Many industries including the food and beverage, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries require intensive cleaning, strict washing, and disinfection processes to meet the highly-regulated, hygienic standards that are required for their applications. To prevent material destruction by cleaning agents and disinfectants, NORD DRIVESYSTEMS developed nsd tupH—a sealed surface conversion system that ensures easy yet safe cleaning, ultimate surface durability, and wear resistance.
When compared to stainless steel, nsd tupH is a lightweight, cost-effective alternative. Stainless steel products provide high corrosion resistance but are costly and dissipate heat poorly. The advantage of using aluminum with nsd tupH is the material’s inherent low weight. This enables the finished product’s overall weight to remain low and the cost economical. The combination also results in superior drive performance as the gear load itself is lower and heat can be evenly dissipated.
Unlike conventional methods where paint is only applied superficially, the nsd tupH system uses a chromatefree chemical process that permanently penetrates the aluminum housing—transforming the metal’s physical properties and creating a surface that is up to 7 times harder than the original aluminum. A clear sealant is then applied to the bound substrate material to create a smooth surface that is easy to clean and maintain.
The sealant also provides further resistance to acids and alkalis, will not spread corrosion even if damaged, and unlike paint, will not blister, flake, or chip. Along with the strengthened housing, nsd tupH units are equipped with stainless steel shafts and hardware to further protect against rust and corrosion. Special shaft sealing rings are also installed to prevent unwanted moisture from entering the gearbox and damaging components. Synthetic or mineral food grade lubrication is optionally available for food and beverage applications.
Another advantage of nsd tupH compared to stainless steel is the product availability. Whereas stainless steel can only be used with a small range of products, nsd tupH is available with a wide variety of NORD’s modular drive system options such as:
- DuoDrive integrated gear units
- IE5+ synchronous motors
- NORDAC ON/ON+ variable frequency drives
- Two-stage helical bevel gear units
- NORDBLOC.1 helical inline gear units
- MINICASE™ worm gear units
- Smooth surface synchronous motors
- CLINCHER™ parallel shaft gear units
- NORDAC® FLEX variable frequency drives
Additionally, moisture, acids, alkalis, and salts occur in many dairy industry applications. Painted cast iron drive units typically fall short in these areas and see a high turnover rate. The nsd tupH surface conversion system meets these demanding environments and protects gear units from corrosion and damage that can quickly put them out of service.
For the high wash down, hygienic environments of the food and beverage industry, rapid drive corrosion has long been a major concern. NORD’s nsd tupH drive systems, engineered for the food and beverage industry, are characterized by a lightweight, compact, and self-draining design for convenient cleaning. The surface treatment even provides drive durability in the humid, salty atmospheres of the seafood industry where conventional cast iron units can begin to rust within several weeks and stainless-steel units require disruptive cool-off periods before they can be hosed-down. With several aluminum drives to choose from, NORD’s nsd tupH not only provides a cost-effective alternative solution, but also a versatile one.
Many applications in wastewater treatment plants are not only exposed to aggressive water environments, but also to harsh outdoor conditions. Treating drive systems with nsd tupH prevents corrosion from both wastewater and precipitation as well as resistance against dust and dirt. These durable drives ensure a longlife span with fewer system replacements required – resulting in more efficient operation and fewer unplanned downtimes.
With the nsd tupH surface conversion system, NORD DRIVESYSTEMS offers a reliable solution for the surface treatment of gearboxes, motors, variable frequency drives, and components with an optimal protection package and exceptional resistance to cleaning agents typically used in food, beverage, and chemical industries.
