Page 25: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (October 2017)

Satisfaction in overall powertrain reli- example, in addition to the classic bear- in China, the Tian Kun of TDC. With the

Burgeoning Dredger Biz ability often comes down to individual ing, shaft and interlocking calculation, delivery of the gearboxes, Keller also

Keller supplied gearboxes for the larg- components, starting with the gearbox comprehensive research has sometimes est hopper dredger ever build in the supplied the complete electrical moni- and gear wheels. To this end C. u. W to be carried out on the deformation and Netherlands, the Vox Maxima for Dutch toring control system of the gearboxes.

Keller GmbH & Co.KG, has made in- stress behaviour of shafts and the gear- dredging company van Oord, a dredger In 2016 Keller was selected by the Bel- gium dredging company DEME as the vestment in its products and processes casing structure using FEM. This will be with two propulsion 15,000 kW gearbox- – $41 million over the last 15 years – to conducted with the aim of optimizing the es, each with a generator PTO of 10,000 supplier of the majority of the gearboxes ensure that it remains a strong link in the casing structure due to the immense and kW. In 2015 Keller received a purchase for the largest cutter suction dredger in propulsion chain. Keller’s experience in additional changing loads that can occur order for the supply of a 5000 kW cutter the world, Spartacus, reportedly the larg- gear wheels and gearbox that spans more during the dredging process. gearbox for the largest cutter ever built est gearbox in the dredging industry.

than 100 years, with marine applica- tions added to the line-up 18 years ago.

In nearly two decades Keller has found success in the maritime sector, getting its start with the repair of marine gearboxes for the dredging industry. This experi- ence led to its ? rst own-designed gear units for ? shing and small cargo ves- sels, and soon thereafter Keller was con- tracted to supply a 2,200 mm diameter gear wheel for the hopper dredger Lange

Wapper for DEME. The gear wheel had to be supplied quickly as the vessel was laid up in Hong Kong following its gear- box breakdown. Keller supplied the gear wheel in ? ve weeks, leading to inquiries from other major dredging companies.

Since that initial job, Keller has gained strong market share in the demand- ing dredger sector, supplying some 300 gearboxes for 120 dredging vessels.

Investment Strategy

Between 2007 – 2009 Keller bought several new production machines, in- cluding a mill for the machining of gearbox housings up to a weight of ap- proximately 100,000 kg and reportedly the largest gear grinder in Germany for gears up to 4,150 mm in diameter.

A second investment wave came in 2015, where among other things a gear cutting machine was installed for gears up to 4,700 mm in diameter.

But the investment didn’t come solely in the form of plants and machines, as

Keller saw the need for specialist engi- neers with experience in marine applica- tions, which included new hires as well as training of existing staff.

Quality of gear design and manufac- ture is core to the Keller brand, from project inception to ? nal commissioning, and an essential component of the qual- ity control is conveyed to the ? nal test run when drive and gear mechanisms are put through their paces. Support images of the gear toothing are taken and these are then compared with the calculations; the noises and vibrations are measured and the transmission tightness veri? ed.

In addition, the bearing temperatures are recorded over a period of several hours.

Testing is especially critical for dredg- ing applications, as certain dredge ap- plications look very simple but are ac- tually complex with effects reaching every other component in the chain. For www.marinelink.com 25

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