Customised coupling solutions for specific conditions

Restricted installation spaces, extreme universal displacement and misalignment requirements, specific safety-related considerations for vertical lifting equipment, additional axial forces of several thousand kN, or operation under specific pressure conditions – all these requirements place high demands on a bespoke coupling solution.

Our options for the technical implementation of your specific requirements are virtually unlimited. Below you will find examples of customised adaptations and specially tailored solutions based on the conditions relevant to your application.

They give food and drink products their appealing, brand-consistent appearance, or protect sensitive products during storage or dispatch: attractively designed, functional packaging or protective cartons made from paper, corrugated board or various laminates. High-productivity die-cutting processes – whether using rotary or flatbed technology – enable the manufacture of these packaging products with the highest precision and maximum die-cutting accuracy.
 

Case study:

Axial forces of up to 45.000 N

The compact Semiflex precision coupling, in a customised design, masters this demanding task involving a combination of high torques and axial forces. Given the specific installation conditions and technical requirements, the all-metal coupling is tailor-made for the plant system.

Semiflex

• Size NFF 10.16/2
• Rated torque 775 Nm
• Max. axial load 45.000 N
• Compact dimensions: outer diameter 152 mm, overall length 139 mm, flanged version

Rapeseed methyl ester is produced through the chemical reaction of rapeseed oil and methanol. This biofuel is manufactured in so-called transesterification plants. This process typically involves the use of heat exchangers, mixing vessels and phase separation equipment. A rotary blade agitator is used in the mixing or agitation station of such a process plant. 

Case study:

High universal displacement capacity combined with a compact design

High demands were placed on the shaft coupling to be used. The main requirements were media contact, compact dimensions, high force-free universal misalignment compensation – radially up to 10 mm, angularly up to 2° and axially up to 4 mm – as well as high torque transmission. A coupling solution specially designed for this purpose meets these requirements exactly. The coupling has an outer diameter of 215 mm and offers the required high universal misalignment capacity combined with a compact design.
Special spherical plain bearings are used in the coupling elements. As the coupling comes into contact with the process medium, the bearing pairing has been selected to suit the application – a combination of high-conductivity polymer and steel – to ensure not only resistance to the medium but also the corresponding maintenance-free operation. The coupling is designed as a friction-type clamping hub and has a rated torque of 3,000 Nm and a peak torque of 6,700 Nm. With an overall length of 104 mm – measured without the clamping sets – the coupling is very compact, making it ideal for confined installation spaces.

Omniflex

• Model RGF 10.21/2
• High power density: outer diameter 215 mm, overall length 104 mm, max. torque 6.700 Nm
• High universal misalignment compensation
  • Radial up to 10 mm
  • Angular up to 2°
  • Axial up to 4 mm

Automatic cutting systems for processing heavy workpieces such as aluminium sheets, solid timber or plasterboard and fibreboard into customised cuts are complex, high-end system solutions comprising a process-optimised combination of a wide variety of sawing and cross-cutting stations, as well as transport and storage systems. Thanks to automated workflows, combined with high feed speeds and flexibility, these systems ensure maximum productivity with perfect cut quality for the shaped materials.
In these systems, the feeding system plays a central role in the precise delivery of workpieces to the individual machining processes. Due to the very high weights of the materials to be processed, significant feed forces are the norm here.
 

Case study:

Linear coupling with high power density for axial forces of up to 60,000 N

For a complex cutting system with extreme requirements in terms of axial rigidity and the axial force to be transmitted, a heavy-duty version with a particularly high power density was developed. This linear coupling is fitted with special maintenance-free and extremely dimensionally stable plain bearings that can withstand very high static and dynamic loads. The coupling hubs and the respective inner ring are made of steel, whilst the coupling pins are made of stainless steel. Depending on the environmental conditions, the surface of the coupling is additionally chemically nickel-plated to provide corrosion protection.

Loewe GK Linear

• Model GK L 90
• Compact design and high power density: outer diameter 90 mm, overall length 129 mm, threaded connections on both ends
• Max. axial load 60.000 N
• Chemically nickel-plated steel
• Self-lubricating high-performance plain bearings, very high static and dynamic load-carrying capacity

The demands placed on an encoder coupling are high. It must operate precisely and with angular synchronisation; it should compensate for any misalignment that occurs with minimal restoring forces so as not to place excessive strain on the precision bearings of the transducers. 
Where customer-specific requirements become more complex and challenging, customised modifications to the Controlflex rotary encoder coupling enable it to be adapted to the respective application. These may include, for example, special installation scenarios or direct connection to the customer’s own components. Safety-related aspects and specific environmental conditions may also be requirements.

From puncture-resistant designs for vertical applications to split shafts for hollow-shaft encoders

Due to safety considerations, lifting equipment and stage technology place particular demands on machines and machine components. For rotary encoders and cam limit switches in these applications, special ‘fail-safe’ variants of the rotary encoder coupling – featuring an additional positive lock in the form of a keyway and a tamper-proof design with anti-rotation protection – provide the solution.
Axially fixed designs for withstanding light axial tensile and compressive forces or for special mounting requirements; coupling variants with various extended lengths for installation in specified mounting spaces; and versions with a spreader shaft, D-shaft or split clamping hub for radial installation and removal are further customer-specific designs of the rotary encoder coupling.

Controlflex

• Fail-Safe and puncture-resistant for vertical lifting equipment
• With expansion shaft for hollow-shaft encoders
• As a 1/3 coupling for maximum space-saving integration into existing customer components
• With D-shaft or radially mountable clamping hub in a half-shell design

Innovative cutting systems are used in production processes involving the processing of various web-like materials, including plastic films, aluminium foils and strips, specialised film laminates, packaging materials and paper, as well as nonwovens and label stock.
In the highly dynamic drive system of a cutting machine’s knife shaft, maximum accelerations and decelerations occurred. To meet the system’s high positioning accuracy requirements, the coupling to be used had to possess the appropriate torsional stiffness. A functionally induced twist in the blade shaft enables a clean cutting process. This adjustment movement results in high general displacements, which must be functionally accommodated by the torsionally rigid coupling.
 

Case study:

High power density, minimised mass inertia, high misalignment compensation: radially up to 15 mm, angularly up to 2°, axially up to 3 mm

The Omniflex RGF 10.18/2 coupling, specially developed for this purpose in a clamping hub design, met these demanding requirements exactly. The friction-lock hub variant was selected to cope with the maximum accelerations and decelerations. With an outer diameter of 180 mm and an overall length of 150 mm, the coupling is very compact, enabling the user to design a space-saving drive unit. Due to the highly dynamic drive, the coupling is made from high-strength aluminium to keep the moment of inertia low. In addition to the required angular misalignment capacity of up to 2°, the torsionally rigid coupling offers a radial misalignment capacity of up to 15 mm and an axial misalignment of up to 3 mm. The coupling’s rated torque is 2,300 Nm.

Omniflex

• Size RGF 10.18/2
• Compact design and power density: outer diameter 180 mm, overall length 104 mm (excluding clamping sets), maximum torque 5.000 Nm
• High misalignment compensation: radially up to 15 mm, angularly up to 2°, axially up to 3 mm
• High-strength aluminium

Coating surfaces, drying powdered substances or sensitive materials, and the production of synthetic minerals or gemstones under laboratory conditions – all these processes take place in vacuum chambers. They create an environment that would be unthinkable under normal ambient conditions. The sealed chambers and vacuum pumps are usually made of stainless steel. 

Precisely adapted to the vacuum conditions

For these applications, precision couplings from the Semiflex series and the Schmidt coupling are available in a specially adapted stainless steel version. All materials used are vacuum-compatible.

Schmidt coupling, Semiflex

• Size P 350, F 45, C 70
• Stainless steel 1.4305, 1.4301 or 1.4404 (depending on the vacuum level)
• Use of special, high-quality vacuum lubricants
• Alternatively, self-lubricating high-performance vacuum plain bearings with minimal outgassing properties

The aim here is to kill two birds with one stone: in applications where high radial and angular displacement is required whilst machine components must be electrically isolated from one another, this challenge can be met through the intelligent combination of two functional principles in the design. These requirements arise, for example, in fully automated end-of-line (EoL) test benches for electric motors, test systems with sensitive signal measurement technology, or in measurement set-ups that meticulously examine materials and components using acoustic scanning methods.

Case study:

High displacement capacity combined with electrical isolation

In one specific application, the Semiflex precision coupling – renowned for its high radial displacement capacity – is combined with a special disc pack made from a high-performance fibre composite material. This solution offers a high-performance package comprising high torque, high radial and angular displacement capacity, combined with the necessary electrical isolation.

Semiflex

• Size NFF 265.55
• High power density: outer diameter 100 mm, overall length 109 mm, max. torque 360 Nm, radial displacement of up to 7 mm, angular displacement of up to 4°
• Additional electrical insulation function