R+W Product Showcase
Companies from a wide range of different industries globally use R+W couplings in an equally varied range of applications. In fact, it isn’t just global: R+W couplings are even being used off-planet – the International Space Station (ISS) uses custom-made safety couplings manufactured in Wörth.
Playing the role of “hidden champions”, R+W couplings ensure power transmission reliability. Not everyone is aware of their full range of applications, but everybody relies on them – from aviation to laboratory technology, from mining to railway technology, from wind turbines to water treatment plants!
As a provider of solutions to every industry, R+W’s portfolio includes innovative couplings for almost any application. Here are just a few of their best selling products.
Metal bellows blind mate couplings BK5
The BK5 model is the proven flagship of the metal bellows coupling range.
The appeal of metal bellows couplings lies in the maximum precision they deliver. They are used wherever positioning accuracy is a top priority: in medical devices, test stands, wind turbines or the highly dynamic servo axes installed in machine tools, wood processing or packaging machinery, and much more.
R+W offers metal bellows couplings in a wide range of different designs. They guarantee torque transmission ranging from 2 to 10,000 Nm. The BK5 model was developed in 1993, specifically to fill a gap in the existing market for a quick change blind mate precision bellow coupling:
“The BK5 was not an enhancement or a modification of existing models – we came up with something entirely new,” is what Managing Director Frank Kronmüller says about the invention that quickly came to be the trusted go-to by design engineers all over the world.
Elastomer couplings: EKL
The first elastomer couplings were launched on the market in 1999. Since then, their compact size, convenient press fit design and extremely high concentricity have delivered definite competitive advantages. The main advantages of elastomer couplings include vibration damping, zero-backlash transmission and electrical isolation.
Part of a wider group known as jaw couplings, the elastomer coupling features one key additional component as a centrepiece: an elastomer segment inserted between both hub halves.
This elastomer insert transmits torques ranging from 0.5 to 25,000 Nm at zero backlash and compensates for axial, lateral and angular shaft misalignments. It enhances the entire drive train and delivers damping capability, torsional rigidity and thermal stability. This damping capability is particularly important in systems and equipment that are subject to frequent impact, reversing, or vibratory loads.
The EKL model with clamping hub is a true all-rounder, suited to a wide range of applications.
Line shafts: Telescopic EZV
Simpler, faster and more cost-effective.
Many applications see the need to span large distances, for instance in conveyor and crane systems, production and paint lines, or in machine tools, packaging machinery or printing presses. This is where the EZV model deserves special mention: it demonstrates R+W’s power of innovation and market leadership – no other provider has line shafts of this kind in its portfolio.
Where intermediate support bearings previously had to be installed across these long distances, modern R+W line shafts have been bridging gaps of up to six metres since 1995, saving both time and money as far as assembly and maintenance are concerned.
The R+W portfolio features two types of these innovative, zero-backlash connectors: vibration-damping line shafts with elastomer inserts, and torsionally stiff line shafts, based on the proven metal bellows coupling.
Their special self-supporting designs enable them to span longer distances, compensate for axial, angular and parallel shaft misalignment, and transmit torque ranging from 10 to 25,000 Nm.
Safety couplings: SL
Safe, reliable lightweight designs: R+W’s mechanical safety couplings provide guaranteed reliable overload protection for drive components.
The SL couplings operate on the spring loaded, ball-detent principle and function as absolute emergency release units in machinery. Compared to other safety couplings based on compressed air, electronics or other technologies, the SL couplings offer easy handling, stable disengagement torque settings and an incomparably rapid overload reaction time of 3 to 5 milliseconds.
R+W’s safety couplings are extremely versatile, given their different sizes, functionalities and suitability for torques ranging from 0.1 to 450,000 Nm.
Suited to all applications in which compact size and weight play a key role, alongside safety of course. For example, in the aerospace industry where every gram counts and the highest standards of precision and reliability need to be met, the SL is the perfect (and commonly made) choice.
R+W has been developing lightweight safety couplings since 2010: these are the components used on board the International Space Station (ISS), thanks to the weight savings of up to 60 percent that they provide.
Safety coupling: SKH
Installation space in machinery is often restricted for design reasons – and therefore requires reliable, compact components. The issue of safety also plays a major role, because machinery failures are usually very costly.
For this reason R+W has developed a new and reliable product solution: the SKH, a zero backlash precision safety coupling, which is now available in a fully split clamping hub version, facilitating easy lateral installation.
The appeal of the new high-precision connector lies in the combination of the proven spring-loaded ball-detent principle and disc springs specially developed by R+W.
In the event of a machine crash or overload, the SKH disengages the driving and driven components in just a few milliseconds, preventing damage to other components as well as potentially costly machine downtime.
The connection with the two fully split clamping hubs enables the SKH to be easily installed, even in restricted spaces with hard to move components. Standard torque transmission ranges from 0.1 to 2,800 Nm, while operating temperature ranges between -30° and + 100° Celsius.
For technical data on these components, or any of the other R+W Couplings, explore our product pages, where you can also find CAD models to drop directly into your application design. If you have more questions or want support selecting the best components for your application, give one of the Drive Lines technical engineers a call on 01234 360689 or email enquiries@drivelines.co.uk