Alignment Eliminator Couplings
Revolutionising Shaft Couplings: The TCAE™ Alignment-Eliminator
Eliminate alignment headaches, slash maintenance costs, and protect critical rotating equipment with the patented TCAE™ “Alignment-Eliminator” couplings from Thompson Couplings.
Transformative “Fit-and-Forget” Design
Traditional shaft couplings demand painstaking laser alignment and ongoing maintenance to prevent premature wear, downtime, and energy waste. The TCAE™ range replaces this burden with a unique double-hinged mechanism that:
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Handles up to 10° combined misalignment (angular, parallel, axial) without inducing harmful side-loads on bearings or seals.
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Eliminates the need for laser alignment, enabling dynamic self-adjustment under thermal growth, shock loads, vibration, and soft-foot conditions.
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Completely sealed-for-life, requiring only occasional wash-down cleaning and no lubrication for its entire service life.
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Key Benefits
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Reduced Total Cost of Ownership
- No alignment services or lubrication costs.
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Extended machine life by minimizing side-loads on pumps, motors, and gearboxes.
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Energy savings of up to 10% under misalignment conditions compared to standard elastomeric couplings.
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Quick, Intuitive Installation
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Quick-release flanges slide onto shafts and lock into place.
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TCAE™ compresses and expands to fit DBSE (Distance Between Shaft Ends) in seconds.
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Ready-to-operate immediately—laser-alignment only for initial placement.
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Unmatched Reliability in Harsh Environments
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Sealed-for-life stainless internal components withstand wash-down, corrosion, and explosive atmospheres (ATEX).
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Ideal for remote or hazardous installations (mine-site water-feed pumps, marine drives, oil & gas rigs) where routine alignment is impractical or dangerous.
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Versatile Series Selection
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S-Series: Compact standard DBSE, torque ratings from 14 to 12,217 Nm at speeds up to 3,000 rpm.
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V-Series: Vertical-mount capable, high-torque pumps up to 5,573 Nm with ±10° misalignment tolerance.
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R-Series: True constant-velocity for precision drives, mid-range speeds to 3,000 rpm, torque up to 316 Nm.
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L-Series: Spacer couplings for long-span DBSE (10–600 mm), torque up to 591 Nm, hollow and solid shaft options for engine-dyno and genset applications.
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Real-World Impact: Case Studies
Papermill Retrofit Replacing universal joints with a TCAE-L-7 coupling at an Indonesian facility eliminated quarterly failures, reduced downtime by 90%, and delivered maintenance-free operation for over eight years.
Pump-Motor Drives A 0.75 kW motor coupled with a TCAE-R-2 exhibited negligible power penalty even at 5° offset, versus 10% energy loss on a competing elastomeric design—translating to ROI within months.
Vertical Deep-Well Pumps In corrosive wash-down environments, the V-Series maintained seal integrity and torque transmission without lubrication, extending service intervals from months to years.
Why Choose TCAE™?
By removing the alignment step and allowing dynamic compensation for real-world operating conditions, TCAE™ couplings deliver:
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Immediate cost savings: Fewer service interventions, reduced energy consumption, and minimal spare-parts inventory.
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Enhanced uptime: “Set-and-forget” reliability even under thermal expansion, soft foot, or foundation shifts.
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Flexibility: Broad series coverage for virtually any torque, speed, or DBSE requirement.
Upgrade your driveline strategy with Thompson Couplings’ TCAE™ Alignment-Eliminator. Contact us for sizing guidance, CAD models, and custom-length spacer options—and experience the truly “fit-and-forget” coupling solution.
