Emerson Kop-Flex Service Program Restores Used Couplings to API 671 Standard & Full Factory Warranty

Emerson’s Power Transmission Solutions, a business of Emerson Industrial Automation, has introduced a program for restoring used high-performance couplings to like-new condition, certified to API 671, with a full original factory warranty. Aimed at high-speed (>1,800 rpm) couplings used on turbomachinery, compressors, pumps and marine drivetrains, the Kop-Flex recertification program offers an attractive alternative to replacement of a coupling, at approximately 50-60% of the cost for a new unit. The company says that the service is also an effective way to add low-cost spares to a plant’s stores.

As Dan Phillips, Kop-Flex Global Manager, Metals Industry Service, describes it, the new offering isn’t a repair program, but more like factory service for a high-mileage car “except you get a new-car warranty and performance at the end.”

The recertification program applies to all Kop-Flex disc, diaphragm and gear couplings, and the company’s four global service centers provide processing of most couplings in four weeks or less.

The program includes comprehensive mechanical/metallurgical evaluation with MPI and dye-penetrant testing; updating to all current standards; glass bead blasting and hand polishing; replacement of wear parts such as disc packs, shims, and fasteners; precision dimensional and TIR measurement; rebalancing to original API 671 or 610 specs and return shipping in a custom crate. Glass bead blasting eliminates the need for machining/metal removal that might cause a need for shimming during reinstallation.

The company notes that this recertification program requires return of the entire coupling structure. Couplings not originally produced by Kop-Flex will be accepted on a case-by-case basis for limited services.