Oerlikon Graziano Showcases Full Range of Truck and LCV Drivetrain solutions at IAA Hannover

Oerlikon Graziano, a leading player in the field of drive systems used the IAA Hannover Show to showcase its complete range of truck and light commercial vehicle drivetrain solutions. The company says it has developed some “ground-breaking concepts”, which include electric and hybrid transmissions, which can be used for a wide range of vehicle types.

Commenting on the company’s participation, Andrea Serra, Global Head of Product Design Shifting Solutions said that 80 per cent of the agricultural vehicles used in the EMEA region use its shifting solutions. The company’s goal is to match these figures in other sectors like commercial vehicles, trucks, sports cars and other off-highway vehicles where criteria like performance, smoothness, efficiency and durability are essential.

One of Oerlikon Graziano’s products that drew a lot of attention at IAA was the Compact Slotless Synchroniser (CSS) which it had launched recently and which can be used in passenger cars, trucks, and agricultural, industrial or construction vehicles. This synchronise can significantly enhance the overall transmission performance and efficiency through better shiftability, higher power density and the use of innovative friction materials which have been specifically developed for heavy duty usage.

When it is compared to a standard solution, the new CSS offers wider friction surfaces in the same envelope, can be installed on larger shafts in heavy duty applications, and uses geometries less sensitive to heat treatment deformations to improve shift quality.

Another new innovation is the synchroniser TC 102/110/118, which sports the first triple cone design for heavy duty truck transmission. The product’s notable features include high power density in a compact radial package, and it offers high stress capacity thanks to use of a special friction material. It also has an integrated activation system for long life usage, validated to 1 million shifting. The design is compatible with manual, AMT and DCT transmissions.

Recently, Oerlikon Graziano invested over 30 million euros in advanced new manufacturing systems sourced from leading players in the machine tool industry to complement all its product innovations. This was done as part of the company’s ongoing drive to continuously improve technical capability, quality and cost. The investment covered acquisition of machines for the hard turning, grinding and hobbing of gears and the specialized machining of synchroniser parts.

Sierra said that in addition to making synchronisers, the company is also the world’s largest independent gear manufacturer, supplying 4000 different gears to customers across the globe. Other products made by the company include bevel sets, shafts and drive assemblies like axles, differential sets and planetary drives. It even makes and supplies complete transmissions and advanced control systems, and is focusing on products which can be used for electric or even hybrid vehicles, for facilitating the best sizing of the electric motor and usage of batteries’ power.

Depending on customer needs, Oerlikon Graziano supplies either made-to-print or bespoke solutions for specific applications, which can include conventional, hybrid and e-mobility transmission and drive solutions. The company uses advanced virtual validation along with in-house physical prototyping and test facilities so that clients with optimized designs benefit from a full engineering service.

“Our OEM customers around the world have ever greater requirements for reliability, efficiency, noise reduction and above all driver vehicle differentiation,” said Serra. “We have an increasing role in helping them to achieve those objectives through innovative product design, advanced manufacturing methods and state-of-the-art quality control.”