New Products – Coupling Solutions for the Power Transmission and Motion Control Industries

Shaft Couplings, Torque Limiters, Bellows Couplings, Line Shafts and more

LONGER LASTING TORQUE LIMITER SERIES ESL Low wear torque limiters for up to 200 Nm Mechanical torque limiters have been employed for many years as a simple and reliable means of torque overload protection in case of machine jams and crashes. They provide sound insurance against costly machine down time resulting from broken tooling, components, etc; and not to mention replacement of expensive, long lead time components. For this purpose, ball-detent style torque limiters have proven to be a compact and very dependable form of overload protection, reacting quickly (<3msecs) and accurately (+/- 5% of preset torque value). Most designs also offer zero-backlash and a high repeatability in terms of rotational position accuracy after re-engagement. While ideally suited to applications where release of the torque limiter takes place in emergency cases, occurring occasionally, they can not be disengaged repeatedly as a part of a process, due to wear of the detent plate which takes place after roughly 1,000 revolutions in its overloaded condition. Utilizing the same principle which has been used in air ratchets in the automotive and other industries for decades, the ESL nests the ball bearings between an additional set of ball bearings, rather than into detents in a hardened steel plate. The ball bearings in the ESL roll over each other, reducing impact, and evenly distributing remaining stress around the surfaces while they spin. This significantly increases the number of overload releases the torque limiter can withstand, making it unique in the industry. Currently the ESL is available in the form of an elastomer insert coupling, which is a low cost but robust and backlash free form of flexible coupling. They are however designed for specific OEM applications and there is a certain degree of flexibility in design when manufactured in volume. Currently torque overload values from 0.1 – 1,100 Nm (0.885 - 9735 in lbs) and shaft bore diameters of 3 – 70 mm (1/8 to 2.75 in) are available. For more information contact R+W America at (630) 521-9911 or info@rw-america.com. More about the Servo Coupling ESL..		Ball-detent torque limiters normally incorporate a series of ball bearings, driven by a retaining ring machined around the base of the unit, and spring loaded into conical detents on a hardened steel output plate. At torque overload, the balls overcome the spring load, and roll out of their detents, allowing the output plate to spin freely over an integral bearing. The output plate is normally either a piloted flange or a flexible coupling for connecting to (and disconnecting from) another shaft.

Compact Servo Couplings Series BK8 By popular demand R+W has recently developed a series of couplings for mounting to flange output servo gearheads, opening up new areas of application. This type of gearhead is utilized by many for its high stiffness and compact design. The BK8 now allows for an equally compact flexible interface between gearheads and driven components, protecting bearings and making alignment simpler. The BK8 utilizes a stainless steel bellows which allows for a high level of torsional stiffness to be maintained while compensating for small misalignment between the mating components. The couplings are available in a wide variety of sizes, covering torque ratings from 15 Nm up to 1500 Nm and for special applications up to 10,000 Nm. They can be made with a variety of coupling output hubs in addition to the traditional clamping hub, such as expanding shafts and tapered conical clamping hubs. For more information contact R+W America at (630) 521-9911 or info@rw-america.com. More about the Servo Coupling BK8...		The BK8 now allows for an equally compact flexible interface between gearheads and driven components, protecting bearings and making alignment simpler.

Blackline/ TX1 Jaw Coupling The TX1 coupling is ideal for applications from pump drives to servo systems, says its manufacturer, R+W. It's light and inexpensive, corrosion-resistant and backlash-free. Elastomer inserts, press fit between the halves of the reinforced plastic coupling, guarantee zero backlash and concentricity. The inserts can be specified in several hardnesses to meet various damping and torque rigidity requirements. Sizes range by torque capacities from 2 Nm to 660 Nm and bore diameters from 8 mm to 1.75 inches. More about the Plastic Coupling TX1...		Lightweight design with low moment of inertia leads to better servo system performance.

Compact Economy Class Metal Bellows Coupling up to 500 Nm R+W has developed yet another economy class product with features beyond comparison. The main advantage of the BKC is to be found in its incredibly short design for space restricted installations. The BKC is available for torques from 15 to 500 Nm with possible bore diameters of 8 to 75 mm. Due to the frictional clamped connection the BKC is absolutely backlash - free and very easy to mount and dismount. Keyways are available upon request. The new BKC: A state of the art bellows coupling at a competitive price. More about the Bellows Coupling BKC...		The metal bellows compensates for axial, angular and lateral misalignments at once. As a result of the extra short design, the BKC is very light and stands out with a low mass moment of inertia.

Torque Limiters with damping characteristics series ES2 A new compact Torque Limiter design has been added to the elastomer couplings line. This new design of Torque Limiters combines the features of the well known compact R+W Torque Limiters and the elastomer coupling series. The insert is made out of polyurethane and damps vibration. Additionally lateral, axial and angular misalignment can be compensated for. More about Torque Limiter ES 2...		A new compact Torque Limiter design with elastomer insert is part of the elastomer couplings line.

Elastomer Jaw Coupling with clamping hub in a compact design series EKL Taking up the challenge for greater technical demands in modern machine design and construction, R+W has developed the SERVOMAX EKL series of elastomer Couplings. R+W SERVOMAX couplings have an elastomer element that is press fit between two precision machined coupling halves giving it zero backlash and guaranteed concentricity. The compact and short EKL Series coupling is specially designed for space restricted applications. R+W couplings are also electrically insulated. More about the Jaw Coupling EKL...		Elastomer coupling with clamping hub in a compact design.

Shaft Couplings for radial mounting with split clamping hubs The couplings are designed with a very high concentricity and the inserts are calibrated to achieve very easy mounting and dismounting. This eliminates the need for excessive pretensioning of the inserts. More about this Jaw Coupling...		Elastomer Jaw Coupling Model EKH with split clamping hubs.

Line Shafts with elastomer inserts series EZ2 With the development of an elastomer Line Shaft, R+W adds yet another new product to the already wide offering. For easy assembly, the Line Shaft has split hubs. As a result it is possible to integrate the axis very easily into existing applications. Typical applications for these Line Shafts are to connect screw jacks or linear modules int palletising robots or gantries. More about this Line Shaft...		Lineshafts for easy assembly the Line Shaft has split hubs.

Couplings for the use in explosive atmospheres according to ATEX 95a The ATEX 97/137 is regulated by the new European directive. In general the explosive atmosphere is classified in 3 different zones. This directive is also valid for mechanical components which could electrostatically charge and spark. R+W offers couplings for hazardous areas 1/21 and 2/22 which are registered according to the directive ATEX 95a. Elastomer couplings are designed with a special elastomer insert, which is able tot electrically conductive. Bellows couplings are manufactured with special security jaws and steel hubs in order to avoid sparking when the Bellows breaks due to to high misalignment or overload occurs. Request or more infomation about ATEX 95a.		Couplings for the use in explosive atmosphere according to ATEX 95a

Linear Couplings for linear drives now with 70 - 2.000 Newton Modern linear potentiometers and linear drives are able to realize positioning accuracy of up to one thousandth of a millimeter and high speeds of over 5 m/sec. However, this will only work constantly if restoring forces on the cylinder axle caused by angular or axle offset are reliably avoided. More about Linear Couplings...		Linear Couplings for linear drives