Nord Delivers Heavy-Duty Industrial Gear Units, Motors, and Controls for Mining Applications

Nord Drivesystems provides a comprehensive product portfolio of heavy-duty drive solutions engineered to withstand the extreme rigors of the mining and bulk material handling industry. Central to their offering is the MaxxDrive industrial gear unit series (pictured above) which delivers high output torques up to 2,495,900 lb.-in., making them ideal for high-capacity applications such as crushers, mills, and conveyors. By pairing these robust units with energy-efficient motors (up to IE5+) and intelligent variable frequency drives, Nord provides a fully integrated, modular system that maximizes throughput while significantly reducing energy consumption and maintenance downtime.

MaxxDrive industrial gear units provide the high torque and rugged durability required for the extreme environments of the Mining Industry. These units are typically engineered into large-scale conveyor systems, bucket elevators, winches, and crushers where they manage the high starting loads and continuous operation necessary for transporting heavy raw materials. The MaxxDrive series is designed with a one-piece Unicase housing that ensures high structural rigidity and leak protection to withstand the temperature fluctuations and abrasive dust common in mining environments. The gear units can be equipped with cooling systems, such as axial fans or internal cooling coils, to maintain thermal stability during high-load processing,
effectively minimizing downtime and extending the service life of the system. Many options common for mining systems are also available including elastic input couplings, disc/drum brakes, axial fans, swing bases, auxiliary drives, oil coolers/oil heaters, splash lubrication, and more.

Two-stage MaxxDrive XT industrial gear units utilize a special ribbed Unicase housing with an enhanced axial fan design that maximizes thermal power limits, often eliminating the need for external cooling in harsh, high-temperature environments. Large roller bearings and center distances increase the load capacity for consistent, safe operation of systems. Mirror-image installation is also possible via the symmetrical design, effectively reducing the number of replacement gear units and administrative expenses. A wide range of options including couplings, brakes, backstops, and motor attachments are additionally available to meet system needs.

Unicase helical bevel gear units are made from a robust, single-piece housing that offers long-lasting gearing, high axial and radial load capacity, minimum backlash, and a long service life. They are ideal for applications such as screw classifiers, travel drives for tripper cars, and conveyors for surface miners, feeder breakers, and mobile or semi-mobile crushing plants for in-pit crushing and screening. 11 case sizes extend the torque range up to 442,500 lb.-in. while a variety of shaft and mounting options, including the Gripmaxx keyless bushing system, provide flexibility to specific application requirements. Heavy duty bearing options and spread bearing/flange mount designs further increase load capacity and service life.

Unicase parallel shaft gear units deliver high efficiency and performance in a compact design for areas where installation space is limited. Application-specific designs and broad adaptability to different requirements offer a high degree of flexibility along with various mounting and shaft options. Heavy-duty bearings ensure excavators, drills, and crushers operate continuously under heavy stress with minimum downtime.

Nord electric AC motors meet all common global efficiency regulations and standards and are manufactured in-house for short lead times. Many configurations are possible with options including brakes, IP66 protection, encoders, external cooling fans, thermal protection, and more. Dust explosion protected motors and gas explosion protected motors are additionally available for elevated safety and efficiency of operations in the hazardous environmental conditions common in mining. These motors deliver reliable power from 0.16 – 30.0 hp, ensuring ideal performance where dust and gas explosion are paramount.

Nordac Pro variable frequency drives are a centralized, control cabinet solution suited for a wide range of applications thanks to scalable functionality through 6 frame sizes up to 200.0 hp, ease of installation, and high precision regulation. The series features an integrated multi-protocol Ethernet interface, a multi-encoder interface for multi-axis control, and a USB interface for voltage-free parameterization. Functional safety options such as STO and SS1 offer protection for not only the drive system, but also the material and operators as well. An integrated PLC additionally enabled detection of blockages in the systems and can automatically adjust operation direction to free the material blockage.