Materials handling

The smooth running of one of Australia's biggest passenger security operations is being entrusted to the reliability of Bonfiglioli industrial gearboxes.

More than 500 W series drives as well as about 40 A series bevel helicals have been installed into Qantas domestic security check baggage handling conveyors at Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Hobart and Canberra airports.

The installations, as part of one of Australia's most extensive materials handling tasks, follow the case of similar drives used on Qantas domestic security conveyors at Sydney and Melbourne, Australia's busiest airports, which handle more than 25 million passengers and their luggage a year.

Airports depend almost totally on their baggage conveyor systems. Gearboxes in these applications are subjected to constant stop-start operation and sudden loads have to deliver top performance around the clock.

The most numerous drive chosen for the task, the W series of worm gearboxes in models from 190-1000 Nm, is already proven in service in applications ranging from food, beverage and primary product processing and packaging to conveyors in factories around the country.

The airport units were selected because of their reliability in service, their ease of removal for routine maintenance and the backup offered by the company, which recently doubled the size of its Australian headquarters.

Mounting versatility is enhanced by the units having five machined sides to offer maximum versatility for universal mounting, while a new motor spline adapter permits easier and quicker motor changes.

Ease of installation and replacement is further enhanced by the W series being dimensionally interchangeable with the VF styles, using simple bolt-on kits. The A series helical bevel drives used in the airport installations are also versatile and compact.

The A series is available in nine sizes from 0.9-55 Kw and 150-14,000 Nm torque and achieves its versatility by having a ratio range up to 1700:1 in a single gearbox, with four reduction stages.