Kiln, Mill and Leach-Circuit Drive Gearing for Battery and Critical-Minerals Processing
Lithium, graphite, nickel and rare-earth processing runs on the same heavy drives as conventional mineral processing: kilns, mills, leach agitators and thickeners. We manufacture replacement gears and shafts for them and rebuild the gearboxes.
Processing drives we work on
Battery-materials plants combine kiln and calciner duty with hydrometallurgical circuits, often in plants converted from older operations.
- Rotary kiln and calciner girth gears, pinions and drive reducers
- Ball, rod and regrind mill drives
- Leach-tank and reactor agitator gearboxes
- Thickener and clarifier rake drives
- Rotary dryer and cooler drives
- Crusher and feeder drives
- Conveyor and bucket elevator drives
Gearbox rebuild
Strip, clean, inspect and report, with every gear and journal measured against drawing or calculated geometry and a documented build record on reassembly.
Custom gears and shafts
Spur, helical, double helical, bevel and planetary gearing, girth-gear pinions and complete shafts cut to order.
Obsolete drive support
Plants converted from older operations often inherit drives with no spares support. We reverse engineer the internals from the worn parts.
What usually brings these drives to us
Kilns and mills wear their pinions; agitators and rake drives fail at the output.
| What fails | What we supply |
|---|---|
| Kiln or calciner pinion worn | Replacement pinion cut to the existing girth gear |
| Mill drive gearing pitted | New gear set manufactured to the existing centres |
| Leach agitator output shaft failure | Replacement shaft machined complete to the original fits |
| Rake drive worm set wiped | Worm and wheel manufactured as a matched pair |
| Inherited drive with no available spares | Gearing and shafts reverse engineered from the removed parts |
Working from no drawings
Most of the drive components we are asked for are no longer manufactured, and the original drawings are long gone. We reverse engineer from the worn part itself: the component is measured, the tooth geometry and fits are established, material is confirmed, and a replacement is cut to suit the existing housing, shafts and bearings so nothing else in the assembly has to change.
Where a gear has failed because of a design limitation rather than wear, we will say so and propose the change rather than reproduce the fault.
Shop capabilities
- Gear hobbing and grinding up to 3 m (118 in) diameter; components up to 6 m long
- Custom-built gearboxes up to 200 tonnes
- High-speed gearboxes up to 20,000 RPM for blowers, compressors and pumps
- Spur, helical, double helical (herringbone), bevel, worm, internal and planetary gearing
- 4-, 5- and 9-axis machining, mill-turn, wire EDM, cylindrical and centerless grinding, thread whirling
- Heat treatment: hardening, tempering and surface treatments
- Inspection: CMM, gear geometry and profile verification, surface finish, hardness (Rockwell, Brinell) and non-destructive testing
- Test bench reports on refurbished and upgraded gearboxes
- Materials: carbon and alloy steels (4140, 4340, 8620), stainless and duplex, tool steels, bronze, titanium and Inconel
We repair all major gearbox makes, including Flender/Siemens, SEW-Eurodrive, Nord, Sumitomo, Falk/Rexnord, David Brown, Hansen, Lenze, Bonfiglioli, Brevini, Renold and Philadelphia Gear.
Quality and documentation
Euro Gear holds ISO 9001:2015 certification (certificate 14144280, issued by QA Certification, valid to September 2029; verifiable at www.irqao.com), covering engineering, reverse engineering, custom design and R&D for gears, gearboxes and industrial mechanical components; custom manufacturing, precision machining and fabrication; inspection, repair, rebuilding, upgrades, anti-wear coatings and testing of industrial equipment; technical consulting, maintenance support and reliability solutions. Material certification, dimensional reports, traceability records and test bench reports are supplied as specified in the quote. Euro Gear is a member of the American Gear Manufacturers Association (AGMA).
Where we work
From our engineering and manufacturing facility in Saint-Hubert, just south of Montreal, and our US operation in northern New York, we serve plants across Quebec, Ontario and Atlantic Canada and the northeastern United States, and ship across North America. Service is available in English and French.
Lead times
Standard gearbox repairs typically take two to four weeks, depending on parts and the extent of the damage, and we plan around shutdown and turnaround dates. When a drive fails without warning, our 24/7 breakdown response dispatches technicians to plants across Canada and the United States, and our field team also handles on-site inspection, alignment, installation and commissioning.
Common questions
- Do you supply nuclear-grade components?
- No. Our work in this sector is battery and critical-minerals processing equipment. We do not supply components to nuclear quality-assurance programmes.
- Can you make a kiln pinion without the original drawing?
- Yes. We measure the existing girth gear and the worn pinion to establish tooth geometry and centre distance, then cut a replacement to suit.
- Can you work to a planned shutdown?
- Yes. Tell us the shutdown date at first contact and we will tell you honestly whether the part can be ready for it.
- Do you attend site for breakdowns?
- Yes. We provide 24/7 emergency breakdown response across Canada and the United States, with technicians dispatched to site, as well as on-site inspection, alignment, installation and commissioning. Call 1-866-702-3126.
- What do you need from us to quote?
- Photographs of the nameplate and the worn component are usually enough to start. Drawings help but are not required.
Send us the part
A photograph of the nameplate and the worn component is usually enough for us to tell you whether we can help. Drawings are welcome but not required.
Further reading
- Gearbox Failure: Common Causes and Prevention: Common causes of industrial gearbox failure (inadequate lubrication, overloading, misalignment, thermal issues and contamination) and how to prevent them.
- 5 Signs Your Industrial Gearbox Needs Repair: Warning signs to catch before an unplanned shutdown: unusual noises, excessive vibration, temperature increases, oil contamination or leaks, and reduced performance.
- How to Extend the Life of Your Industrial Gearbox: Lubrication management, operating within specifications, predictive maintenance, environmental protection and professional maintenance to extend gearbox service life.