Bulk Equipment, Heavy industry, Motors, gears, and drives

SEW-Eurodrive’s stacker success

SEW-Eurodrive’s range of industrial gear units can be used across a stacker, significantly simplifying supply.

SEW-Eurodrive’s range of industrial gear units can be used across a stacker, significantly simplifying supply.

Stackers and reclaimers are complex machines, responsible for moving millions of tonnes of material worldwide every year. Each is a marvel of engineering, made of hundreds of key components. 

Guido Wagner, SEW-Eurodrive’s national industrial gearmotor product manager, told ABHR there is a way of simplifying supply.

“SEW-Eurodrive is in the fortunate position where we can supply every bit of drive gear for stackers and reclaimers,” he said.

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“These machines, as they are used in mines, some from original equipment manufacturers located overseas. Sometimes, there’s a mixture of drives that are used for different sections.

“We are pretty much the only company that can supply solutions for the entire machine.”

At the core of a stacker or reclaimer is the bucket wheel. SEW-Eurodrive’s solution to support this vital function is its range of high-performance planetary gear units.

SEW-Eurodrive’s P series of industrial gear units are designed for applications that demand low speeds and high torque. They save on installation space thanks to the short and compact mounting position of the gear units.

In addition, the company’s XP series of industrial gear units are available for when space is limited. 

The gear units are designed to be compact and deliver torque ratings of up to 5200 kNm. The units are often coupled with SEW-Eurodrive’s X.e primary drives, which cover a torque range from 7.2 to 500 kNm.

The drives have high installation variability and many additional modular features such as motor adapters, backstops, various sealing and shaft systems. 

Wagner said that the P series can also be used as a slew drive, in addition to driving the bucket wheel.

“For travel drives on stackers and reclaimers, we offer a range of solutions, including the industrial X.e series, or the ultra-compact PPK series, depending on the customer preference for form factor.”

The PPK planetary gear units complement SEW Eurodrive’s other industrial gear units. The load is distributed across multiple planet gears, resulting in a significantly higher power density and thus enabling smaller dimensions compared to other gear unit types. This makes the PKK series planetary gear units ideal for heavy-duty applications that require a robust, compact design and high gear ratios.

In addition to gear unit design such as flange and foot mounting, the variance at the input and output offers great flexibility for the user. 

On the output end, a solid shaft with key and a splined solid shaft are available. As a hollow shaft gear unit, clients can choose between a splined hollow shaft and a hollow shaft with shrink disk. On the input gear end, the motor connection is made either via an exposed shaft-end or a motor adapter. 

For conveyors feeding material from the bucket or the boom, SEW-Eurodrive has the K series of helical bevel gear units. These long-lasting, low-maintenance right-angle units provide high levels of efficiency, saving energy.

Wagner said that having one manufacturer supply all of a machine’s drives streamlines the entire process for the customer.

“It leads to quicker turnarounds and allows u to build an ongoing relationship with the client,” he said.

“SEW-Eurodrive also benefits from being a very large global player, with long standing experience working with stackers and reclaimers.”

The company has invested heavily in ensuring its service centres are close to customers and have the capacity to quickly provide backup to its clients.

It also has more than $50 million worth of stock on hand locally across seven sales and service locations. 

Wagner said reliability is the most important thing that mining clients need.

“Our customers need gearboxes of the best quality, with a rugged design – which is exactly what we’re providing,” he said.

“With our roots in Germany and many decades of manufacturing experience, we have optimised our processes across the entire business – from quality assurance to our manufacturing methods.

“That knowledge and experience goes into making equipment that maximises reliability.”

The company’s dedicated service centres can assist with more than just its own gearboxes – it can repair other brands as well. Each site is well equipped to service any gear unit, regardless of size.

Wagner said SEW-Eurodrive plans to continue supplying its high-quality gearboxes in the shortest timeframe possible.

“We’re also constantly expanding our service network to keep up with the growing demand. We will be opening another service centre shortly in Adelaide to ensure we can continue to provide the best support possible.” 

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