The more comprehensive facilities get automated, the more safely disturbances – which could lead to machinery breakdowns or damages on products – have to be excluded.
To protect transported products in packaging machines safety elements like switching or slipping couplings are inserted in the drive chain. Thereby advantages and disadvantages of both different types of couplings have to be considered, because they are crucial for an effective protection of the facility.
Slipping clutches are the simplest overload systems. The detriment of those in many applications is that the disengagement torque can’t be adjusted accurately and durable. In addition the frictional resistance of the coating could be strongly affected by dampness and lubricants. Furthermore the abrasion of friction pads throughout emerging evolution of heat has to be considered. The advantage of the friction clutch is the very short configuration.
The Advantages of Synchronous couplings are the pretty accurate possiblity of adjusting the disengagement torque, the high repeatability and the very small torque in the moments between disengaging and re-engaging. In case of an overload a certain separation of masses in milliseconds is guaranteed. The movement of switching could easily be sampled by a proximity switch. The ENEMAC torque limiter type ECH for chain wheel drives combines advantages of the synchronous coupling with the short configuration of a slipping coupling. The drive section in the form of a chain wheel is a functional device of the coupling itself. High repeatability of the default disengagement torque and durable function is ensured by form closure of the coupling via balls, which are pressed into cages by disc springs. Via an groove nut the coupling gets adjusted on the right disengagement torque. In case of an overload the torque limiter disengages and self-reliantly re-engages after 1 turn. 11 design sizes make a total torque range of 2 Nm up to 900 Nm overall. The ECH torque limiter is favored in general engineering of machines.
