KTR has developed a floating caliper brake which is made of one single piece – a first for the UK marketplace.

KTR U.K., based in Sheffield, has been manufacturing power transmission products for a wide range of energy sector applications, including generator sets, pumps, and compressors, for more than 50 years. It is part of global parent company KTR Systems GmbH, which is headquartered in Germany and makes mechanical couplings and overload systems, torque measuring shafts, clamping sets, joints, hydraulic and electromechanical brake systems, hydraulic components, and cooling systems for industrial applications in mechanical and plant engineering.

Its new innovation, the XS series, is a first for the UK. It is available with a hydraulic or an electromechanical operating principle and can be operated in both active and passive modes. The brakes are suitable for sub-zero applications with temperatures ranging down to -40 °C.

The brake caliper of the new XS series combines the housing, spacer plate, and counter plate as one piece and is made of special LT nodular iron.

This makes the floating caliper brakes suitable for sub-zero applications with temperatures ranging down to -40 °C. All other components such as pad retainers, pistons and guide pins are made of steel.

The brake pads are made of ‘organic mixture’ or ‘sinter metal’ and can be easily replaced by one single person. Depending on the application’s preference and basic conditions, the XS brake can be operated either hydraulically or electromechanically, with clamping forces up to 15 kN being generated in the passive design and 16.5 kN in the active design.

The brakes are mounted to the respective machine each by two screws size M16.

Fabian Liekam, KTR’s Product Manager for Brake Systems, said: Since the brake caliper of the new series is made of one piece, there are no more exposed contact surfaces.

This has improved the brake’s corrosion resistance. In addition, the one-piece design has allowed us to extend the guide pins and double the number of bushings, improving the brake’s floating operation and the efficiency of transmission of force from the caliper to the base plate. This makes the brake even stronger.

The new floating caliper XS brakes series is intended for applications in the most demanding environmental conditions, both above or underground, onshore or offshore. They can be used both as service brakes, for high numbers of cycles, and as holding brakes.

The brakes are selected and adapted in KTR’s competence centre for brake systems, in Germany. It is here that KTR pools its activities for brakes under the umbrella of KTR Brake Systems GmbH. Developing and producing brake systems, tests and functional testing of prototypes and serial products are performed here as well.

Tests are performed on a universal brake test bench for rotor and yaw brakes, a tension test bench, a vibrating table or a cryogenic temperature cooling chamber allowing for tests with ambient temperatures down to – 40 °C.