Peoria, IL -- Here's a classic story of technology transfer that shows why thinking outside the gearbox helped engineers at Doppelmayr achieve their design objectives for durability and reliability. Sometimes, technology transfer occurs because two different applications that exist in dissimilar industries have similar requirements. That was the case with single- and dual-stage gearboxes used in Caterpillar® bulldozers. Now, the same mechanical drive systems that have been proven in countless construction and building applications are also found around the world in ski lifts and other recreational people movers manufactured by Doppelmayr/CTEC (Salt Lake City, UT).
Doppelmayr has a lengthy track record of innovation in "ropeway technology" used in recreation and entertainment applications. Many of the applications are in North America and Europe; however, they also exist on nearly every continent, in remote places as well as densely populated areas.
Product quality and a no-compromise approach to safety drive the company's success in all applications, including entertainment applications such as the LA Fairplex in Los Angeles, CA. The portfolio of applications includes high-performance transportation systems for winter and summer tourism plus modern solutions for passenger transportation in the urban environments. One of the most important components in all of their designs is the drive system. So engineers at the company spent time researching what was available.
Doppelmayr research resulted in the selection of Caterpillar OEM Solutions Group for the supply of planetary gear drive systems for Doppelmayr installations. Many of the drives specified for Doppelmayr originated from the Cat track-type tractor family. Doppelmayr also buys drive systems that were originally developed for line of Cat wheeled tractor-scrapers used in road building, grading, and other applications.
Mike Beeley, a Doppelmayr engineer at the company's U.S. operations in Salt Lake City, is familiar with the company's entertainment applications. "One of the primary reasons we use Caterpillar is for the proven reliability of the components," says Beeley. "We looked at a lot of gearboxes and Caterpillar had what we were looking for overall."
Some drive systems Doppelmayr buys from Caterpillar are rated from 30 hp to larger drives rated up to 800 hp, according to Beeley. He adds that, in addition to a range of power capabilities. . . to read the rest of the story, click here.