Drives & Controls June 2022

MECHANICAL POWER TRANSMISSION n Couplings deliver precision and reliability for bottle-capping machines A UK manufacturer of bottle- capping machines has chosen Oldham couplings to achieve precision and reliability for the connection between drive motors and capping heads. Capping and filling machines are the backbone of beverage and pharmaceutical packaging lines. Empty containers are brought to the machine via a conveyor, where they are held in position, filled and capped. To satisfy high customer demand, capping and filling machines must operate reliably, often around the clock. A key element of these machines is the capping head, which must transfer power, and control applied torque, to seal the cap in position. This precision operation needs to be conducted at high speed with repeatability and reliability. It is therefore vital to choose the correct coupling to go between the drive motor and the capping head. Oxford-based Cap Coder is one of the best-known suppliers of automated and semi-automated filling, capping and labelling machines. Its CC560 capping and filling machines are backed by decades of development. The machines can process up to 40 bottles a minute and accommodate containers from 25ml to 5l. One machine can performmultiple capping processes, including applying child-resistant, trigger spray, pump action and screw caps. When choosing a coupling for use in its CC720 Mk IV capping head, which is fitted to the CC560, Cap Coder chose an Oldham coupling consisting of two hubs and a central torque disc. The coupling, supplied by Huco, has aluminium hubs and an acetal disc, and can deliver a peak torque of 9Nm. Oldham couplings accommodate misalignments by allowing sliding between the hubs and disc, thus eliminating any lateral forces.This prevents these forces frombeing transmitted to equipment such as bearings or motors, enhancing machine reliability. Other advantages include high torsional stiffness and backlash-free performance. In some situations, the disc can act as a mechanical“fuse”, becoming a sacrificial element to help prevent damage to other equipment during high loads. The three-piece construction of the Oldham ensures quick and easy installation. “Precision couplings are essential for transmitting power to the capping head and maintaining position control,”explains Cap Coder’s sales director, JohnWalsh.“The Oldham coupling provides us with both precision and reliability in application.” The company is now using Oldham couplings for all of its capping heads.“This decision has been vindicated, as we have never experienced a coupling failure on one of our machines that is less than five years old,”Walsh reports. Cap Coder uses Oldham couplings to link the drive motors reliably to the capping heads in its capping and filling machines Cross + Morse . Shady Lane, Great Barr. Birmingham. B44 9EU sales@crossmorse.com Tel: +44 (0)121 360 0155 www.CrossMorse.com ◊ Manufacturing up to 1450mm diameter ◊ Turning - CNC lathes, Vertical Machining Centre ◊ Gear Cutting - Hobbing, Planing, Shaping Gears ◊ Bevel Gears, Helical, External & Internal cut Gears ◊ Rack Shaping, Broaching, Keywaying ◊ Vertical Boring, Centreless & Rotary Grinding ◊ Bore Honing ◊ Induction Hardening ◊ Blacking ◊ Drilling & Tapping ◊ Marking ◊ Large stocks of Transmission Drive components ◊ CAD - CAM Design & Development ◊ ISO 9001 : 2015 Yes we can make it. Since 1984 Cross+Morse Power Transmission Manufacturing Specialists