Industrial Clutches

Centrifugal Clutches

Centrifugal clutch provides automatic, gradual, cushioned engagement over a speed range on high-inertia loads. It smooths out and reduces starting current surge. Centrifugal clutches are slip-free at rated load and speed. They protect against overload by limiting torque, absorbing shock and eliminating torsional resonance. Hilliard centrifugal clutches have soft transmission of power and load free starting. Hilliard’s linkless centrifugal clutches combine a dowel pin, vibration dampening bushing and a symmetrical spring design. The results are a long service life at an economical price. Other benefits include soft starts, load-free starting and overload protection. Hilliard’s centrifugal clutches are ideal for applications such as fans, blowers, conveyor drives and mills. Our engineering and manufacturing capabilities offer a wide range of choices, from common mounts to custom designs.

Overrunning Clutches

Hilliard Overrunning clutches are used to transmit power between a shaft and a gear, sprocket, sheave, or pulley mounted on the clutch or to directly connect two shaft ends. The roller type clutch construction is one of the oldest over-running or free wheeling designs.

Magna Torque (MT)

Hilliard’s line of overrunning clutches is economically priced and ideally suited for backstopping and gearbox applications. Custom designs and rapid prototyping are available. The overrunning clutch can be used for ratchet-type indexing operations such as packaging equipment and printing presses. When used in conjunction with a torque arm to hold the output shaft, Hilliard overrunning clutches provide instant backstopping protection with zero backlash from reversed rotation whenever power to the conveyor’s drive unit is interrupted.

Magna Torque (MTR)

An integral part of many Hilliard motion control products is our roller-ramp design. The use of hardened cams and precision-machined rollers maximizes service life. There is almost no wear during freewheeling operations because rollers are free to rotate between the outer member and the inner cam. When the rollers are engaged, the load falls at random positions on the rollers. The result is superior service life and reliability. The Magna Torque is similar to the MT design except the cam surface is reversed allowing it to be used in multi-speed/dual drive applications.

Dual Drive & Turning Gear

Typical applications for dual-source drives are blowers, pumps and fans. For multi-speed drives, our overrunning clutches are ideal in such operations as conveyors and forming rolls.

Sprag Clutches

Hilliard Sprag Clutches are designed for overrunning, backstopping and indexing applications. This clutch is a freewheeling device with an inner race and an outer race, either of which can be the input or output member. The input can drive the output in a chosen direction and permit the output to overrun in the same direction. The clutch consists of a cage full of steel sprags or wedges, located in the space between concentric inner and outer races. Power is transmitted from one race to the other by the wedging action of the sprags between them. Rotation in one direction causes the sprags to tilt and wedge, preventing rotation. This allows free rotation in the opposite direction.

Enclosed Overrunning Clutches

Hilliard’s Enclosed Overrunning Clutch incorporates superior MTR design in a totally enclosed package. Designed for power transmission operations, this clutch is totally contained in a stationary housing for constant protection from hostile environments or wash-downs. Lubrication system provides continuous oil circulation. Breather filter attached to equalize pressure without introducing contaminants.

Intermittent Motion Clutches

The Hilliard Corporation’s Intermittent Drive Units (IDU) are packaged mechanical assemblies that produce precise intermittent motion-on-demand from a constantly rotating input. Intermittent Drive Units feature a self-contained lubrication system, making them ideal for dusty, dirty, steamed or washed-down applications. Foot-mounted housings with input and output shafts simplify installation.

Single Revolution

Hilliard single revolution clutches provide output cycles, on demand, from a continuously running input. The output cycles can be a fraction of a revolution, one revolution or multiple revolutions. This clutch typically provides five times the duty life of wrap spring clutches for indexing, shearing, bending, fastening, loading or similar applications. Each clutch is designed for a service life of up to 40 million cycles. Other features include; positive engagement at any point of revolution without slip, lag or cumulative error, automatic disengagement at the same point of each operating cycle, no deterioration in performance throughout service life, ruggedly built and field proven, and controlled by a single trip lever which may be activated by a solenoid, an air cylinder or other mechanical devices.

Intermittent Drive Assembly (IDA)

IDA’s are easy-to-install, self-contained packages that include a solenoid-operated, single revolution clutch with available anti-rollback and anti-overrun features. Other features include: rugged roller-ramp clutch design, dimensionally interchangeable with wrap-spring units, heavy-duty rotary solenoids operate on 115 VAC or 12, 24, or 90 VDC, pneumatic operation available. These units are available in clockwise or counterclockwise rotation with a convenient four-bolt mounting flange. Other options include rubber shock mounts, non-standard key location and multiple stops.

Intermittent Drive Packages (IDU, & IDU/ADU)

The IDU consists of a single revolution clutch and all necessary controls engineered into a compact, totally enclosed, foot mounted housing. This unit is also available with a unique acceleration-deceleration unit (IDU/ADU) which provides smooth acceleration and deceleration of the output shaft.

Torque Limiting Clutches

Torque limiters and couplings are designed to slip during a torque overload, while still transmitting the adjusted torque. They provide dependable solutions to the problems of torque control and overload protection in power transmission equipment. These clutches include one or more friction discs mounted on an inner hub, a single nut adjustment to easily pre-sets the torque. Similar static and dynamic coefficients of friction provide for extremely smooth torque control.

Pneumatic Overload Release Clutch

The Hilliard Pneumatic Overload Release Clutch provides adjustable, on-the-fly overload protection by using air pressure to regulate torque. Air pressure puts force on the balls placed inside the pockets in the clutch, and provides the means for torque transmission. By adjusting the air pressure, the overload torque can be increased or decreased accordingly.

Friction Torque Limiter

Torque limiters and couplings are designed to slip during a torque overload, while still transmitting the adjusted torque. They provide dependable solutions to the problems of torque control and overload protection in power transmission equipment. These clutches include one or more friction discs mounted on an inner hub, a single nut adjustment to easily pre-sets the torque. Similar static and dynamic coefficients of friction provide for extremely smooth torque control.

PTO Hand Disconnect Clutch

The Hilliard PTO Clutch can be used for most start and stop applications that require positive engagement/disengagement and overload protection. With full control of clutch engagement, the PTO Clutch has adjustable torque setting and a bearing engagement collar.