Flexible couplings are most commonly made out of stainless steel and aluminum. Stainless steel protects against corrosion and increases torque capacity and strength, and aluminum is a lighter and less expensive option. The material used for the coupling depends on the type of coupling and its purpose. Read More…

Leading Manufacturers
DieQua Corporation
Bloomingdale, IL | 630-980-1133Our shaft couplings are the best around! Not only do we provide you with exceptional levels of customer service but we also provide you with manufacturing and a repair service that you can count on. We are also capable of providing you with special designs. That’s right! Our design team will work closely with you in order to ensure that you are getting the product that will fit your specific requirements perfectly! Call or email us today for more information!

Ruland Manufacturing Company, Inc.
Marlborough, MA | 800-225-4234Ruland’s carefully made shaft collars, rigid shaft couplings & zero backlash motion control flexible shaft couplings, including beam, Oldham & bellows couplings, are available in both inch & full-metric dimensions. Our line has expanded to include metric shaft collars, metric rigid couplings & step bore rigid couplings. For 70 years, we have supplied custom-made products to meet special needs.

Hersey Clutch Company
Orleans, MA | 508-525-2533Hersey Clutch has been in business since 1963. With that kind of background and experience we have becomes leaders in application engineering. We specialize in finding solutions to our customer's problems regarding industrial power transmissions, brakes, clutches, couplings, universal joints, gearboxes, speed drives, friction material, crane electrification and more. Let us help you today!

US Digital
Vancouver, WA | 800-736-0194US Digital designs and manufactures flexible shaft couplings for motion control, automation and robotics. We ship standard products directly to domestic and international customers. We also offer optical encoders, inclinometers and switching power supplies plus other products.

Ringfeder Power Transmission
Westwood, NJ | 888-746-4333Ringfeder is a component and system provider with a global presence. Serving all industries including packaging, automation, energy, mining and transportation and defense. Ringfeder offers premium products including locking devices, shaft couplings and dampening technologies. Included in the coupling line are torsionally rigid disk, elastomeric and backlash-free servo-insert and metal bellows couplings.

Flexible shaft couplings are cylindrical in shape, and specific details vary depending on the different types and their functions. Flexible couplings have many applications. For example, they are used to connect drive shafts in automobiles and they isolate driveline vibration, propeller pulse, and gear chatter in motorized boats. Other industrial applications include use in printing machines, paper making machines, roll forming machines, hydraulic pumps, blowers, compressors, and wind turbines. Industrial sectors such as mining, quarrying, mineral processing, metal manufacture, cement and power generation also utilize flexible couplings for various purposes.
Most flexible couplings are characterized as belonging to one of three main categories: mechanical, elastomeric and metallic. Flexible couplings are identified by the degree and method of flexibility they offer. Mechanical flexible couplings are made of loosely fitted parts that are able to move past each other, often by a sliding and rolling action. They maintain high torsional rigidity and allow a considerable degree of angular misalignment; however, they require occasional maintenance and lubrication.
Examples of mechanical couplings include jaw/spider couplings, Oldham couplings, and servo couplings. Elastomeric flexible couplings use a resilient material such as plastic or rubber to transmit torque between two metallic hubs. A few advantages of this coupling are the high vibration dampening, shock absorption abilities, and toleration of a high degree of misalignment. They are also inexpensive and of lighter weight than mechanical couplings and require no lubrication. One popular elastomeric coupling is the bellows coupling.
Metallic membrane flexible couplings obtain flexibility through the bending of a membrane within the coupling and generally do not allow offset misalignment. Metallic membrane couplings require low maintenance and no lubrication; however, these couplings may be more expensive than mechanical flexible couplings. Other general types of flexible couplings include bushed pin, universal, resilient and disc couplings.