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.