Couplings & U-Joints

RINGSPANN Kempf’s new cardan shaft catalogue guides selection in seven steps

RINGSPANN Kempf’s 40-page 2026/27 cardan shaft catalogue adds a seven-step selection checklist, FEM-recalculated torque ratings and the 290,000 Nm 160 series.

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3 hours ago

4 October 2026

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Large RINGSPANN Kempf cardan shaft transmitting drive power to rolls processing steel slabs in a rolling mill

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Cardan shaft specialist RINGSPANN Kempf has released its 2026/27 catalogue, a 40-page reference built around a seven-step checklist that leads designers and buyers systematically to the right cardan shaft for their application.

Announced on 24 September 2026 from Gersfeld, Germany, the catalogue brings together technical fundamentals, an overview of the product range and newly recalculated performance data. Managing Director Alexander Walter says the company wants to act as a technology partner able to accompany customers “from the initial idea to the ready-to-install cardan shaft”.

Three product families, five standard flange yokes

The range is split into standard designs with and without length compensation (three basic types), special designs with intermediate bearings, modular construction and double flange joints (four basic types), and fully customer-specific shafts. Five flange yoke types are offered as standard.

Beyond product tables, the catalogue explains the engineering parameters that drive the choice: length compensation, gearing technology, universal joint arrangements, deflection angles and the non-uniform rotational motion inherent to cardan joints.

Torque ratings verified by FEM

All torque values in the catalogue have been recalculated with the finite element method, based on the permissible mechanical strength of the materials used. According to RINGSPANN, this gives designers more leeway when selecting a shaft. The top of the range is the 160 series launched in 2025, rated for torques of up to 290,000 Nm.

A signature feature of the shafts is the closed-eye design, in which clevis and bearing housing are machined from a single piece. The company says this delivers ideal load distribution, avoids maintenance-intensive fasteners and allows the largest possible bearing dimensions.

Heavy-duty focus

RINGSPANN Kempf joined the RINGSPANN Group in 2024, combining its traditional cardan shaft know-how with the group’s development and sales network. Its shafts are used in heavy-duty drives in steel processing, mining, power plants, offshore technology and raw material processing. Walter describes the new catalogue as “an expression of our customer orientation and as an invitation to work together in a spirit of partnership”.