The new main gear unit was designed to meet Novelis’ requirements for a modern, robust replacement capable of ensuring reliable and efficient operation under demanding conditions. Weighing 90 metric tons and measuring 6.0 m × 4.0 m × 4.5 m, the gearbox incorporates individually calculated and optimized tooth and flank profiles. The Advanced Gear Technology ensures equal pressure distribution across the loaded flank, which in turn reduces maximum contact pressures compared with conventional tooth geometries. This leads to improved load distribution, lower local stress peaks, and an extended service life of the gearbox, even under the heavy-duty operating cycles of the hot strip mill.
Live test monitoring and final acceptance
During the no‑load running test in Hilchenbach, the customer’s team demonstrated deep technical knowledge, prompting constructive and detailed discussions. Using the mobile Genius CM® system, the customer verified a vibration-free condition in the no-load state. The test confirmed the gear unit’s high manufacturing quality and reliability, which led to full acceptance and documented customer satisfaction.
Patrick Vetter, Project Manager Service Drive Systems at SMS group, explained: “The main challenge of this project was to design the new gearbox as a one-to-one replacement so that it could be installed at the existing plant without major adjustments, while meeting our latest manufacturing standards. Thanks to cross-departmental collaboration at SMS group, all customer requirements were met. The successful test, with active involvement from Novelis engineers, confirmed the quality and reliability of the new unit.”
Nilton César Crispim de Oliveira, Position at Novelis expressed his satisfaction: “The no-load test was meticulously prepared and the SMS group team responded to all our technical questions in detail, covering quality, workshop, design, and service aspects. The close cooperation between the German specialists and the local SMS service team in Brazil clearly demonstrated SMS group’s strength as a unified, cross-site team.”
Ralph Brandão Santos, Senior Mechanical Engineer at Novelis added: “We are now looking forward to the next stage, preparing the gearbox replacement on the shop floor with a focus on safety and technical efficiency. We see a strong partnership between our technical teams, ready to overcome any challenge together.”
The Pindamonhangaba plant, Novelis’ largest facility in South America, produces aluminum sheet for beverage cans as well as for consumer, industrial, and packaging markets. The successful FAT (final acceptance test) and no-load running test not only proved the mechanical and dynamic integrity of the new main gear unit for stand F1, but also underscored SMS group’s capability to deliver technically demanding, customer-specific retrofit projects with rigorous validation, transparent monitoring, and strong cross-functional collaboration.
