We are interested in cooperation with the manufacturers of variable-speed drives, who are looking for an official and reliable distributor to deal with supply & delivery of their equipment to the industrial plants in Russia.
The company’s top management and sales team are well acquainted with the Russian market, its mentality and laws; they also understand industrial specifics of the financial and economic activities of the Russian customers. All our sales managers have a large customer database, extensive experience of successful sales and well-established connections with the potential buyers of your variable-speed drives. This allows our managers to promptly set out the most promising directions for promotion and to ensure a rapid entry of the products into the promising Russian market. Our employees, who are fluent in English and German, are focused on working at the international market with the supplies of foreign equipment.
Our team of experienced engineers, who can handle the most serious technical problems, constantly keeps in touch with the Russian customers, holds meetings and delivers presentations regarding the latest achievements of our manufacturing partners. They point out the engineering challenges and actively communicate with all the departments at Russian plants. That is why the specifics of doing a business in the Russian Federation are well-known to us, and we also know the equipment of the local industrial plants and their up-to-date modernization needs.
Once we become your authorized representative in Russia, our marketing staff will carry out a market research in order to check the demand for variable-speed drive, will submit a market overview for variable-speed drive that you offer and evaluate the needs for this type of equipment at local plants. Our specialists will also estimate the potential and capacity of this market at local industrial plants. Our IT-team will start developing a website for your products in Russian. Our experts will assess the conformity between your variable-speed drives and customer needs as well as analyze the common reaction to the new goods in general. We will look into the categories of potential customers, and pick out the largest and the most promising plants.
Upon becoming your authorized agent on the territory of Russia, ‘Intech GmbH’ LLC (ООО «Интех ГмбХ»), will obtain certificates, if required, for a batch of the goods, for various types of variable-speed drives in compliance with Russian standards. We can also arrange the inspection in order to obtain TR TS 010 and TR TS 012 Certificates. These certificates provides permission to operate your equipment at all industrial plants of the EAEU countries (Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan), including the hazardous industrial facilities. Our company is eager to assist in issuing Technical Passports for variable-speed drives as per Russian and other EAEU countries’ requirements.
Our engineering company ‘Intech GmbH’ LLC (ООО «Интех ГмбХ»), collaborates with several Russian design institutes in various industrial segments, which allows us to conduct preliminary design as well as subsequent design works according to the standards, construction rules and regulations that are applicable in Russia and other CIS countries. It also enables us to include your variable-speed drives into the future projects.
The Company has its own logistics department that can provide packing service, handling as well as the most efficient and cost effective mode of transportation of the goods (incl. over dimensional and overweight goods). The goods can be delivered on DAP or DDP-customer’s warehouse basis in full compliance with all the relevant regulations and requirements that are applicable on the Russian market.
Our company has its own certified specialists who will carry out installation supervision and commissioning of the delivered equipment, as well as further guarantee and post-guarantee maintenance of variable-speed drives. They will also provide necessary training and guidance for the customer’s personnel.
A variable-speed drive is a device, which can transmit the torque, while steplessly varying the gear ratio. The gear ratio is varied in a certain range and can be performed both automatically (in accordance with a set program) or manually.
For a majority of modern machines that are involved into engineering and manufacturing processes, it is necessary to control the speed of working elements. which are determined by the process conditions. This problem is solved by the gears named as variable-speed drives, which allow the gear ratio of the drive to be varied steplessly within certain ranges. As a main motion mechanism, the variable-speed drives use the gears of various types, such as friction, belt, chain and planetary ones, which are based on the direct contact of the driving and driven pulleys or intermediate element (for example, a belt).
Using the variable-speed drives allows regulating the set optimum speed mode during the operation. The variable-speed drives are used for stepless variation of the gear ratio in scooters, cars, snowmobiles, quad bikes, conveyors, stirrers, machine-tools and other devices. The control range (ratio of the maximum gear ratio to the minimum one) is usually 3-6 and sometimes 10-12.
The principle of operation of the variable-speed drive was thought out by Leonardo da Vinci as long ago as in 1490; however, the first patent for the variable-speed drive was obtained as recently as at the end of the 19th century. Variable-speed drives could not become widely spread for a number of decades. They were used rather rarely and predominantly on cars and motorized machines that had low engine power or in the mechanisms that had no alternative to variable-speed drives. Thanks to new technologies and materials, the variable-speed drives had a new start that allowed them reaching the required reliability level and removing the limitations, which earlier used to be impossible to overcome.
Thanks to its silent and smooth run, a variable-speed drive is a totally new mechanism, which optimizes the run mode and prolongs the service life of the equipment’s components.
The main advantage of variable-speed drives lies in simplicity of the rotational speed control. Mechanical variable-speed drives are indispensable in those structures, in which it is impossible to use frequency converters.
Although there is a number of variants and kinds of variable-speed drives, their designs are based on the rotary body property, which is the same for different diameters. The points on the surface of this body, located at different distances from the rotation axis, pass different distances for the complete revolution as well as have different linear speed. Thus, a variable-speed drive provides the unique possibility of conversion of the linear speed into the torque.
The variable-speed drives are divided into several types depending on their structure. The friction type includes:
The variable-speed drives with engagement are divided into:
The advantages of friction variable-speed drives include simplicity of their designs, silent and smooth run and accident-free mode in case of accidental overloads.
The disadvantages include rather large radial loads on the supporting units of the shafts. Such loads sometimes exceed the transmitted circumferential force up to 35 times that can entail severe wear-out of working units of friction variable-speed drives and destruction of the runners. Besides, the friction variable-speed drives do not retain the constancy of the gear ratio and their efficiency is not large.
The friction variable-speed drives having the maximum capacity among the variable-speed drives of the order of hundreds of kilowatts are usually used in the power drives in the mechanical engineering.
The variable-speed drives are classified into single- and two-stage ones. The main kinematic value for any variable-speed drive is its control range (D), which is determined by the ratio between the maximum gear ratio and the minimum one:
D = umax /umin
The control range for single-stage variable-speed drives is usually within 3…6. As the control range expands, the efficiency of the variable-speed drive decreases.
The variable-speed drives of various designs are in great demand in many units and assemblies; however, only two types of variable-speed drives have become an integral part in machine building industry: V-belt and toroidal ones.
The variable-speed drives of this type use V-belts gripped between the disks of the pulleys. The disks of the pulleys have conical surface, corresponding to the belt shape: one disk is movable and another is stationary. The variation of the gear ratio is achieved by varying the diameters of the driving and driven pulleys - the movable pulley disk is shifted relatively to the stationary one (see the figure). The maximum speed of the output shaft will correspond to the maximum diameter of the driving wheel (the pulley disks are compressed to the maximum extent) and minimum diameter of the driven one (the pulley disks are set apart to the maximum distance). The minimum speed of the output shaft will correspond to the minimum diameter of the driving pulley and the maximum diameter of the driven one.
This type of variable-speed drives uses both the standard V-belts and wide ones of increased durability made of special materials. The design with several belts on the same pulley is also possible. It increases the transmitted power, but complicates the design.
The V-belt variable-speed drives are simple and reliable in operation. When using simple belts, the gear ratio does not exceed 2-3 and the transmitted power does not exceed 50 kW.
Chain variable-speed drives have more complex design and higher price, but are more compact, durable and reliable. The gear ratio does not exceed 6 with the transmitted power of 30 kW.
Modern models of variable-speed drives involve a metal belt, made of several layers of special grade steel. The belt’s design consists of several steel bands interconnected by butterfly-shaped parts; this ensures a low noise level and durability. The variable-speed drives, in which metal chain is used instead of a belt, are called V-chain variable-speed drives. Using the chain also ensures a higher extent of flexibility, reduces the torque losses and improves efficiency. Nowadays, the V-chain variable-speed drives are the most perfect model of variable-speed drives.
The speed is controlled in a similar way as it is performed in the V-belt variable-speed drive design: the expandable disks are forced either apart by means of levers to reduce the pulley diameter or together to increase the pulley diameter.
The cone variable-speed drives consist of two cones interconnected by a belt. The cones are arranged in such a way that their axes would be parallel, and the cones themselves would be oppositely directed, that is the minor diameter of one cone should be located at the same side where the major diameter of another cone would be.
The driven shaft speed is regulated by shifting the belt over the cones (see the figure). The figure illustrates the transmission providing for the maximum speed of the driven shaft. To reduce the driven shaft speed, it is necessary to shift the belt to the left (towards the minor diameter of the driving shaft).
A toroidal variable-speed drive is designed as a set of disks and coaxial rollers. The torque is transmitted from one disk to another, and the gear ratio variation is associated with a change of the position of the rollers as well as angle, at which the disks are rolled around. All the forces are concentrated at the contact zone; the rollers turn the devices overcoming the force of clamping them to the disk. In such variable-speed drives, the gear ratio is varied in accordance with the selected position both of the rollers themselves and their radii. As the roller contacts the minor radius of the main shaft and the major radius of the auxiliary shaft, the downshift is performed. The upshift is performed in the reverse order and the direct transmission is engaged when the rollers contact the shafts in the same radius. The disadvantage of this kind of variable-speed drives consists in rather complex design as well as lack of technologies and materials capable of withstanding such loads. The variable-speed drives have the highest efficiency among variable-speed drives, which is equal to 0.95. This type of variable-speed drives is normalized for the power characteristics within the range 1.5–20 kW and, unfortunately, this significant weakness is a reason for refusal of manufacture of this kind of variable-speed drives.
The frontal-type variable-speed drives are usually used in screw presses and some other devices. In such variable-speed drives, the axes are arranged at right angle to each other, and the driven shaft’s speed is varied due to the movement of the roller along its axis. The driven shaft of the frontal-type variable-speed drive can rotate in reverse direction, although the driving shaft rotates in the same direction in this case. In the frontal-type variable-speed drive, either roller or disk acts as a driving element. The gear ratio of the frontal-type variable-speed drive is
U = ω1/ω2 = x/r,
and the control range is
D = umax/umin = Rmax/Rmin
The multiple-disk variable-speed drives include packs of thin extension-type disks (driving and driven) of conical shape. The driven-shaft speed varies as the driving shaft moves radially relatively to the driven one. The maximum control range of multiple-disk variable-speed drives is five.
The harmonic variable-speed drives are designed as a mechanical (screw, gear or friction) gears. In this gear, the rotation is transmitted by (cyclic) excitation of the strain waves that occur in the flexible element. The most common are the gear-type harmonic variable-speed drives. They comprise a rigid gear wheel, which is fixed in the variable-speed drive housing. The flexible element is designed as a thin-wall cylindrical gear and resembles a sleeve with external teeth, the number of which is a little less than the number of teeth of the rigid element. The generator of strain waves, presented by an oval cam with a ball bearing drawn onto it, is inserted coaxially into a flexible wheel and expands it while rotating. The strain waves move when the generator rotates at the same speed; and the difference between the number of teeth of the rigid element and the number of teeth of the flexible wheels is usually equal to the number of strain waves. As regards the number of strain waves, the harmonic variable-speed drives are classified as single-, two- or three-wave.
The housing of the ball-and-disk variable-speed drive accommodates two rotating disks, fastened on the driving and driven shafts. One of the shafts is mounted on a spherical support. There is a separator with balls between the disks. These balls transmit the rotation from the driving shaft to the driven one. The variation of the gear ratio is achieved by shifting the separator up-down by a special mechanism. One of the disks is pressed to another be means of an elastic spring.
The disadvantages of such variable-speed drives include rather poor reliability, because balls can slip under certain conditions. However, a ball variable-speed drive has wide control range; and the driven shaft can run with stops and reverse. When the ball rotation axis approaches the contact point, the geometric slope increases considerably; and the characteristic of the variable-speed drive becomes non-rigid; it means that the angular speed of the driven shaft varies considerably as the load varies thus leading to a steep drop of efficiency.
The variable-speed drives with engagement include also the high-torque ones, and this is one of the most promising trends in the machine building. The high-torque (non-frictional) variable-speed drives have good prospects of use in the power units of the most diverse purpose, because they provide for improvement of the following technical characteristics:
The main advantages of high-torque variable-speed drives are as follows:
A great number of designs, combining the properties of a variable-speed drive and differential planetary gear transmission and aimed at the stepless control of the output shaft speed are known today. Planetary gear transmissions have been popular in up-to-date devices and machines long ago. Notwithstanding their large gear ratios, they have compact dimensions and are capable of transmitting the rotation not only in the differential mode, but also and the mode of stopping individual components of the transmission. However, smooth variation of the output shaft speed is not inherent to these devices due to the fixed number of teeth of the transmission gears. Aggregating the schemes of a differential planetary gear transmission, variable-speed drive and control mechanism simplifies the design of the variable-speed drive and expands the boundaries of use as gear ratios vary. Such a variable-speed drive (of planetary type) consists of a housing accommodating the driving shaft and the driven pinion, control devices and planetary gear sets. The control device, containing the actuation and monitoring components, enables the total gear ratio of the variable-speed drive to be altered irrespectively the rotational speed of the drive mechanisms.
The last inventions and developments, aimed at creation of new models of variable-speed drives, come gradually into use in river, sea and railway transport as well as motor-car construction, in the drives of conveyors and transporters of mining machines and other mechanisms. Geared variable-speed drives being tested in the industrial transporters have shown the possibility of operation without delays and application of high inrush starting currents with any quantity of raw materials on the transporter with smooth switching into the operating mode with nominal parameters. The proposed designs are simple; they have no unnecessary controls, friction clutches, torque converters, engagement valves, free-wheel clutches as well as other parts and assemblies.
An adaptive geared variable-speed drive has a constant power demand that ensures the output shaft speed to be inversely proportional to the external load. The steplessly controlled geared variable-speed drive have constant mesh of the gears and runs within the specified range of gear ratios, at the same time, it can reliably transmit the forces and ensure a sufficiently high efficiency unlike the friction-type variable-speed drives.
The variable-speed drives, provided with general-purpose industrial grade asynchronous motors, are named as motorized variable-speed drives. They can also be provided with other motors (for example, with independent ventilation and variable number of poles) or with built-in brake. Motorized variable-speed drives can be additionally customized with parallel-shaft or worm gear gearboxess or others with standard input flange and hollow shaft. The used schemes of “motor – variable-speed drive – gearboxes” assembly provide for high torques with simultaneous regulation of the rotational speed.
Unlike other variable-speed drives, the gear ratio of the motorized variable-speed drives can be altered on a stopped motor as well; and the continuous service with constant gear ratio causes no wear-out of the working surfaces on the friction coupling due to absence of slipping in the contact zone.
Flanges connect the variable-speed drives with motors, couplings connect them with reduction gears or other mechanisms.
The variable-speed drives have well proved themselves in mechanical engineering, civil engineering and metallurgy, in belt, chain and roller conveyors, in food industry, hoisting equipment, extruders, drives of transportation dollies flying saws and shears as well as those of rotary mechanisms and lead screws.
The benefit from use of modern variable-speed drives lies in their minimum wear-out, moreover, they do not require expensive mechanisms and drive elements due to smooth variation of the gear ratio. The existing necessity to change-over Russian economy to the technological base with sufficient efficiency confirms that it is time to introduce new innovation projects, which promote the development of new resource-saving technologies. Their implementation will reduce considerably the expenditures for metal (due to small sizes of variable-speed drives’ design being developed) and the power, consumed for manufacturing of a production unit, and it will ensure the production of competitive variable-speed drives of new generation.
Gearboxes and polymeric equipment
Bevel gearbox
Casting machines, injection molding machines
Extruders, extrusion lines
Gearboxes. Main description
Gearmotors
Parallel-shaft gearbox
Polymer substance press, preforming machines
Roll mills, calenders
Planetary gearboxes
Variable-speed drive
Worm gearbox
Upon becoming the official distributer of variable-speed drives, our company ‘Intech GmbH’ LLC (ООО «Интех ГмбХ»), carries out the following: finds the buyers of your products on the market, conducts technical and commercial negotiations with the customers regarding the supplies of your equipment, concludes contracts. Should a bidding take place, we will collect and prepare all the documents required for the participation, conclude all the necessary contracts for the supply of your equipment, as well as register the goods (variable-speed drives) and conduct customs clearance procedures. We will also register a certificate of transaction (Passport of Deal) required for all foreign trade contracts in the foreign currency control department of the authorized Russian bank so that currency transaction could be effected. If required, our company will implement an equipment spacing project in order to integrate your equipment into the existing or newly built production plant.
We are convinced that our company ‘Intech GmbH’ LLC (ООО «Интех ГмбХ»), will become your reliable, qualified and efficient partner & distributor in Russia.
We are always open for cooperation, so let’s move forward together!