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In this blog article we are going to take a closer look at the API Standard 671 which specifies the requirements for special purpose couplings used in the petroleum, petrochemical and natural gas industries. This Standard has been developed by the American Petroleum Institute (API), which is not to be confused with the identical abbreviation used in the IT field (Application Programming Interface). Let's begin with a few details about the institute that gave the name to the API Standard. 

When it comes to gearbox coupling applications, some misalignment is unavoidable. This is especially true for cranes and hoists due to their very heavy loads. Fortunately, you can manage misalignment by choosing the right couplings. Here are some of your options specifically for cranes and hoists.

Company-owned balancing machine in Neunkirchen, Germany

A virtually rotational-symmetrical component may have an unbalance caused by production tolerances or non-homogeneous structure in the material. Such unbalances in a drive system can not only lead to considerable vibrations during operation, but, in the long run, can also lead to failures of individual components or even of the entire drive system. As speed constitutes one of the decisive influences here, balancing is always performed for a certain speed. As a general rule, this is the nominal speed of the drive system.