New from Reliance is a range of one-piece flexible shaft couplings made
from low inertia grade 7075-T6 aluminium alloy that is claimed to
outperform existing single, four and six beam helical slotted designs.
Available in diameters from 13 to 40mm and both short and long lengths,
Reli-a-Flex features high torsional stiffness and “negligible” radial and
axial bearing loads, thanks to a novel slot pattern that can be
customised via finite element analysis techniques to customers’
individual requirements. This slot pattern offers a number of benefits,
including very low transmission error. The coupling will only introduce
very small velocity and hence position fluctuations; this, coupled with a
stiffness around ten times greater than a single spiral coupling ensures
optimum accuracy, particularly for bi-directional applications.