Quality, above anything else, is the lasting impression of any service or good purchased. There is, typically, an association with tried and true, established brands and an assumption of quality. More goes into being the embodiment of the concept of quality than just the name printed or stamped on the machine, or the country from which it originates.
In our industry, it comes down to the engineering of that product, and a level of commitment of service that upholds that value of quality. BONENG, has set out to uphold those values with their line of products.
Industrial gearboxes and motors are essential to many applications. They can range from small, specialized units that feature fractional horsepower to gearboxes the size of a car. BONENG looks to shake up the establishment as a global supplier of gearboxes and power transmission components as they move to gain a larger presence in the American market.
From East to West
BONENG was founded in 1992 by a dedicated team in China. The company has since grown to be an industry leader in their own country. In 2007 the company competitively established themselves in India. Following that, in 2010, BONENG expanded its reach by moving into the United States.
Design-wise, the gearboxes are manufactured to go toe-to-toe with other internationally established companies. This includes their line of gearboxes, gearmotors, screw jacks and couplings, motors, and planetary gearboxes. All finished in a striking blue that has become the official look of the brand.
Each of the company’s offerings provides various model types and arrangements to meet a wide range of solutions and diverse applications. Their products feature a modular design. As such, BONENG products gain an overall advantage. It is far easier to design new products, and the number of different parts to be manufactured, inventoried, and stocked is reduced. This leads to cost savings and reduced manufacturing time. BONENG is even capable of working directly with a customer on custom orders.
“We had a customer that wanted to change his drive design,” explains Chris Hodge, design engineer for BONENG. “I worked with him to supply the whole drive, except they already had the 250 horsepower main drive motor that they wanted. We coupled that motor with one of our planetary gearboxes that we modified to accept a secondary input from an auxiliary drive. The auxiliary drive consisted of one of our gearmotors, and it could be engaged and disengaged through an electromagnetic clutch which we sourced for the customer.”
This customer feels like the design separates them from their competition and gives them an overall advantage. BONENG is willing to break the mold and fall back on their twenty-year history to bring a custom product that not only exceeds the customer’s expectations, but does so, typically, below the cost margin they might expect.
Quality Above All Else
“The thing that sets us apart is quality,” explains Dennis Klinger. “Our products are verifiably high quality. These products are used in the same industries in China. They are pervasive in the mining industry, and in the material handling industry with cranes and conveyors. BONENG has a reputation for quality.”
Their products can also be found in use in other industries such as metal processing, food and beverage production, textiles, agriculture, cranes and other construction equipment. The gearboxes are even frequently found in use within park rides for the amusement industries.
This strong dedication to quality is the overall emphasis of the company. Since the inception, a driving force of teamwork and innovation has been an underlining importance for the company. By sticking to their core values, the company has been allowed to not only invest in product development, but also back into the business itself.
Internationally recognized, BONENG is committed to their customers. Their trained staff, and global presence, allows for quick, personal, and attentive advice that can range from technical specifications, to potential lead times, or dealing with service issues.
True Craftsmanship
The gear units are manufactured in Suzhou and Wenzhou, China. Based on the ISO gear design standard, the gears themselves are made of forged high-strength low-alloy steel that is case-hardened by carburizing to produce a surface hardness of 58-62 HRC (Rockwell C scale).
After heat treatment, the gear teeth are finished by grinding. This process produces an ISO accuracy grade in the range of five to six. If a customer finds that higher tooth form accuracy is needed for their application, BONENG can produce up to an ISO accuracy level of three.
The gear teeth are designed and manufactured with profile and lead modifications. This design results in a stronger tooth while providing overall improved contact. Benefits of this include longer life and quieter operation. The gears are manufactured using well-known, internationally recognized machine brands. Gleason, Mazak, and Hofler are some of the top manufacturers that are used by BONENG.
The gear unit housings are designed using three dimensional computer aided design. The stresses are calculated and analyzed using the finite element method. This numerical technique provides a fast and accurate representation of the stresses and deflections in the complex geometry of the gear unit housings.
While some of the housings are made of cast aluminum, most of the housings in the product line are made from cast iron. BONENG’s smaller worm gear units are one of the products that benefit the most from cast aluminum. This is due to the greater heat dissipation and lighter weight properties that cast aluminum provides. Additionally, some of the larger gearboxes can be manufactured with a welded steel housing.
The shafts are made of high-strength low-alloy steel that is through-hardened by normalizing, quenching, and tempering. This process improves strength and hardness and provides a homogeneous microstructure throughout the part.
The input and output shaft dimensions are metric and conform to ISO standard dimensions and tolerances. However, if required by the client, the shaft interface dimensions can be custom made to imperial units. Additionally, the radial shaft seals are made of FKM, a fluoroelastomer similar to Viton.
BONENG uses a mixture of Chinese domestic and imported bearings. The high-speed bearings are imported bearings, and the lower speed bearings are Chinese domestic bearings. If the customer so desires, they can order that their gearbox be built with only imported bearings. The imported bearing brands consist of SKF, FAG, NSK and NTN. Additionally, the Chinese domestic bearing brands are HRB, ZWZ, and LYC.
Verifying Quality
The gearboxes are checked for quality throughout the manufacturing process. Before arriving at BONENG, the raw materials are tested and are delivered with a material certification. Only qualified materials will be used in production of their products.
After heat treatment, a representative sample is measured to check the case and core hardness of the gear teeth. Then, after final machining, the gear teeth are measured using a computer controlled gear measurement machine to check that the gear tooth form meets the designed accuracy level. The ahousing and shaft dimensions are, also, checked using a coordinate measurement machine to ensure the highest quality.
After the gear unit is assembled, it is put through a number of tests prior to shipment. The tests are designed to check the following: shaft endplay, gear mesh clearance, casting porosity and cracks, operation under no lod, total gear ratio, noise level, temperature rise during no-load operation, gear unit vibration during no-load operation, and paint adhesion.
BONENG is currently redesigning each of their gearboxes, one at a time. The design goal of the new style gearboxes is to provide an appearance that is uniquely BONENG while improving performance. They are also working on a variable frequency drive controller. VFD controllers are typically costly products. BONENG’s goal is to make these units more affordable to their customers.
For more information, visit www.boneng.com
