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The Role Of Half Couplings In USA Marine Settings

The demand for half couplings in the USA has grown over recent years, with wait times for products becoming greater. Poly Flex half couplings are all CNC machined and designed in our facility. Poly Flex constantly carries stock, which means orders can be expedited and dispatched quickly. The ability to shaft machine, keyway cut, grub screw, and modify our standard range of half couplings allows Poly Flex to quickly send customers in the USA a finished product ready for installation, removing the need for a customer to remove their shaft.

Poly Flex has worked closely with The Prop Shop in Washington, USA to stock a range of off-the-shelf half couplings ready for dispatch and installation in response to the growing demand for half couplings in the USA. All Poly Flex half couplings are shaft machined with a H7 morse taper shank reamer assuring the bore is done accurately. All metal components are plated with SA5 cobalt zinc for maximum corrosion resistance and durability.

Quality control plays a pivotal role in daily operations at Poly Flex. We take great pride in our ability to design and produce a wide spectrum of products, incorporating our CNC machining for all our internally designed and manufactured products, including our extensive range of half couplings. This allows Poly Flex to offer a wide range of half couplings to the US market, depending on the customer’s application.

Poly Flex half couplings are a steel mating component used between the gearbox and output shaft designed to transmit power from the drive train to a driven shaft. Poly Flex manufactures a wide variety of half couplings for the USA market designed to suit multiple applications depending on the shaft setup, including a parallel clamp steel coupling, a pilot steel coupling, and a taper lock steel coupling.

Parallel Clamp Coupling

Firstly, a parallel clamp coupling is our most popular and commonly used half coupling. A parallel clamp half coupling is used in straight shaft applications. It allows the customer to tighten the coupling onto the shaft using socket head cap screws going through the body of it. In smaller horsepower applications, a keyway or grub screw may not be necessary. Poly Flex constantly carry stock of four-inch to six-inch parallel clamp couplings to suit popular or common gearboxes. However, we also carry blank flange custom parallel clamps for applications that aren’t common.

Pilot Bored Coupling

Secondly, Poly Flex manufactures a pilot bored coupling, the most widely recognised half coupling worldwide. A pilot-bored half coupling is commonly utilised in tapered shaft applications. However, it can also be used with straight shafts. These couplings commonly have a keyway or grub screw installed to stop the shaft from slipping. Poly Flex has a wide range of standard stock and regularly manufactures custom pilot bored half couplings to suit the customer’s application.

Taper Lock Coupling

Lastly, a taper lock coupling is used in tight, hard-to-reach straight shaft applications. A taper lock half coupling uses four socket head cap screws found on top of the coupling to tighten the coupling onto the shaft, usually without a keyway or grub screw. These couplings are used in lower horsepower applications, with a common stock of four-inch and five-inch couplings on our shelf. Poly Flex also carries blank flange options for custom manufacturing.

How Keyway Cutting And Shaft Machining Are Used In The Production Of Half Couplings

At Poly Flex, all our shaft machining and keyway cutting procedures are done on the JFMT Ji-460 lathe. We consistently monitor and inspect this lathe, ensuring that all half couplings leaving our factory meet our second-to-none expectations. All half couplings are precision bored with an H7 Morse taper shank reamer, attaining superior accuracy in hole diameter. All half couplings are clocked prior to shaft machining and keyway cutting and checked after machining for accuracy. This allows Poly Flex to dispatch half couplings internationally, including in the USA, knowing our product will fit and perform as it should. Poly Flex proudly designs and manufactures all our half couplings, allowing them to be easily modified to suit a customer’s application.For more information regarding our extensive half coupling range for the USA marine industry, please click here.  Alternatively, contact us today to discuss all your manufacturing needs.