Kapp Niles ZE 1200 gear grinder
Kapp Niles ZPI 25 gear grinder
120" diameter gear for a mining shovel in the ITAMCO Grinding Center
"Indiana Technology and Manufacturing Companies (ITAMCO) recently purchased two Kapp Niles gear profile grinding machines, at a cost of over three million dollars, that will further ITAMCO's leadership as a precision open-gearing services supplier to its customers in the energy industries," said a company spokesperson. "ITAMCO is one of the largest independent gear manufacturers in the world, capable of producing gears that are up to 4 meters (13 ft.) in diameter and weigh up to 80,000 lb."
Kapp Niles is a German manufacturer that provides innovative technologies and high-quality products. Both the Niles ZE 1200 and Niles ZPI 25 gear grinders are capable of grinding internal and external gears-spur and helical-and double helical. The ZE 1200 can grind gears up to 1,200 mm (4') and the ZPI 25 can grind gears up to 2,500 mm (8'). The ZPI has a grinding head that swivels so it can grind from external to internal with a simple and fast set-up, saving production time. The ZPI also features an onboard measuring system designed to meet the requirements for increased size and high precision for the energy industry. "The hardware and software features of the new grinders will enable ITAMCO to take hours out of the grinding process and ensure a quality level that meets DIN and AGMA standards," said the spokesperson.
The new machines will join the extensive gear grinder inventory already in use at ITAMCO, including the Kapp Niles ZP 40, one of the largest machines of its kind and the only such machine in the United States, and eight CBN gear grinders. The new equipment will be installed in ITAMCO's temperature-controlled precision grinding center in its 385,000 sq. ft. northern Indiana facility. To further accommodate the production of large-scale gears, ITAMCO utilizes Zeiss coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) that are ideally suited to verify very large gears, and the manufacturing facility has two overhead cranes, one with 40-ton capacity and another with 10 ton-capacity, ample loading docks and a rail connection. In addition, ITAMCO has ISO 9001-2008 certification.
ITAMCO combines its manufacturing capabilities with Autodesk design/engineering software so it can oversee the entire process for its customers. In fact, ITAMCO's engineers create digital models of the gears before production even begins. The result is the ability to manufacture gears to submicron tolerances. This level of precision is crucial because a precisely manufactured gear performs better. A tighter tolerance and more accurate fit mean less noise and less vibration, which can cause other components to fail. Beyond producing less noise and vibration, a precisely manufactured gear will last longer. It will not prematurely fail, and it will be able to handle more torque-both critical aspects for machinery that must meet the extreme demands of the energy industry.
"We have so much control over the entire process, from raw material procurement to finished product, that we can significantly reduce lead time and pricing, and no one can beat our quality," said David Neidig, Director of Business Development for ITAMCO.
For more information contact:
David Neidig
ITAMCO
6100 Michigan Road
Plymouth, IN 46563
574-936-2112
dkneidig@itamco.com
www.itamco.com
KAPP Technologies
2870 Wilderness Place
Boulder, CO 80301
303-447-1130
info-usa@kapp-niles.com
www.kapp-usa.com