NEWS n 5 Custom gearboxes will ‘revolutionise’ the transmission market THE GERMAN GEARBOX-MAKER Flender has announced a new generation of single-stage helical gearboxes that, it predicts, will revolutionise the market. The company – previously owned by Siemens, which sold it to the investment firm Carlyle in 2020 – says that the new Flender One gearbox sets new benchmarks for efficiency, operating costs, ease of ordering and maintenance, with every box having onboard monitoring and analysis to help avoid failures. The new gearbox is a successor to the Flender Standard Gearbox (FSG) which was launched around 30 years ago and has become an industry standard. There are more than 500,000 Flender gearboxes in operation around the world. Thanks to a redesigned housing and optimised gear set, the new generation of gearboxes will cut operating costs while making efficient use of resources. The new boxes are said to be“unique”in linking product design and digital services throughout the entire lifecycle, from ordering to operation. The new boxes, launched at this month’s Hannover Fair, will be produced to individual customer requirements. They will be designed and dimensioned precisely for each application, avoiding wastage of raw materials and resources. Flender says that the new-generation gearboxes will define a new path where “standard”is not the focus anymore. Users will be able to configure their gearboxes online with three pieces of information: the application, the power and the speed. If they want, they can add more detailed parameters. The configurator will produce a 360-degree preview of the box as well as 3D data “within seconds”. “We are offering to take the timeconsuming preliminary considerations off our customers’hands,”says Flender One project manager, Dr Jan Reimann. “We no longer ask for the specifications and features of the gear unit, but only for the desired benefits.” “Each gearbox is designed to meet individual requirements,”adds Rouven Daniel, Flender’s president for industrial gears.“The customer gets exactly what he needs – no less and, especially, no more. In addition, we simplify and accelerate all processes, including predictive service. This saves time and money and contributes to climate protection through minimal use of resources.” One way of ensuring that customers get the box they need, is that Flender has developed what it claims is the world’s narrowest gear ratio range, with 103 steps between 1 and 7.1 per size. This allows the ratio to be optimised for maximum efficiency. The deviation between the desired speed and closest available option will be 1.5% at most. “With Flender One, our customers receive a completely new type of gear unit solution, precisely tailored to their application, exactly according to their requirements and preventing waste while utilising the smallest drive concept possible,”says Flender CEO, Andreas Evertz. “The reduced energy requirement during operation also helps to protect resources.” The gearboxes have 35% larger housing surfaces than previous models. Distinctive cooling ribs increase their thermal capacity and, depending on the application, can eliminate the need for external cooling, saving energy and cutting running costs. The Metaperform gearing is also said to reduce power losses by up to half, compared with previous boxes. This is achieved through a combination of improved rolling behaviour and more uniform contact surfaces. Each gearbox will be fitted with Flender’s new AIQ monitoring and analytical technology which allows operating states to be monitored via an online portal or app. Detailed condition monitoring of individual components detects any problems at an early stage, avoiding potential failures. The monitoring capability is also said to result in reduced wear and increased availability. AIQ can be also be retrofitted to old or third-party boxes. “Flender One is a step towards a completely new customer experience in drive technology,” states Daniel. “The customer can look forward not only to a new gear unit, but also to a faster ordering process and optimised operation throughout the entire lifecycle. This is a unique gear unit solution in the market.” “What makes Flender One unique, is the ability to exactly meet customer requirements while processes automatically run in the background – over the entire lifecycle from order to operation in the plant,”adds Flender CEO, Andreas Evertz. “The fully digitalised engineering process is a further milestone. Automatically designing parts according to customer requirements without human interaction. This is the future of the industry.” Flender promises that there are “further developments to follow”and is also applying the AIQ technology to its couplings portfolio. www.flender.com www.drivesncontrols.com April 2023 Flender predicts that its new generation of single-stage helical gearboxes will revolutionise the market. The AIQ monitoring and analytical technology (shown below) predicts potential failures.
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