What Is a MechaLock?
A MechaLock is a type of friction-type fastener used in industrial machinery.
It fastens a rotating shaft and a rotating body (pulley, gear, sprocket, etc.) to transmit power. It’s often referred to as a keyless bushing because it secures the rotating shaft and the rotating body through friction without using a key.
There are two types of friction-type fasteners: mechanical type (wedge type) based on the wedge principle and hydraulic type based on Pascal’s principle.
Uses of a MechaLock
MechaLock is used in various fields, including research and development, medical care, manufacturing, food hygiene, and printing. It’s employed in machine tools, industrial machinery, conveyors, packaging equipment, and printing machinery, acting as a connection between the equipment’s rotating shaft and mechanical elements like pulleys and gears.
MechaLock can easily fasten a rotating shaft and a rotating element by simply tightening bolts, allowing a wide range of combinations of rotating shafts and rotating elements with a degree of freedom in phase alignment.
Also, MechaLock is less prone to rattling compared to keyed fastening, making it suitable for use in places where forward and reverse rotation is repeatedly performed.
Features of MechaLock
A MechaLock consists of a cylindrical body part, two tapered rings (outer ring and inner ring), and multiple bolts.
A rotating shaft is attached to the inner ring side and a rotating body such as a pulley, gear, or sprocket is attached to the outer ring side. The pressing force of both rings generates a strong frictional force between the two tapered rings and strongly fastens the rotating shaft and the rotating body by the wedge principle.
A MechaLock is less expensive than hydraulic friction-type fasteners and has the advantage of being compact and capable of transmitting high torque.
On the other hand, since multiple bolts are used, it takes time to attach and detach, and there is a risk of forgetting to tighten the bolts. Another demerit is that high-precision positioning is difficult because the rotating element moves in the axial direction during installation.