Italian planetary gearbox manufacturer, Brevini, has supplied its
largest ever gearbox to Dow Chemical in Germany. The order for this one
million Newton-metre capacity unit was secured by Brevini's UK
subsidiary, based in Cheshire, and was won against strong German
competition
A five-stage planetary gearbox with a capacity approaching 1,000,000Nm
has been installed at a Dow Chemical plant in Germany, where it forms
part of the power transmission system for a large mixer plant. The unit
was built by Brevini in Italy, to an order secured by its Warrington,
Cheshire based subsidiary, Brevini UK. At just one third the size for the
same output, compared with a conventional gearbox, the planetary unit is
saving the user both manufacturing space and - advantageous during the
installation phase - weight. Moreover, the gearbox is able to run at the
necessary low speeds and provide the high torque required for mixing
applications, without any loss of efficiency.
Despite its size, Dow Chemical's gearbox is built from Brevini's standard
components range. With the motor fitted (also supplied by Brevini), the
assembly stands more that 2.5m high. The only non-standard part is the
output flange, which was manufactured to Dow Chemical's own specification.
Brevini UK's general manager, Giuseppe Galli reports a general increase
in orders for planetary gearboxes in the UK, a fact he attributes to the
introduction of the Climate Change Levy. Planetary gearboxes can achieve
transmission efficiencies as high as 98%; when they are coupled to a high
efficiency motor, there is considerable potential to save energy,
particularly in high capacity applications.
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