precision, probing the deepest regions of the universe.

The dome and shutters for the Keck II telescope were originally built using Cone gearboxes in 1995 and they are still performing today.

Cone Drive provided a 'drop in' solution to replace the reducers on the shutters for the Keck I telescope that was built in 1991.

The original reducers were undersized and causing maintenance problems.

Seal leaks were of special concern because of the low temperatures and dry air at such high altitude.

The observatory presents obvious maintenance problems and the aim was to find a replacement reducer that would require minimum modification at the summit, and which offered an increased service factor and improved seal arrangement.

For the final stage of the project four David Brown G14 gearboxes with a ratio of 41.6:1 were added to the 14 previously installed Cone custom 8.000in centre distance HP double enveloping worm reducer units with a special ratio of 9.75:1.

Modified shafting, housings, mounting flanges and keeper plates were provided to mount the gearboxes and connect them together.

The gearboxes incorporate taconite seal arrangements on both input and output shafts.

Oil expansion chambers were supplied to provide sealed units since the gearboxes change attitude as the shutters move up and down over the dome.

Gearboxes drop in for speedy upgrade

Tarmac's Buxton Lime Quarry has replaced the gearboxes on its wash drums with the minimum of modification, thereby speeding up the installation and limiting production downtime.
A recent order for David Brown Series G units has enabled Tarmac's Buxton Lime Quarry to replace the gearboxes on its No 3 wash drums with the minimum of modification, thereby speeding up the installation and limiting production downtime. A combination of ready product availability and expert technical assistance from David Brown gave the quarry the confidence to undertake the important work with a minimum of disturbance. As a trusted supplier to the quarry over the years - more than 100 David Brown gearboxes are currently operating on the site - David Brown was approached to suggest possible replacements for existing gearboxes manufactured by a competitor and put forward its Series G as the best solution.

Aiming to get as close as possible to a 'drop-in' solution, David Brown's sales team liaised closely with the quarry, inspecting the installation and providing detailed drawings and advice necessary to enable the work to be carried out.

The standard gearboxes were customised to feature specially-shortened output shafts and needed only redrilling of the base plate and the use of packing plates to raise the shaft centres to the correct height.

The installation work took a total of 16 hours, and a further gearbox is being kept on site as a strategic spare.

The twin wash drums, motors and drives, which process a total of 2.5 million tonnes of material per annum, were supplied some years ago as a package and came already fitted with a competitor's gearboxes.

As these gearboxes approached the end of their working lives a quote was obtained for their substitution on a 'like-for-like' basis but by this stage the model had gone out of normal production and was prohibitively expensive, with a significant delay in availability, and an 'equivalent' product in the competitor's range would have required too much modification to be practical - hence the attraction of the David Brown solution.

The washing plant at Tarmac's Buxton Lime Plant produces hydrated limes used for a soda ash process in Cheshire and for flue gas desulphurisation at three power stations in the East Midlands.

Series G gearboxes are offered in seven sizes from 11 to 130kNm output torque, with a ratio coverage of 6:3:1 to 315:1.

Designed to meet the requirements of applications including bulk handling, mixing, water treatment, cooling towers and conveyor drives, Series G units can be specified in parallel shaft helical and right angle shaft bevel/helical units in double, triple and quadruple reduction gear stages.

Modular design and construction, a high degree of interchangeability of parts and subassemblies, and a universally machined, horizontally split casing has created a family of speed reducing gear units that can be quickly manufactured and is simple to maintain with significant delivery and cost benefits for customers.

The innovative modular construction of the inherently reliable Series G units minimises part count to maximise availability of product.

Fewer than 160 major components meet 10,000 drive solutions.

In many cases units can be ordered and delivered within days compared with a typical schedule of over 6 weeks for a comparable competitor unit.

This not only produces a radical reduction in potential down-time of vital plant, but also enables end-users to reduce stock levels.

Strength and efficiency are maximised, while noise and vibration are kept to a minimum by case hardened and ground helical gears, and hard finished spiral bevel gears.

For extended, efficient life, oil is kept where it belongs by the patented end cover, which improves bearing lubrication and allows a 30% improvement in thermal capacity.

Distributor takes clutches and couplings to Spain

Renold Clutches and Couplings has gone into partnership with Spanish distributor USA Brammer, a sister company to BSL Brammer in the UK.
Renold Clutches and Couplings of Cardiff has gone into partnership with Spanish distributor USA Brammer, a sister company to BSL Brammer in the UK. The Spanish distributor will stock Renold's range of interchangeable trapped roller and sprag clutch freewheels to provide an off-the-shelf service to engineers throughout Spain. Martin Slade, Renold Clutches and Couplings' Sales Director said: 'We are delighted with this new agreement with another distributorship within the Brammer group'.

'Spain is an important country for us and we know that USA Brammer will provide the best possible service for our customers there'.

Renold recently announced that its entire range of trapped roller and sprag clutch freewheels is interchangeable with those of other leading American and European manufacturers such as Formsprag, Stieber, Ringspann and Cross and Morse.

Gearboxes drop in to upgrade mill capacity

David Brown Engineering has supplied five large gearboxes and pinions to JSW Steel in India in the first stage of a major upgrading of the company's hot strip mill facilities completed during April and May 2006. This initial project will increase capacity by 40% and other planned improvements are designed to progressively double throughput at the facilities. The plant near Bellary in the province of Karnataka has six finishing mills with 5000hp motors and these motors have been upgraded to 7000hp.

The replacement gearboxes and pinions from David Brown Engineering have the same footprint and critical dimensions as the existing ones, enabling a 'drop-in' solution.

This caused the minimum disruption to production when they were installed together with new motors as well as obviating the main obstacle to upgrading given that reorganisation of the mill equipment layout invariably involves monumental cost and long term disruption.

Close co-operation between JSW Steel and David Brown and all the partners in the project has been the hallmark of the operation and experts from the engineering company made a number of visits to the plant to discuss the project, offer technical advise, take measurements and work in conjunction with other major suppliers who were involved in motors and couplings and in overall consultancy.

In fact representatives of David Brown Engineering visited the plant to take measurements and plan for the project five times in conjunction with the other three partners in the project: main contractor VAI (UK), motor manufacturer Siemens, Germany and couplings producer Maina, Italy.

A good example of the spirit of co-operation that characterises the project was the fitting of couplings before dispatch of the gearboxes from Huddersfield.

In the original plan the Italian-built Maina couplings would have been fitted on site in India, but it was judged that critical installation time could be reduced on site by first shipping the couplings to the UK.

Furthermore David Brown Engineering supplied services of commissioning engineering, flying out to India to supervise the installation of the gearboxes, and in the run-up to the operation team meetings are being held at VAI offices in Sheffield.

The installation took place in one planned 5 week shutdown with the actual installation performed by JSW Steel.

VAI and Siemens were also present to oversee the installation of the motors.

The existing plant was purchased in its entirety from the United States a decade ago and the gearboxes were reaching the end of their natural life.

The plant, in the remote province of Karnataka in southern India, is part of the JSW Group, in turn part of India's fourth largest business conglomerate, the Jindal Organisation with interests in mining, carbon steel, stainless steel, power and oxygen and currently valued at US $4 billion.

The group was founded in 1964 by OP Jindal who from humble beginnings, rose to become one of India's leading industrialists and founded a steel making dynasty of world importance.

This particular step in investment and expansion is seen as a major opportunity for the group against the current backdrop of a world steel shortage.

On-site services solve tricky problems

Manoeuvring a 3m-diameter 23t gear for Blue Circle Southern in Australia is just one example of the resourcefulness regularly shown by David Brown's on-site services team.Overcoming extremely limited clearances while manoeuvring a 3m-diameter 23t gear for Blue Circle Southern in Australia is just one example of the resourcefulness regularly shown by David Brown's on-site services team. In this case a special cradle was constructed under David Brown's guidance and the gear was transferred into place on rails. The cement mill gearbox operated by Australia's major cement producer had suffered a bearing failure and the resulting debris caused significant damage to the slow speed dual drive double helical pinions and gear teeth.

Engineers from David Brown attended the site to make repairs and allow continued production, at a reduced rate of 75% of full capacity, while the replacement gear and pinions could be manufactured by David Brown Australia.

In the interim there was close liaison with the client to plan the gear set replacement method and keep downtime to a minimum.

Production resumed at 100% following installation of the new gear set in 2004.

An inspection carried out in 2005, following 12 months of full production, showed exceptional tooth contact patterns and an absence of tooth wear, giving the overall refurbishment project a double 'thumbs up'.

The contract underlines the scope of David Brown's on-site services in a market which is increasingly driven by service as well as product excellence.

The team that worked on the project is just part of David Brown's fully qualified field service engineer resource which is available in most key geographies to provide a number of key services from performance testing, fault diagnostics through to installation/commissioning, alignment checks and emergency repairs.

Recognising the importance of preventative maintenance, the company also boasts a range of applications knowledge, gained through close long-term customer partnerships in many heavy process industries, to offer performance improvements to transmissions and other rotating equipment.

Using appropriate condition monitoring and analysis techniques, David Brown is able to pin point critical process issues and recommend courses of action to substantially reduce the associated risks.

David Brown's deep knowledge of transmissions and other rotating equipment, combined with its close geographic proximity, means it is well positioned to respond rapidly to its customers' needs, seeking to identify and predict issues, and offering solutions to improve their process performance.

Service engineers are also available to install and inspect transmissions and other rotating equipment throughout the world and David Brown provides installation services and alignment checks that cover everything from a simple equipment installation to a complete drive system installation.

To ensure a proper startup of the equipment, David Brown service engineers can also provide its customers with inspection services and advice on project managing installations.

Finally, experienced service engineers, using modern equipment and leading technology, provide repair services at the site to restore or enhance performance of transmissions or other rotating equipment.

The services range from emergency repairs, as in Australia, to repairs of equipment during planned shutdowns.

Repair services cover all transmissions used in a variety of heavy process industries, from metals processing through to mining and cement manufacture.

Universal joints need no tools for maintenance

Abssac continues to expand its rotary product portfolio by teaming up with Curtis Universal of the USA and its unique range of Curtis TakeApart universal joints. Universal joint applications by design normally require two shafts not in line with each other limited freedom of movement in any direction while transmitting rotary motion. Where Curtis excels is in the design and assistance developing a universal joint application to achieve a cost effective transmission solution, applying more than 75 years of universal joint experience.

The company can incorporate different types of end attachment as well as allowing telescopic action during rotation into the design.

The universal joints are machined, not cast, which enables high tensile strength and outstanding reliability but also lends itself perfectly for unique transmission designs.

As standard all universal joints are available in alloy steel, stainless steel, however many applications have been developed using nonstandard materials such as titanium and Monel alloys.

We are also familiar with dealing with different heat and surface treatments to achieve a desired hardness or corrosion resistance.

The basic universal joint uses a single joint configuration which can accept up to 35 degrees of angular misalignment.

Where more angular flexibility is required, the double joint design can accept up to 70 degrees of shaft misalignment.

For applications such as marine, which require unusually high noncorrosion standards, Curtis can supply universal joints in stainless steel, bronze, naval brass, aluminium-bronze, nickel-aluminium-bronze and Monel alloy.

Uniquely, the standard ranges can incorporate the Curtis TakeApart design, which allows the disassembly and reassembly of the universal joint without the use of special tools and replacement of component parts.

This feature enables the end user to machine the hubs to fit the mating shaft if a standard bore does not.

In addition to this, easier access to other components in a drive line can be achieved by being able to quickly and easily disassemble the joint after it has been installed in the application.

Gear motors offer cost-effective alternative

The Watt Drive Company situated close to Vienna in Austria has been producing a quality range of gear motors for nearly 30 years.
The Watt Drive Company situated close to Vienna in Austria has been producing a quality range of gear motors for nearly 30 years. The products include a very robust range of helical worm motor gearbox product up to 7.5kW and then increasing in size using the bevel helical and Inline gearboxes suitable for motor power up to 90kW. The Watt Drive product is fully complemented by the Watt Drive multivoltage energy-efficient EUSAS motor and is suitable for operation with a range of electronic soft start and inverter controls.

All units can be fitted with brakes, backstops, forced cooling, encoders and many other options.

Available in the UK from Drummotors and More, the Watt Drive product range is complete, the quality second to none and the service first class.

The company reckons the Watt Drive product is a genuine cost effective alternative to other quality gearboxes on the market.

Support is key in gear supply

Reliance reckons it is not just another catalogue supplier of gears and associated components.
For 50 years Reliance has been well known for supplying precision fine pitch gears for instrumentation and light actuation, but the company reckons it is not just another catalogue supplier of gears and associated components. Reliance consists of Reliance Precision (formerly Reliance Gear Company ) and its sister company Reliance Precision Mechatronics. Formed in 2005 to distribute Reliance's standard product range, Reliance Precision Mechatronics offers small quantities at stock prices for cost effective prototype development.

To complete the customer service package the company can also: predict the performance of its standard components in a customer's application; specify associated components for a customer's design; modify standard components to suit a customer's requirements; and offer unique solutions from proven concepts.

A team of dedicated mechatronic design engineers is on hand to support customer design requirements and develop turnkey mechatronic solutions.

Reliance Precision offers in-house design, manufacture, assembly and test all under one roof.

With dedicated manufacturing facilities the company can supply production quantities of customised components and, in many cases, provide full assembly support to its customers including: design for manufacture; weight critical design and analysis; safety critical design and analysis; prototype manufacture; life validation testing; and repair service and obsolescence management.

Quality assured to BS EN ISO9001:2000 and the aerospace standard AS 9100 Revision B, Reliance is committed to providing the highest quality in terms of both manufacture and service.

Reliance is certified to the environmental management standard BS EN ISO14001:2004

Bore reducers come in brass and aluminium

Brass and aluminium bore reducers are designed to fit into couplings where smaller bores are required quickly and easily.
Ondrives offers a range of brass and aluminium bore reducers designed to fit into couplings where smaller bores are required quickly and easily.

They start from 5mm O/D and go up to 28mm O/D, the smallest bore available being 2mm in brass and the largest 25.4mm in aluminium.

It should be noted that both concentricity and traction may be affected when using a bore reducer, so customers are advised to check their application carefully before use.