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GEARS quite literally turn the wheels of industry, and when it comes to gear manufacture and repairs, Christchurch-based family business Duralloy Gears has an outstanding reputation for meeting and exceeding client expectations. Duralloy Gears sales and production manager Hadleigh Jones says the global recession and the Canterbury quakes have had little impact on the company. Its 12 specialist staff are fully engaged and committed to building and repairing gears for a diverse range of applications. “No job is too big or too small for Duralloy – we make gears from 2.5 metres in diameter to tiny precision gears that are used in medical equipment for eye surgery,” he says. “Our gears are in aircraft – such as the landing gear for the Lockheed C130 Hercules – as well as printers, ski lifts, fishing winches, sewing machines, locomotives, wind turbines, cars and motorcycles – to name just a few. “We can produce anything from a single gear to large production runs,” adds Jones. “We combine manufacturing efficiency and gear cutting precision to ensure a consistently high quality job, gear after gear. Each project is planned to produce a gear which meets our strict specifications and is monitored constantly according to exact testing and quality control standards.” Beware of cheap gears, warns Jones, made with budget materials and low spec equipment. “They may cost you much more in the long run with replacements and downtime.” Specialist services at Duralloy Gears include precision grinding. “We have a rare internal cylinder grinding machine which allows us to grind units with large bores while holding the unit stationary – ideal for applications such as the grinding of large hydraulic components.” Gear and spline grinding is also performed using machinery unique in New Zealand – and the company is well equipped for all the disciplines of turning and machining. Gear repairs and gearbox servicing are also fields that Duralloy excels in, and has done so for more than 60 years. It is the approved service agent for Lohmann+Stolterfoht and Kissling gearboxes. “We still use specially imported welding rods and equipment for our repair work,” says Jones, “as well as crack testing and inspection. We use detailed gear measurement and inspection machines to check that the repaired gear is within tight specifications for use.” Jones says the company has invested heavily in new technology, improved processes and training to improve the overall quality of its gearbox servicing and maintenance. When it comes to the reconditioning of gears, it offers a service that is not only environmentally friendly (by not requiring new raw material) but also cost efficient for the client. “We re-gearcut the large gear with carbide coated hobbs or gear-grind the teeth to obtain a new tooth surface and make a new drive pinion sized to suit,” says Jones. “This provides all the main benefits of a new gear set at a fraction of the cost.” |
EMAIL: Hadleigh Jones - sales@duralloy.co.nz
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