Heidenheim, Germany 24 January 2018 -- Voith introduces the first-to-market intelligent wear protection solution for joint shaft couplings. The Voith FlexPad Roll End Hub (REH) design increases hub body operational life by significantly reducing wear. End-customers benefit from this as they are able to significantly reduce their operational as well as maintenance cost by an average of approx. 20 percent.

Hub wear is a well-known issue for mill operators and it usually leads to an increased clearance between the hub and the roll end which also affects the overall efficiency of the installed system. The vicious cycle of greater clearance turning into additional hub wear results in expensive downtime and re-machining for customers. The Voith FlexPad solution eliminates the metal to metal contact, reduces wear and ensures a longer lifetime of the hub. The principle behind the FlexPad is to decrease wear. It allows an area contact to the roll neck by slight flexibility of the roll neck contact partner. The line contact is transferred into area contact, which decreases stress on local hotspots significantly. The prevention of overload on the hub surface again protects the hub from wear as well as steadily increasing clearance and through that lowers the breakage risk of the hub.

Additionally, since the products are installed as modules the FlexPad within the REH can be replaced as part of the general maintenance schedule, which additionally decreases rework and operational cost. This not only decreases downtime but also ensures a constant improvement in efficiency for overall maintenance processes. A safe and plannable operation between the scheduled maintenance stops is another valuable effect for customers.

The first field tests were conducted in late 2016 and have successfully proven the advantages of the installed system's benefits. Currently, the system has been in operation and no unexpected problems where encountered, while the roll neck contact partners were replaced on the prospected six-month maintenance basis.

Voith Turbo, a Group Division of Voith, is a specialist for intelligent drive solutions, systems and comprehensive services. Customers from highly diverse industries such as oil and gas, energy, rail and commercial vehicles, ship technology, mining and mechanical engineering rely on the advanced technologies and solutions-driven expertise of Voith Turbo.

Voith is a global technology group. With its broad portfolio of systems, products, services and digital applications, Voith sets standards in the markets of energy, oil & gas, paper, raw materials and transport & automotive. Founded in 1867, Voith today has more than 19,000 employees, sales of € 4.2 billion and locations in over 60 countries worldwide and is thus one of the largest family-owned companies in Europe.

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EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY: We are a large automation company that has a line of consistency transmitters, sample valves and sheet break detectors that are marketed through a rep. network. We are seeking someone with a strong background in consistency control to facilitate start-ups, provide troubleshooting and technical advice. The individual should have experience in all major types of consistency measurement technologies (blade, rotary, microwave and optical). Knowledge of sheet break detection technology is desirable as well. Willingness to travel to paper production facilities across the US is a must.

Travel & Living Expenses to be reimbursed along with an agreed upon daily per diem rate.

For more information, please contact Jim Thompson at: jthompson@taii.com Ph. 678-206-6010 Cell: 404-822-3412

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