What is a crimped pin/shaft?

A crimped pin (or crimped shaft) is a cylindrical component that is firmly connected to a carrier via targeted local forming. The bearing material in the form of a bushing is deformed in such a way that it permanently “clamps” itself into a contour or groove of the pin, creating a highly resilient, play-free connection. With EMPT technology, this deformation is achieved by an extremely short, strong current pulse that generates a magnetic field in a coil and induces eddy currents in the bushing; the resulting Lorentz forces deform the pin without contact and without significant heat input.

The advantages of a crimped pin for your system

Coating a shaft using electromagnetic crimping enables very compact designs, reduces the need for traditional joining processes such as welding or soldering and supports lightweight, space-saving gearbox concepts:

• Improved power densities and minimized installation space thanks to a more compact design
• Significant weight reduction thanks to innovative direct application technology for bearing materials
• Greater cost efficiency thanks to optimized production steps and minimal technical waste
• Tailor-made and optimal solutions thanks to the use of a wide range of proven bearing materials
• Reliable and robust composite material manufacturing process using pulse current control technology
• High production capacity thanks to efficient and scalable operating principle
• Cost savings and improved sustainability through reuse of cost-intensive shafts thanks to the possibility of recoating

Taking the next step in system optimization together

For anyone who wants to switch from roller bearings to hydrodynamic bearings

If you have been using roller bearings and are considering switching to hydrodynamic bearings, we will accompany you from the initial idea to the production-ready solution. In a quick technology and tribological validation, we show you whether your system will function reliably with hydrodynamic bearings and what performance and service life advantages are possible. On request, we can also take a direct look at whether EMPT-crimped pins are already the next sensible step for your gearbox.

For anyone who already uses hydrodynamic bearings and wants to take the next step with EMPT

If hydrodynamic bearings are already established in your gearbox, we can help you exploit their full potential with EMPT-crimped pins. Together, we will analyze your current design, identify reserves in terms of installation space, weight, and power density, and examine how EMPT technology can further optimize your existing hydrodynamic bearing solution - from concept study to series application.

Comprehensively tested: Ensuring EMPT works reliably in your application

In collaboration with renowned university partners, we have developed a robustly validated simulation model that allows us to make statements about adhesive strength, material interlocking in the carrier and long-term tribological behavior even before sample production.

In addition, EMPT crimp connections are intensively tested on test benches – including axial and torsional load tests and endurance tests under realistic conditions. On this basis, we accompany customers through the entire development cycle: from the concept phase to prototypes and series approval.

Axial tests:

Static at room temperature (RT) ✔

Static at elevated temperature (100 °C) ✔

Dynamic at room temperature (RT) ✔

Dynamic at elevated temperature (100 °C)

Torsion tests:

Static at room temperature (RT) ✔

Static at elevated temperature (100 °C)

Dynamic at room temperature (RT) ✔

Dynamic at elevated temperature (100 °C)

Practical example: EMPT-crimped pin in wind turbine gearbox

A clear example of a successfully implemented EMPT application is a crimped pin in a wind turbine gearbox. Here, shafts crimped with EMPT using different bearing materials were first tested on an internal bearing test bench under realistic load conditions of a main planetary gearbox and then tested in a large-scale demonstrator gearbox in a field trial. Tribological investigations show that the crimped bearing solution reliably achieves the required performance limits and that high-performance Miba alloys - such as an AlSn bearing material or the new lead-free bronze “InnoAlloy” - significantly outperform the common reference material CuSn12Ni2. This proves, both on the test bench and under real operating conditions, that EMPT-crimped pins points are a robust and durable alternative to conventionally joined solutions for demanding wind gearboxes.