Sumitomo High-Performance Gearmotors

One of the largest steel recyclers in the United States, Nucor Steel’s (www.nucor.com) sheet mill in Hickman, Arkansas keeps plenty busy--recycling over two million tons of steel each year. With such a large recycling operation, one would expect that Nucor’s management constantly keeps a watchful eye on its machinery to prevent breakdowns. In 2007, as part of a capital project, Nucor upgraded 48 of its tunnel furnace rolls. During this project, due to performance and delivery issues with its former gearbox supplier, Nucor decided to trial 10 gearboxes manufactured by Sumitomo Drive Technologies.

With unclear delivery commitments from its former gearbox supplier and after successful trial runs with Sumitomo gearboxes, Nucor contacted Sumitomo to supply the remaining phase of their project with an additional 35 gearboxes. Within two weeks of facing a standstill in their operations, Sumitomo reassured Nucor that they would receive their order in time. Not only did Nucor receive their extra order of gearboxes, they were delivered in an amazing 5 days! Representative of Nucor, Chris Kovalsky said, “With respect to our issue, I could not be more pleased with the responsiveness Sumitomo displayed. Their gearboxes will be getting installed on the next four phases of this project.”

For over two months Nucor has been using 40 Sumitomo gearboxes in reversing applications under heavy loads, without incident. Now, with the assistance of the Sumitomo Cyclo® 6000, Nucor Steel can continue producing steel sheets without the stress of possible gearbox failure. Once Nucor completes its tunnel furnace upgrades, they will have more than 200 Cyclo units installed in their Arkansas factory. Sumitomo Cyclo 6000 provides both a cost-effective and highly efficient gearmotor for Nucor Steel.

The Sumitomo Cyclo 6000 series gearmotors are available from 1/10 to 235 HP and ratios from 3:1 to 658,503:1. The gearmotors are maintenance free, lightweight, compact and very rugged with a two-year warranty guaranteeing exceptional performance.

Challenge

George Richardson, owner of Richardson Adventure Farm, had a carousel that needed an updated gearbox. Due to the gearbox's obsolete design, Richardson had trouble finding a replacement or a gearbox manufacturer who would even come out to look at the issue. Richardson's Adventure Farm needed an expedited order to complete the job in time for Richardson's big surprise birthday party for his granddaughter.

Solution

Sumitomo and Richardson Adventure Farm worked with Motion Industries in Gurnee, Illinois to have an expedited order completed. The customer ordered a BBB4 in a Size A to achieve the appropriate gearbox features.

The BBB4 is the most torque-dense right-angle gearbox design available on the market. The ductile iron housing allows for higher radial load in a small, compact design. The smaller size enables the carousel to be fully functional, but still keep the grace it always had. The gearbox is also painted in the Richardson Adventure Farm's signature candy apple red to match the carousel.

Results

The BBB4, with its smaller size, allowed the carousel to be unobstructed and provided it with sufficient torque. The Richardson Adventure Farm was able complete the project in more than enough time for the surprise birthday party, providing many memorable moments for the family.

 The BBB4 carousel installation allowed Sumitomo to be challenged with a new application, which in turn, resulted in the Richardson Adventure Farm being another satisfied customer. 

For over 50 years, Visi-Trol Engineering has been a major supplier of transfer systems for the automobile industry. Visi-trol has a reputation for building highly reliable machines, lasting, in some instances, thirty-plus years. Visi-Trol’s main customers, “The Big Three” (GM, Ford, Chrysler), each rely on thousands of gear drives to keep their operations moving.

Looking for new opportunities, Visi-trol’s management sought to revitalize its relationship with former colleagues at CHEP (www.chep.com). CHEP, the global leader in pallet and plastic container pooling services, serves many of the world's largest companies. CHEP issues collect, repairs/washes and reissues more than 285 million pallets and containers from a global network of service centers, helping manufacturers transport their products to distributors and retailers.

Until recently, CHEP used various drives from Sumitomo's competitors to run their pallet and container sorting systems. Inconsistent quality and reliability resulting from machines produced by various power transmission manufacturers caused concern for CHEP management; drives in pallet-sorting systems were facing failures far too often. Aware of the reliability and durability of Visi-Trol’s equipment, CHEP consulted Visi-Trol for answers to their pallet drive consistency issues. As a solution to their power transmission woes, CHEP’s managers wanted to standardize drive units for their pallet sorting systems and asked Visi-Trol to build a prototype pallet sorting system.

Seeking a power transmission standard at CHEP, Visi-Trol installed more than 300 Hyponic®, Cyclo® 6000, Cyclo® BBB and HBB units within their pallet transport systems. Most of these drives are in operation twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Even though some gearmotors see as many as 2000 shock loads an hour, there has not been any Sumitomo related mechanical failures! Sumitomo Drive Technologies has been supplying Visi-trol with Cyclo reducers for years, and most of the machines built by Visi-trol still operate with their original Cyclo reducers.

Sumitomo products are capable of handling high shock loads, frequent changes in directions, while offering customized products. By choosing Sumitomo Drive Technologies to be their power transmission provider, it is unlikely that either Visi-Trol or CHEP will experience their previous power transmission difficulties. This was a new application for Sumitomo Drive Technologies, as well as a new industry for Visi-Trol, and it has certainly resulted in a success story for Visi-Trol, CHEP, and Sumitomo Drive Technologies.

Proven in millions of installations worldwide, the Cyclo speed reducer is at the core of CHEP’s facilities. Designed for extraordinarily long life, the Cyclo provides the foundation for Sumitomo Drive Technologies' position today as true innovators of high-quality power transmission solutions with unsurpassed reliability. 

While compacting, shredding, and grinding waste products for over 25 years, Komar Industries, Inc. (www.komarindustries.com) has become all too familiar with the wear and tear of that business has had on its machinery. Dealing with waste management for items as diverse as diapers and cardboard to wood and washing machines, Komar Industries demands a unique reducer that can handle the stress load produced by these applications.

Waste management applications require a durable drive that can withstand not only high shock loads generated during normal operations, but also require less maintenance. Komar Industries machines face unique conditions, often going from full speed and torque to stopping instantly, then immediately changing directions. This action has proven to tear normal planetary reducers apart.

Sumitomo Drive Technologies has provided the solution for Komar Industries' unique concerns. The Continuous Auger Compactor and The Hard drive Auger Compactor, both products of Komar Industries, use in-line Sumitomo Cyclo® 6000 reducers capable of handling a 500% shock load! The Continuous Auger Compactor uses an F-flange Cyclo® (10HP – 75HP) while The Hard-drive Auger Compactor has a Foot mounted Cyclo® (20HP – 25HP) installed.

The rolling action of the Cyclo’s® speed reduction mechanism eliminates the friction and the pressure points of conventional gears and has successfully proven to take on the high shock loads and the frequent changes in direction produced by waste management applications. Komar Industries representative, Mark Koenig said, “The Sumitomo Cyclo® Drives have proven to be nearly indestructible in a difficult application.”

The Sumitomo Cyclo® 6000 series gearmotors are available from 1/10 to 235HP and ratios from 3:1 to 658,503:1. The gearmotors are maintenance-free, lightweight, compact and very rugged with a two-year warranty guaranteeing exceptional performance.