ZF launches a new gearbox from the ZF 83700 series

Recently, at the Hamburg International Maritime Exhibition (SMM 2016), ZF launched a new gearbox from the ZF 83700 series. The ZF 83700 marine gearbox has a rated power of 11,500 kW and is suitable for all types of passenger ships. Ferry and official ships, advanced condition monitoring is the highlight of this gearbox, which was originally unique to large wind turbine gearboxes.

Digitalization and the use of big data are also trends in the shipbuilding industry, and this development will continue to grow in the coming years. André Körner, head of the merchant and yacht product line at ZF Ship Propulsion Systems, said: "We are very happy to meet a huge challenge." At the Hamburg International Maritime Exhibition, one of the most important maritime exhibitions in the world, ZF has been “ready to go” in the face of the future. At the exhibition, ZF exhibited the new generation of ZF83700 gearbox for the first time. This gearbox is designed for the market of high speed boats such as high speed ferries and official ships. It further expands the range of ZF products. Its power is superior to the ZF63000, which is the largest and strongest speedboat gearbox available.

It is reported that the most attractive of the gearbox is that the advanced condition monitoring system installed on the gearbox can record the dynamic load, the vibration of bearings and gears, and the content of particles and water in the oil in real time. These new features are added to the original standard monitoring parameters (such as oil level, clutch status, cooler inlet and outlet temperature, etc.).

“The Condition Monitoring System is a perfect demonstration of the company's internal technical exchange transfer,” said Daniel Härter, Head of the ZF Ship Propulsion Systems Business Unit. Originally developed for large wind turbine gearboxes, the system has now met the requirements of the marine industry.

At the same time, developers have begun to make the gearbox more intelligent. The next phase of the monitoring system will enable ship operators and maintenance coordinators to assess as much as possible the status of critical equipment and components of the ship and to reduce potential unplanned ship outages. In addition, operating costs can be reduced with the aid of a monitoring system, as unnecessary maintenance work will no longer be required. Finally, the use of monitoring systems will make it possible to better coordinate ship maintenance and operating hours.