Metal-Detectable Flexible Shaft Couplings
Safely connect slightly misaligned shafts near food lines—the spider on these couplings contains metal, so it’ll trigger a metal detector if a piece frays off and contaminates your batch. The hubs are made of 303 stainless steel to resist rusting in wet conditions common to food plants. However, these couplings shouldn’t directly touch food, since they’re not FDA compliant. If the spider fails, the hubs will interlock, giving you time to shut down equipment before other components break. You don’t need to lubricate these couplings.
Also called Lovejoy® and jaw couplings, a complete coupling requires two hubs and one spider (all sold separately).
Hubs attach to the end of your shaft and have a set screw that bites into the shaft to hold the coupling in place.
Spiders cushion between the two hubs to reduce shocks and handle minor shaft misalignment. Metal-impregnated Buna-N spiders are the most commonly used and are good for applications that start, stop, and reverse often. They also dampen vibration and resist some chemicals. Metal-impregnated Hytrel spiders run at higher torque and resist chemicals better than Buna-N spiders. However, they shouldn’t be used in applications that start, stop, and reverse frequently.
For technical drawings and 3-D models, click on a part number.
Metal-Impregnated Buna-N Rubber Spiders | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
303 Stainless Steel Hubs | Misalignment Capability | ||||||||||
| O'all Lg. | OD | For Motion Type | For Shaft Dia. | Each | Max. Speed, rpm | Max.Torque, in.-lbs. | Parallel | Angular | Each | ||
| 2 1/8" | 1 3/4" | Continuous, Forward/Reverse, Start/Stop | 000000 | 000000 | 3,600 | 80 | 0.015" | 1° | 0000000 | 000000 | |
| 2 1/2" | 2 1/8" | Continuous, Forward/Reverse, Start/Stop | 00000000 | 000000 | 3,600 | 185 | 0.015" | 1° | 000000 | 00000 | |
| 3 1/2" | 2 17/32" | Continuous, Forward/Reverse, Start/Stop | 00000000 | 000000 | 3,600 | 415 | 0.015" | 1° | 0000000 | 00000 | |
| 54mm | 45mm | Continuous, Forward/Reverse, Start/Stop | 00000000 | 000000 | 3,600 | 80 | 0.015" | 1° | 0000000 | 00000 | |
| 64mm | 54mm | Continuous, Forward/Reverse, Start/Stop | 00000000 | 000000 | 3,600 | 185 | 0.015" | 1° | 000000 | 00000 | |
| 89mm | 65mm | Continuous, Forward/Reverse, Start/Stop | 00000000 | 000000 | 3,600 | 415 | 0.015" | 1° | 0000000 | 00000 | |
Metal-Impregnated Hytrel Rubber Spiders | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
303 Stainless Steel Hubs | Misalignment Capability | ||||||||||
| O'all Lg. | OD | For Motion Type | For Shaft Dia. | Each | Max. Speed, rpm | Max.Torque, in.-lbs. | Parallel | Angular | Each | ||
| 2 1/8" | 1 3/4" | Continuous, Forward/Reverse, Start/Stop | 000000 | 000000 | 3,600 | 240 | 0.015" | 1° | 0000000 | 000000 | |
| 2 1/2" | 2 1/8" | Continuous, Forward/Reverse, Start/Stop | 00000000 | 000000 | 3,600 | 565 | 0.015" | 1° | 0000000 | 000000 | |
| 3 1/2" | 2 17/32" | Continuous, Forward/Reverse, Start/Stop | 00000000 | 000000 | 3,600 | 1,245 | 0.015" | 1° | 0000000 | 000000 | |
| 54mm | 45mm | Continuous, Forward/Reverse, Start/Stop | 00000000 | 000000 | 3,600 | 240 | 0.015" | 1° | 0000000 | 00000 | |
| 64mm | 54mm | Continuous, Forward/Reverse, Start/Stop | 00000000 | 000000 | 3,600 | 565 | 0.015" | 1° | 0000000 | 000000 | |
| 89mm | 65mm | Continuous, Forward/Reverse, Start/Stop | 00000000 | 000000 | 3,600 | 1,245 | 0.015" | 1° | 0000000 | 000000 | |
Sanitary Sealed Single U-Joints
Often found in food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical plants, these U-joints connect misaligned shafts in sanitary environments. Their stainless steel body won't corrode from frequent washdowns with harsh chemicals and is highly polished, so there's no crevices for bacteria to grow. Their lubricant is NSF registered H1 for incidental contact with food. A heat- and water-resistant silicone cover (sometimes called a boot or bellows) seals this lubricant in and keeps out contaminants.
They’re single U-joints, so they connect and transfer torque between two shafts that are misaligned at an angle. A good choice for applications that run continuously, they operate at higher speeds and last longer than other types of joints, thanks to their needle bearings. Since they come lubricated, you won’t need to lubricate them during installation. Connect them to shafts using the included set screws. Unlike U-joints that use spring pins, there’s no drilling required.
Your shafts’ misalignment will affect the speed and torque the U-joint will be able to transmit. The more the shafts are misaligned, the less speed and torque the U-joint will be able to transmit.
FDA-compliant U-joints have a cover that is safe for direct contact with food.
For technical drawings and 3-D models, click on a part number.
U-Joints | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
For Shaft | Keyway | Torque | Replacement Boots | ||||||||||||
| Dia. | Dp. | Joint Dia. | Overall Lg. | OD | Wd. | Dp. | Max. Operating Angle | Max. Speed, rpm | Max. Torque, in.-lbs. | 3° Operating Angle | 10° Operating Angle | Each | Each | ||
316 Stainless Steel  | |||||||||||||||
FDA-Compliant U-Joints | |||||||||||||||
| 3/8" | 15/16" | 3/4" | 2 11/16" | 1 3/8" | 3/32" | 3/64" | 35° | 6,000 | 95 | 28 in.-lbs. @ 1,000 rpm | 19 in.-lbs. @ 1,000 rpm | 0000000 | 0000000 | 0000000 | 000000 |
| 1/2" | 1 3/16" | 1" | 3 3/8" | 1 1/2" | 1/8" | 1/16" | 35° | 6,000 | 215 | 110 in.-lbs. @ 1,000 rpm | 77 in.-lbs. @ 1,000 rpm | 0000000 | 000000 | 0000000 | 00000 |
| 5/8" | 1 1/4" | 1 1/4" | 3 3/4" | 1 7/8" | 3/16" | 3/32" | 35° | 6,000 | 700 | 275 in.-lbs. @ 1,000 rpm | 185 in.-lbs. @ 1,000 rpm | 0000000 | 000000 | 0000000 | 00000 |
U-Joints | |||||||||||||||
| 3/4" | 1 3/8" | 1 1/2" | 4 1/4" | 2 1/4" | 3/16" | 3/32" | 35° | 6,000 | 1,780 | 545 in.-lbs. @ 1,000 rpm | 370 in.-lbs. @ 1,000 rpm | 0000000 | 000000 | 0000000 | 00000 |
| 1" | 1 11/16" | 2" | 5 1/2" | 2 11/16" | 1/4" | 1/8" | 35° | 6,000 | 4,300 | 1,050 in.-lbs. @ 1,000 rpm | 705 in.-lbs. @ 1,000 rpm | 0000000 | 000000 | 0000000 | 00000 |