Roland Graf is a Key Account Manager in the field of slew drives. He has been with Liebherr since 2014 and has been dealing with slew drives for more than five years now. He knows that, thanks to their compact design and high power density, slew drives are particularly suitable for transmitting high forces and torques in a small installation space. This is why they are used worldwide in steering modules, attachment tools or boom arms in various industries.

"Whether low temperatures or extreme heat, our slew drives are suitable for different environmental temperatures. Customised to the customer's requirements, our slew drives can be used practically anywhere," explains Graf. ‘From slurry tankers in the field to the pharmaceutical industry in the clean room - the range of applications is broad and our slew drives are so flexible that they are always at home in new applications.’

Limited available space in particular is often a problem. This is because extreme loads and torques still need to be transmitted in a small space. For example, in steering applications: Here, several slew drives are installed in a vehicle so that each axis can be controlled individually and with a high steering angle of 360 degrees. The space available is very limited and one axis can have a load of 60 tonnes, which can be reliably and, above all, permanently steered into the correct position by two of our slew drives.

Slew drives from Liebherr are flexibly adapted to individual customer requirements. Maritime applications are another example. Our slew drives can achieve the highest protection class C5-M with the special surface coating and corrosion protection. If the special surface coating is no longer sufficient, it is possible to switch to stainless steel for the production of the housing. Our slew drives therefore offer an optimum solution for harsh environments in which corrosion must be avoided.

'In addition to these maritime requirements, we have developed a low-clearance version especially for mechanical engineering,' says Graf. "This variant ensures precise and reliable performance that meets the requirements of high-precision applications. With our customisable slew drives, we offer tailor-made solutions that perfectly meet the needs of our customers."

"Our technicians design the slew drives based on the load data of the respective application. The many years of experience of our technicians are unbeatable, as this allows them to best meet the needs of the customer in order to guarantee the function of the entire system. The fact is that the slew drive is often one of the smallest components in the application. And that's why everything has to be just right. This is how we end up with a product that fulfils both the service life and all other requirements that the customer expects."

Liebherr also offers additional attachments that are essential for customers, such as electric and hydraulic motors, encoders and brakes. These can be configured and designed accordingly. Ultimately, everything comes from a single source and guarantees functionality.

Our holistic approach goes beyond the technical design and includes the entire after-sales service. Our customers receive the complete package, including lubricants, thanks to our global presence worldwide. "That's why we are able to offer products from our basic line and our signature line in our slew drive range whenever possible. In doing so, we cater specifically to the needs of our customers and the budget of the project. We understand that every customer has unique requirements and our products are designed with this in mind," explains Graf.