Wheel set presses and assembly equipment for tires (MAE)

For more than 70 years, the German company MAE (Maschinen- und Apparatebau Götzen GmbH) has been designing and developing hydraulic equipment for straightening steel workpieces for the metallurgical, automotive, oil and gas industries, as well as hydraulic presses for wheelset assembly at Plants specialized in production of new and maintenance of locomotives and motor driven rolling stock being in operation.

Currently, MAE produces hydraulic wheelset assembly presses of the RADS series.

The hydraulic wheelset press is designed for the pressing on and pressing off wheel elements, such as wheels, wheel centers, gear wheels, brake discs, gearboxes, etc, and for the pressing-off test.

The hydraulic wheelset assembly press is equipped with two independent cylinders (with separate hydraulic units, the possibility to work with one cylinder in case the second one fails), base plates for the pressing on and pressing off and the pressing-off test, a transport carriage for the wheelset (weighing up to 8 tons or more) loading and unloading, a system for measuring linear dimensions, as well as radial and axial runout. All actuators can operate both in manual and automatic modes (using servo drives for all moving axes –unified concept). Pre-fitted elements are pressed onto the railway axle in one run of the wheelset into the press, i.e. without the need to roll out the wheelset, rotate it and re-insert into the working area, thus, ensuring high productivity with minimal manpower. The fixation of the wheelset in the press is carried out automatically according to the set program, and does not require additional adjustment and alignment of the position by the operator.

The MAE-BiPAC hydraulic system was developed and patented jointly with Bosch Rexroth and has a number of undeniable advantages:
– hydraulics is switched on only at the time of press operation, the rest of the time it is disabled – minimum noise level in the workshop
– a small amount of hydraulic oil 2×250 l is required
– rigid piping of the entire hydraulic system reduces the risk of hose breaks and oil leakage (maintenance savings)
– oil change in 3 years at most
– no separate hydraulic cooling unit is required

MAE transport carriage is equipped with gearbox support. This support carries the gearbox even when the wheelset is being prepared for the pressing procedure. After the wheelset has been brought into the working area, the transport carriage automatically leaves, and the gearbox support remains in the press and reliably carries the gearbox during press operation. To support the gearbox, no additional devices (cranes) and unnecessary manipulations are required.

The press has a low power consumption (from 3 kW) and ensures quick change-over of wheelset types.

The closed frame design allows the press to be installed on a typical workshop floor, without a special foundation. Unhindered access to the workspace is provided.

The press is equipped with a 19-inch control display with Russian interface. During the pressing-on and the pressing-off test, the created pressure is recorded by electronic sensors located on cylinders and the signal is transmitted through Siemens S7 unit with conversion to a force-path diagram, with a real-time display on the operator’s screen for process control, as well as automatic recording and archiving of the results of operations on a hard disk with the possibility to transfer to the Plant network, print or save to a USB drive. The control cabinet can be installed at any location from the press.

The high-performance press meets all the necessary European and Russian technical requirements and standards (GOST 11018), and is excellent for assembly of wheelsets for locomotive and motor driven rolling stock with a railway track gauge of 1.520 mm as per No. 2631r (instead of TsT-329), as well as other applicable standards. It is certified according to the EAC, and has proven its performance at large enterprises, including Transmashholding, Sinara Group and the Moscow Metro.