100+ Years experience design & manufacturing of Flexible Drive
Fairport’s Valveflex offers remote operation of manual valves; a safe and efficient solution for modern industrial processes
Flexible Drives (Flexible Rotary Shafts) can replace universal joints, gears, pulleys or chain drives and more.
They are used to transmit rotary power and movement from a fixed motor or gearbox to remote, isolated or misaligned devices and can work where tight tolerances are needed.
Flexible shafts replace rigid shafts, eliminating alignment problems and efficiency losses. They also allow greater freedom of design and are lighter in weight than universal joints, gears, pulleys or chain drives with lower installation costs.
Flexible Shafts have no need for the tight tolerances that solid shafts require
Limitless possibilities in positioning motor and driven components
Flexible Shafts are 85%-95% efficient. Gears, U-Joints Belts and Pulleys give much lower performance due to greater frictional losses
Flexible couplings allow only 5 degrees of offset and U-Joints 30 degrees, but with a 40-50% decline in efficiency. Flexible Shafts permit a full 180 degree off-set while maintaining their high efficiency
Flexible Shafts have a 3 to 1 weight advantage over other design solutions while transmitting greater power loads
Flexible Shafts install in minutes without special tools or skills. Solid Shafts, Gears, Pulleys, and Universal Joints require precise alignment and skilled mechanics for their installations.
Bearings and housings for Solid Shafts and Gears require precise machining operations. Flexible Shafts eliminate the need for such demanding tolerances and their excessive costs.
Need no special installation tools.
We have over 90+ years’ experience in manufacture our own flexible rotary shafts on site in Sheffield, Yorkshire. We can design and engineer bespoke solutions and produce drive shafts of any length and diameter with the performance characteristics you require. We work with you to provide your business or application with a robust, cost effective and maintenance free solution. No project is too big or too small and we pride ourselves on designing and manufacturing a product that when installed in a customer’s application has a reputation of quality and reliability. Many of our customers have built a strong brand name from our product and this fundamental principle.
We also manufacture and supply spares for all types of flexible rotary shafts, drive cables and rotary power tools andretro fit to existing machinery.
We can work to tight deadlines or alternatively work with the customer to evolve their product through the full product development cycle including robust trails and testing in between to a timeline that suits you.
We also carry a large amount of stock for our standard range of flexible rotary shafts which enables us to provide a next day delivery service if required. We do not have aminimum order quantityso please feel free to contact us, no matter how small the job might be.
With over 90+ years of experience in the design and manufacture of Flexible Drives, Flexible Drive and Tool has provided solutions for a vast number of tools and applications. In addition to providing Flexible Drives for its own production of Concrete Vibrating Pokers it has developed Flexible drives for applications such as Portable Power Tools such as Grinders, Pumps, Post Boring, Screed Vibrators, Descaling Equipment, Animal Shearing, Tyre Dressing, Meat Slicing and many more.
The Company story began in the late 1920s in London selling imported descaling units. The business grew rapidly and new premises were needed in South Kensington in the 1940s. Manufacture of Flexible Drive products started at this time and was combined with a collect and repair service for flexible shafts in the London area. A compulsory purchase order in the 1950s meant that the business needed to move away from its central London premises and eventually it relocated to the Hever Road site in Edenbridge in 1957.
Flexible drives, also known as flexible drive shafts or flex shafts, are versatile components used in various mechanical systems. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about them:
A flexible drive shaft is a mechanical component designed to transmit torque between two points that are not perfectly aligned. One of the key advantages of flexible drive shafts is their ability to transmit power at varying angles and distances and are particularly useful where a direct rigid connection is not possible.
A flexible drive shaft usually consists of a tightly wound coil of high strength steel, that allows torque and power to be transmitted whilst bending.The shaft is connected between the power source and the item being powered and can efficiently transmit the required power and torque despite not being in a straight line. Shafts are usually protected by an outer casing for protection, support and to keep it safe from dirt, moisture, and wear.
Flexible drive shafts are used in various applications, including:
The Fairport ValveFlex system allows operation ofmanual valves at a safe distance, which makes it a valuable solution in various industrial, commercial and marine applications. Here are some key benefits:
