Page 93 - Food&Drink Nov-Dec 2020

CASE STUDY
Nord drives bakery concepts
Baking is a complex process that still requires traditional expertise. But these processes still require reliable machinery for a commercial bakery operation. Nord Drivesystems offers custom solutions for the artisanal bakery as well as for the industrial production line.
Nord offers solutions such as a reinforced shaft bearing for mixer drives or highly dynamic and positioning belt drives in its portfolio. The company’s drives are also available as explosion-proof versions for dusty environments.
Nord Drivesystems says its lightweight, corrosion-resistant gear units, smooth surface motors, and frequency inverters make it a powerful partner for drive systems in the bakery industry. The company also offers drive solutions for mixing and agitation processes.
The manufacturer’s inverter technology guarantees high positioning accuracy and safe implementation of dynamic sequences. The drive units can be controlled individually, for example, to regulate kneading and conveyor speeds, to prevent blockages or control the dough process.
Due to their modular structure, the drive units are also service- and maintenance-friendly. For the bakery industry, the nsd tupH surface treatment provides anti-corrosion treatment for gear units, smooth surface motors, frequency inverters, and motor starters in wash-down- optimised cast aluminium housings. The fanless smooth surface motors do not spread germs and run quietly.
Maxxdrive industrial gear units from Nord Drivesystems ensure reliable operation in mixing and agitation processes even under extreme conditions and offer high output torques of up
to 252 kNm, along with quiet running and long service life.
The compact combination of Maxxdrive industrial gear units, the new Safomi IEC adapter and a reinforced output flange is the best choice for mixers and agitator applications to reduce the number of wearing parts and attached components, according to the company.
Nord Drivesystems offers application-specific equipment options that combine high performance and efficiency, specifically designed for agitators and mixers with high process-related radial and axial bearing loads.
This includes an agitator version (VL2 bearing) with large bearing spacing and reinforced bearing, as well as a Drywell version (VL3 bearing) with additional oil drip plate and leakage or oil sensor.
In the case of emergency, the service and delivery availability of Nord Drivesystems has proven reliable. When Fine Lady Bakeries, the UK-based bakery producer, needed to replace a failed but vital gear unit in the proofing cabinet, Nord Drivesystems supplied a gear unit with a
specifically designed and manufactured special shaft from the Nord standard range.
After taking key dimensions of the defective, no longer available competitor gear unit, it became clear that the shaft size and length of the original gear unit had to be retained to match the dimensions of the drive coupling as well as the output torque.
Once the thrust load was calculated, Nord opted for a size 8 Maxxdrive industrial gear unit with a rated torque of 31,000 Nm and a thrust load capacity of 140,000 N.
Maxxdrive industrial gear units are specially designed for heavy-duty applications and offer high output torques from 15,000 to 250,000Nm, along with quiet running and long service life. The gear units are available as helical or bevel gear units, and are equipped with high-quality, low-friction bearings, and a torsionally rigid, one-piece housing.
The bakery’s gear unit also required a special shaft, which had to be specified and designed at the Nord headquarters in Germany. Nevertheless, the design, construction drawing, and quote was completed within 24 hours.
The delivery time for a gear unit with a special shaft is normally 12 weeks. In this case, Nord delivered in less than six weeks.
Fine Lady Bakeries had a drivesystem emergency and Nord stepped up to help. Nord offers systems for many points in a bakery production line.
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