Solutions from Ruland: Shaft Collars for Gearboxes
Ruland clamp style shaft collars are manufactured from select materials, have fine finishes, high holding power, and precise face to bore perpendicularity making them ideal for the demands of gearboxes.
Clamp style shaft collars can be used for guiding, spacing, stopping, mounting, and component alignment. Gearbox manufacturers benefit from the tightly controlled face to bore perpendicularity of Ruland shaft collars (TIR ≤ 0.002”) which is critical when they are used as a load bearing face or for aligning internal gearbox components such as bearings or gears. Ruland identifies this work surface with one or two circular grooves on the face of the shaft collar to assist in installation.
Clamp type shaft collars do not mar the shaft and are easy to install and adjust. They distribute compressive forces evenly around the shaft for a tight fit and significantly increased holding power when compared to set screw collars. This design is especially useful for gearboxes that use hollow bore output shafts which mate to round bore shafting that may have different tolerancing or hardness rendering set screws unusable. Ruland two-piece style shaft collars offer increased holding power, in-place servicing, and are mated throughout the manufacturing process for proper fit and alignment. The Ruland name and bore size are stamped on every shaft collar for ease of identification.
Ruland manufactures shaft collars from aluminum, 1215 lead-free steel, 303 and 316 stainless steel, and engineered plastic in bore sizes ranging from 1/8” (3mm) to 6” (150mm). This diverse range of sizes and materials allows gearbox designers to match shaft collars to application needs. Ruland uses fastening hardware that tests beyond industry standards for maximum torque capabilities and holding power. All Ruland shaft collars are made from bar stock sourced from select North American mills and carefully manufactured in our Marlborough, MA factory.