Wikov: From gearbox maker to European player (4. strana)

rail transport l transmission Special rail vehicles d With the arrival of Gmeinder in the Wikov Group, the position in the field of drives for special rail vehicles is also fundamentally changing. It was this extensive experience with special gearboxes for rail vehicles that contributed to the decision for the takeover of the German competitor. So far, this segment has been missing in Wikov's portfolio, or it has not been focussed on. The mosaic of products has therefore received gearboxes and drives for railway motor cars, railway cranes, maintenance of traction lines, tamping machines, and machines for the laying, installation, maintenance, and renewal of tracks. DMU d Wikov is also opening its door to the market of the diesel train unit (DMU), where Gmeinder is an established supplier of complete drive solutions up to a speed of 200 km/h. In the past, for example, they have supplied bevel gearboxes for the IC3 unit of Danish railways. Locomotives d Locomotive gearboxes are also the domain of mainly Gmeinder. These generally include shunting and freight locomotives in the whole range of designs from diesel, through diesel-electric, to solutions with paw motors used in electric locomotives. Wikov complements its portfolio with powerful gearboxes for sprung drives for passenger locomotives up to a speed of 200 km/h and a power output of 1.4 MW. Absolute independence in gearbox testing d Wikov, as one of the few companies producing gearboxes, has a testing facility for gearboxes, which allows for the simulation of the torque characteristics of a rail vehicle running cycle. With new testing equipment, the behaviour of the gearboxes can be tested as closely as possible to the real conditions of rolling stock operation. The whole system is equipped with stepless regulation of torque and engine speed. This makes it possible to simulate the driving characteristics of the vehicle, such as: accelerating, climbing, descending, and braking. Using the recorded speed, torque, or temperature, the gearbox can be tuned to be as ready as possible for actual operation. Gearboxes can be cooled by blowing air through special fans simulating the flow of air around the gearbox in the real environment of the vehicle. The entire system is protected against overload by software. Test results are immediately applied to the design of the gearboxes – for example: to modify gear design, gearbox cooling, or to further reduce noise. The system of hydraulic cylinders can simulate a dynamic load of up to 300 m.s-2 and is equipped with two 1.4 MW engines – one for driving and the other for braking. In addition, Wikov has gained valuable experience in testing drives for extreme cold conditions. Customers from Russia in particular require this type of test. Wikov uses a cooling box of modular sandwich design, so the box is easy to assemble and disassemble. It is equipped with two 2×26 kW compressors with additional fans, so it is possible to gradually cool the gearbox, or the entire drive, to –45 °C. For rolling stock gearboxes, the so-called hard start is used, when the gearbox is started without oil preheating. Obviously, during such tests temperatures inside the gearbox, pressures, torque, speed, and vibration are measured. has increased to more than 3,000 gearboxes per year, and further significant growth is expected for all types of rolling stock. Wikov is going to expand its sales network in key global territories using Gmeinder's extensive network. The company is now directing its development activities to further increase the useful properties of the product portfolio and to develop remote diagnostics. p Wikov MGI a.s. – production facility Zbečník 356, 549 31 Hronov phone.: +420 491 488 111 e-mail: mgi@wikov.com www.wikov.com In conclusion d The current production and assembly capacity of gearboxes at the Wikov Group Wikov Industry Is a traditional (production in Hronov began in 1884 and in Pilsen in 1918) and the largest manufacturer of industrial gearboxes and transmission equipment in the Czech Republic, and is also one of the world's leading manufacturers of industrial gearboxes. In its current form, the Wikov Industry engineering group began to establish itself on the market in 2002. In the Czech Republic, its companies include Wikov Gear s.r.o. based in Pilsen (manufacture of industrial gearboxes, high-speed gearboxes and gears), Wikov MGI a.s. based in Hronov (industrial gearboxes, gearboxes for renewable energy sources – wind and tidal power plants, as well as drives and gearboxes for rail vehicles), Wikov Sázavan s.r.o. (manufacture of machine parts and engineering components), and Detail CZ (manufacture of precision parts for trucks, construction and agricultural machinery). The group uses its Orbital2 company for the design and construction of planetary gearboxes. Gmeinder Getriebe Gruppe, a German company manufacturing and servicing gearboxes for rail vehicles, became part of the Wikov Group in 2019. In the same year, the Wikov-RS facility for the assembly of rail vehicle gearboxes was established in the Russian city of Tver, as a joint venture between Wikov Industry and PKTS, a Russian manufacturer of rail vehicles. The entire Wikov Industry group currently employs more than 1,000 people, with annual sales of USD 120 million. The whole group is profitable in the long run. www.technikaatrh.cz 13