FEATURE u Gearboxes
Trading gearboxes for advanced belt drive systems
Synchronous belts are emerging as the best choice across many industries P
lant managers are continuously looking for new ways to cut costs, improve safety and increase efficiencies, and often those
benefits can be found by converting their power transmission systems. Depending on the industry and application, different power transmission products have historically been used including gearboxes and belt drives.
GEARBOX DRAWBACKS Gearboxes for power transmission processes in industrial applications often involve higher costs, seal leaks and oil maintenance. Manufacturing operations that rely on a gearbox also run into trouble when it must be replaced. Replacement costs can be anywhere from $3,000 to $50,000+ and can have long lead times to replace, significantly reducing the opportunity to meet operational goals due to downtime. Typically, plant managers purchase multiple spare gearboxes to mitigate wait times when they experience a breakdown. It’s a big investment, particularly for plants that rely on multiple gearboxes throughout their facility to keep the business running. Maintenance managers must also constantly monitor seal leaks, a very common occurrence with gearboxes. As operations powered by gearboxes often utilise several conveyors throughout the plant, oil drip pans are commonly placed throughout the facility to catch leaks. This can create safety issues such as fire and slipping hazards for employees. Oil leaks can be even more dangerous in a saw mill environment. In a scenario where oil and sawdust are abundantly present, the two materials can mix and result in an unexpected fire. Oil maintenance for gearboxes is also an ongoing occurrence that creates a dirty environment and requires valuable employee time.
BENEFITS OF BELTS Plant managers who have converted from gearboxes to belts realise the many benefits, such as upfront cost savings, lighter parts, minimal maintenance requirements, longer life and increased safety. These polyurethane belts, unique to Gates, are made with carbon fibre tensile cord and an anti-friction nylon tooth surface. The advanced materials used in this belt construction mean they require zero maintenance aside from simply greasing the bearings, and offer years of service. Other manufacturers make synchronous belts, but most are rated at 50 percent or less than Poly Chain, making them wider, more costly, and they take up more space. Industries with applications that are ideal to
switch from gearboxes to belts include sand, gravel and crushed stone plants, sawmills, steel mills,
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Gates PolyChain belt drives
heavy industry plants and many others. Following is one example of successful gearbox-to-belt conversion: A sawmill generating 650,000 board feet a day of lumber products on a 25-acre site found that approximately every 18 months, the $30,000 gearbox on its kicker was breaking the output shaft. If it opted for a bigger gearbox, the cost would be $50,000 and would come with a larger output shaft. Alternatively, the company chose a belt drive system with a 5-in. final shaft. While the original purchase price was similar to the gearbox, that same belt drive system has been operational for six years with no downtime or breakage. The company previously had 105 gearboxes in service with nearly the equivalent in spares. Since converting many of the gearboxes to double- and triple-belt reduction Poly Chain drive systems, the company has been able to reduce that total amount of gearboxes to 50. Due to the success it is experiencing with the belts including durability, reliability, and zero-maintenance requirements, the company continues to convert all gearboxes to belts before they fail in order to eliminate downtime. The spare gearboxes that were
Gates PolyChain belt
previously held in inventory due to long lead times, are being eliminated, improving working capital.
While the cost savings are impressive, the most valuable benefits of this gearbox-to-belt conversion are increased employee safety, as sawdust and oil no longer mingle and present a fire hazard.
CONVERSION TIPS If you’re looking to change out your gearbox for a belt, it’s important to keep ratio targets in mind. A good rule of thumb is to look at your reduction numbers to determine if belts are your best option. Plants that falls within the ratio targets below are prime for a gearbox-to-belt conversion: • Single reductions - 1:1 to 8:1 • Double reductions - from 8:1 to 30:1 • Triple reductions - from 30:1 to 50:1 It’s important to keep in mind that even higher ratios can be addressed based on load and space requirements. Also, when planning to remove gearboxes and
go with belts, make sure to align with a partner that can fabricate proper rigid structure, with the ability to tension and align the belt drive system properly. Oftentimes, companies turn to a fabrication shop for this. Consider selecting a partner with the knowledge and experience to fabricate the belt conversion and set it up for full operation, while also accommodating the footprint available. Once the belt conversion is underway, increased savings and decreased safety hazards will soon follow.
Gates
www.gates.com Irish Manufacturing June 2021 33
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