Stieber streamlines heavy duty brake specification with Twiflex partnership

Backstop, brake and clutch specialist, Stieber GmbH, part of the Altra Industrial Motion group, is now offering the complete range of heavy duty brakes from world leading brand Twiflex. Stieber can also provide local application engineering support and package bespoke mounting equipment and ancillary components to meet customers’ exact specifications.

Heavy duty disc brakes are a vital operational feature of many different types of plant equipment, from cranes and elevators to grinding mills and conveyors, and a robust selection process is therefore critical when integrating these systems into a customer’s final design. For engineers specifying these brakes, this process can add time and complexity to design and engineering activities, and for end users it can complicate maintenance and upgrade planning.

Now, Stieber has partnered with its sister company Twiflex to provide a range of commonly used brake designs from stock at its facility in Heidelberg, Germany. The company is supplying the brakes as part of a comprehensive offering that includes assistance in the design and selection of brake units, as well as the provision of discs and hubs, mounting brackets and other parts needed in the support of a complete braking system.

The new offering greatly simplifies the purchase and installation of brakes for customers in the region, while Stieber’s close relationship with Twiflex means it can support even the most complex and unusual braking applications with custom-built options direct from the manufacturer.

Twiflex brakes are further supported by the extensive international sales, logistics and service capabilities of the broader Altra group, the world’s largest manufacturer of industrial clutches, brakes and couplings, so customers can be assured of on-going support, whatever the final destination of their products.

For more than 70 years, Twiflex products have been used in some of the most demanding power transmission applications in the world. As well as enjoying a global reputation for quality, Twiflex has incorporated a number of innovations into its designs to increase reliability and simplify assembly and maintenance. Included in the modular brake range, the ‘parked off’ feature, for example, permits simple installation, setting, and adjustment of a unit with no stored spring force and no hydraulic pressure present.

“With this new offering, we are answering the needs of our customers in Germany, who continually seek to streamline procurement and improve the agility and responsiveness of their operations” says Uwe Walter, MD of Stieber Germany. “It is also very satisfying that we have put such a useful engineering function at the heart of German manufacturing, and continue to provide employment for skilled people.”

“This new arrangement with Stieber is a great example of the way the Altra Industrial Motion group is working to improve service and support for customers worldwide,” adds Tony George, Product Manager at Twiflex. “Now our customers in Germany will be able to benefit from a shorter supply chain and easier local access to product expertise.”