Before becoming part of CBC’s group of businesses in 2012, the Fenner® name was synonymous with power transmission for more than 160 years, providing premium drive and fluid transfer solutions to the global industrial market.
As a market leader in cast iron belt drives, pulleys, and taper lock bushes, Fenner remains steadfast today as a globally trusted brand– winning the favour of many loyal customers along the way.
According to CBC Technical Sales Specialist Chula Jayawardene, Fenner’s legacy stems from decades of offering the some of the most premium power transmission solutions to available to the market.
“Fenner has the requisite experience and engineering capabilities as a supplier and manufacturer of PT solutions, offering a comprehensive portfolio of belt-driven designs and iron couplings, pulleys, and taperlocking accessories that suit a wide range of driven systems,” says Chula.
Among them are the Fenner® Classic V Friction Belt, the Fenner® Friction Pulley, and the Fenner Taper Lock® Bush system which are commonly used by major pump manufacturers, according to Chula.
“Specialised pump manufacturers have relied on Fenner and CBC products over the years to achieve excellence in the engineering and design of our industry-leading driven parts for pump applications,” he says.
One of Chula’s key clients is a major pump manufacturer whose products are used across a wide range of industries including the renewable energy, potable water supply, irrigation operations, agriculture, and the general manufacturing sector.
The company began sourcing cast ironware parts and components from Fenner’s legacy flagship company in the 1980’s that went into the development and construction key products in their pump range.
At that time, CBC’s Chula Jayawardene was working at Fenner and recalls the client as one of his customers early in his career.
“I have been providing engineered pump solutions products from the Fenner portfolio to this client for decades now– they have been a very loyal customer to us,” he says. “They began purchasing products from Fenner and then transitioned with us when the business was acquired by CBC.”
Since that time, the client has exclusively used Fenner cast iron shaft couplings, pulley drives and cast-iron flanged tyre couplings in the construction of their pump range products which are assembled on-site.
“At some capacity, the two businesses have worked hand-in-hand together for decades because of shared common goals and core business values which are aligned in terms of our standards for high‑quality and performance in our products, as well as our mutual connections to a variety of different industries,” Chula enthuses.
“The strength of CBC’s relationship with our key clients is further reinforced by our combined engineering expertise and heritage as globally recognised industrial solutions providers to the market,” Chula adds.
With more than 30 years of experience himself working with power transmission and fluid transfer systems, Chula is uniquely qualified as a Technical Sales Representative to manage the account and his passion and dedication to his client is evident.
“I have worked very closely with this client for over the past three decades to ensure their needs as a valued customer are being fulfilled to the highest possible standard,” he says.
“I visit their site to assess and analyse their equipment and processes and I make a point to gather a full understanding of their application requirements in order to optimise the delivery of product to their site,” he furthers.
“At CBC, we ensure that clients are receiving the right Fenner products at the right time, and that they are always fully stocked for pump production. It helps that Fenner has very good stock coverage across our network of distribution centres, while remaining versatile in terms of range.”
The Fenner® Classic V Friction Belt is constructed with a treated jacket that has heat, oil resistant properties and is conducive to static in accordance with ISO 1813. In addition to these features, the belt uses Precision Built (PB) technology, eliminating the need for matching.
The robust construction of the V-belt is well met by the speed and power of the Fenner® Friction Pulley– manufactured from high grade iron and capable of moving at speeds of up to 40 metres per second. Each pulley is available with pilot bore fixings or a Fenner Taper Lock® Bush system for fixing drive components to the shaft with precision and accuracy.
“In addition to drive solutions for pump applications, Fenner’s practical drive solutions are also ideal for a wide range of applications within the manufacturing sector such as conveyor drives, coolers, washers, compressors, fans, and heat extraction units,” concludes Chula.
“The result is a complete package solution that stands tall as a reliable range of products for industrial manufacturers, and in true CBC form continues to keep things rolling for Australian industry.”
Eddie the Engineer’s Hot Tips: Fitting a Fenner® Taper Lock® System
1. Ensure that the mating tapered surfaces, bore and shaft are completely clean, then insert brush in the hub so that the holes line up.
2. Sparingly oil thread and point grub screws, or thread and under head of cap screws. Place screws loosely in holes threaded in hub.
3. If a key is to be fitted, place it in the shaft keyway before fitting the brush. It is essential that it is a parallel key and side fitting only and has TOP CLEARANCE.
4. Clean and fit the hub to the shaft as one unit and locate position desired, remembering that the bush will nip the shaft first and then the hub will be slightly drawn on to the brush.
5. Using a hexagon wrench, tighten the screws gradually and alternately to torque settings as per fitting instructions in the box.
6. Hammer against large end of the brush, using a block or sleeve to prevent damage. Repeat this alternate hammering and screw tightening once or twice to achieve maximum grip on the shaft.
7. After the drive has been running under load for a short time, stop and check the tightness of the screws. Then, fill the empty holes with grease to exclude dirt.
For more information on Fenner ironware products or assistance with fitting or installing components, Chula recommends customers visit a local CBC branch to consult with a technical expert.
