June 27, 2001 Power Brokers

Volume 4 | Issue 5

Metso Drives is a global leader in the design and manufacture of large industrial gear drives. April Terreri motors through to discover more

Metso Drives’ products are used in such numerous and diverse applications that it would be difficult to find a major industry not represented on its client list. These industries include pulp and paper, environmental and recycling, water treatment, steel and metal processing, hydropower and wind power, rubber and plastics, mining and materials handling, telecommunications, marine, food processing, wood processing, oil and gas, chemical, cement, construction and transportation. For more than 50 years, Metso Drives has provided industrial power transmission solutions for the most demanding applications to companies around the world. Pekka Hannikainen, the company’s engineering manager, comments, “We are an engineering-oriented, technology-focused manufacturer of a broad range of standard and custom-designed industrial drives, gear units and open gearing.”

With its North American headquarters in Cambridge, Ontario, Metso Drives is part of the Metso Corporation, which is headquartered in Helsinki. According to Maria Puim, Metso Drives’ controller, the parent “helps our customers capitalize on their investments by providing solutions tailored to their performance and reliability needs.”

Structured for Service

Certified for ISO 9001, Metso Drives takes pleasure in its strong global presence. Its 10 facilities are located in the United States, Canada, Finland, Sweden and Germany. The company also operates a network of technical sales and service personnel throughout the world to accommodate its customers 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Metso Drives offers its customers the assurance of superior resources in its technical applications expertise, innovative engineering, documentation, intensive training and extensive parts and service operation.

The company has three multifaceted service centers in Cambridge, Greenville, S.C., and Portland, Ore. “Our core business is focused on gear units and open gearing,” says Cosmin Carpinisan, vice president. “So whether you require service for an enclosed gear drive unit or a replacement of an open gear – regardless of the original manufacturer or brand – Metso Drives’ service has the solution to keep your equipment running.”

The Metso Drives Solutions and Programs plan includes 24-hour emergency response, preventative maintenance programs, condition monitoring, rebuilt or replacement drives built to customers’ specifications, a spare parts stocking program and on-site or in-house training programs.

Driving World Commerce

“Since Metso Corporation is one of the world’s leading suppliers of paper and board machines, Metso Drives’ chief area of operation involves pulp, paper and board applications, processes and services,” says Pertti Wathen, president of the North American unit. “From wood handling to paper roll finishing, our objective is to help our customers save time through our extensive process know-how and efficient project consulting.”

More than 400 paper, board and tissue-making or pulp-drying machines around the world operate with Metso Drives’ complete mechanical drive packages. The company designs all the components in a drive package – include couplings, gear reducers, drive shafts, safety guards, layout and foundation – to form a well-functioning entity. It also supplies mechanical drives for the wood-processing industry.

The company’s drives are also used extensively in the telecommunications industry, most notably with compact planetary gear units. “This allows the power ratings to be high, compared to the size of the unit,” explains Petri Raatikainen, design engineer. “Also, their output torques are extremely efficient due to the stiffness of the structure.” The overall stiffness of antenna azimuth and elevation drives must maintain a small value to ensure that the antenna can remain on the satellite signal; gear units are major contributors to that value.

Digging out a Better Way

Mining and mineral processing are other focus areas for Metso Drives. Gear drives in mining applications must operate in extremely harsh environments in which temperature and humidity factors can vary widely. Metso Drives’ gear boxes all feature a carefully dimensioned lubrication and cooling system, appropriate instrumentation, proper surface treatment and an environmental design. Rotating kilns and drums traditionally used conventional two-piece gear rings. However, Metso engineers found a better way and designed a unique girth ring for these applications. Metso gear rings are made of 12 to 14 segments (or more, depending on the diameter), which means that spare parts are easier to install and replace.

Many recycling plants use Metso Drives’ innovative screw press, which is designed to withstand demanding external forces. In the arena of renewable energy, Metso Drives’ power-efficient solutions are used by wind-power developers; and its hydrogenerator gear units help turbines operate in hydropower plants. These products’ features, including low noise and vibration levels, are of utmost important to these applications.

Rubber and plastic extruders operate under severe conditions. Metso Drives’ gear units for extruders have a screw diameter range of 2 inches to 10 inches. The thrust bearing receiving the axial load from the screws forms an integral part of the gear unit.

With roots that can be traced back to 1750, Metso corporation today serves major industries and employs 23,000 people worldwide. Metso Drives is an important part of Metso Corporation’s strategic plan to become the world leader in vital products for the world’s basic industries.

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