As its exhibition presence at Electra Mining Africa showed, SEW-EURODRIVE is rolling out an even greater selection of planetary drives as part of its strategy to ‘close the loop’ in its product offerings by expanding into more industry sectors.

Among the new ranges being introduced into South Africa are its SEW PPK series and the SEW P2.e series of planetary gear units – both showcasing new opportunities for industrial gearbox users. According to Jonathan McKey, National Sales and Marketing Manager at SEW-EURODRIVE, these new additions to the local range highlight the company’s global engineering and applications capabilities.

“The PPK series was originally developed by SEW-EURODRIVE in Brazil, for instance, to serve their large and thriving sugar sector,” says McKey. “Our design and engineering experts in Germany then further leveraged these advances when they developed the SEW P2.e series – aimed at larger applications.”

He emphasises that both series built upon the key benefits that planetary gear units present to customers: a compact solution for space-constrained conditions, alongside high torque and low speed outputs. The SEW PPK series delivers 10 to 18 kNm of torque with a ratio range from 65:1 to 390:1, while the SEW P2.e series encompasses torque ratings from 24 to 124 kNm with ratios from 15,2:1 to 332:1.

“The SEW PPK satisfies the need for a lower torque requirement, and is well suited to southern hemisphere markets,” he explains. The ratio can be further reduced by the addition of a primary reducer before the planetary head, to reach ratios up to 10,650:1 – for a much lower speed capability.

The SEW P2.e was then developed with all these benefits, but with a broader spectrum of diversity in its speed – up to 100 rpm – as well as in ratio and torque, he says. While most planetary gearboxes have a three-stage design, the SEW P2.e can also be supplied in a two-stage model.

Greg Lewis, SEW-EURODRIVE Business Development Manager for Projects, points out that the company has been careful to retain the same critical dimensions as previous SEW P-series models. This allows customers to migrate seamlessly to the more versatile SEW P2.e units without altering their operating environment or infrastructure.

Among the common applications in the mining sector for planetary gearboxes, says Lewis, are clarifiers, thickeners and apron feeders. Other industrial applications include slewing drives, screw feeders and wood panel presses.

“In the agricultural sector, sugar mills are big users of planetary units,” he says. “The SEW PPK series, arising as it did to serve the needs of sugar mills in Brazil, has exciting opportunities for application in African countries.”

McKey highlights another important aspect of these planetary ranges: their reduced weight compared to traditional technologies.

“A sugar mill’s crystalliser, for example, will conventionally have a multi-gear solution which applies considerable weight and strain on the system,” he explains. “A compact planetary unit from SEW-EURODRIVE can now deliver the same results with much less weight – within an integrated design. The benefits are also felt in less wear on components like bearings and the civils structures, which leads to less maintenance being required.”

Also, on SEW-EURODRIVE’s showcase of new products is its high performance ECO2 geared motors, designed in line with the company’s sustainability focus and the market’s growing demand for products that are more environmentally friendly in their manufacturing process. The ECO2 range boasts a coating-free design, so there are no solvents or coatings used on the outer surfaces. This makes these units efficient and reliable in indoor applications where humidity levels can reach 60%, and they can operate in temperatures between minus 20° C and 60° C. Their aluminium construction reacts with oxygen to form a thin protective layer; the ECO2 design also meets the requirements of ISO 12944 corrosive category 1.

On the automation side, a highlight of the SEW-EURODRIVE offering is the SEW MOVI-C® drive technology – a comprehensive modular automation system designed to provide seamless integration and high performance for various industrial applications.

Willem Strydom, SEW-EURODRIVE’s Manager Business Development Electronics points to applications like hoisting where MOVI-C® facilitates the use of regenerative power from braking and this energy can be fed back into the system or stored in battery packs. The MOVILINK® digital data interface (DDI) connects the drive train into the data system through a unique single hybrid cable solution

“This further allows customers to receive real-time information on a range of indices, such as energy efficiency, application performance and condition monitoring,” he says. “This differentiates us significantly in the market.