DRIVING FORWARD

NAF, a leading producer of modular-minded axles, is dedicated to providing value-adding solutions to its customers worldwide for use in heavy-duty vehicle applications. Family-owned axel manufacturer NAF was founded in Germany in 1960 and is still run by the Weyhausen-Sauer family to this day. Today, NAF is a properous medium sized company, a typical hidden champion for bogie axles. NAF has added a dedicated research and development centre in Munich and it has founded sister companies in Russia and North America.
With its focus on modular-minded axles, NAF is a specialized axle factory that produces various axles and gearboxes for many different self-propelled machines and off-road applications, including forestry, agriculture, mining, materials handling, construction and airports.
NAF’s rigid and steering axles’ payload ranges from 6-70 tons in various sizes and dimensions for all kinds of self-propelled working machines. NAF is the only supplier able to offer a payload range between 10-50 tons payload for bogie axles and a wheelbase in several steps between 1,300mm and 1,980mm. Instead of two single rigid axles, the bogie axle offers much better utilisation in rough terrain due to its independent oscillating bogie housings. With high flexibility in its own machining capacity, NAF can offer each customer a solution, depending on the type of application. NAF can easily realize customized drive solutions based on standard components. This helps to reduce development time, as well validation from the customer´s side about the prototype machine.

Varying solutions

With NAF´s modular system it is possible to combine technical highlights like a planetary gear drive with a patented and self-cooled turbo brake, as well as a multiple disc differential lock for perfect traction control. The steering axles could be offered in different sizes and variations and optional with an adjustable track width, especially used in agriculture applications.
Bogie axles in particular represent an important growth area for NAF, particularly large sized ones. NAF’s TAP 89 bogie axle can cover a 50-ton payload (such as a rear axle for articulated dump trucks) or can be used in high-powered motorgraders. Different product highlights are available across the whole range of NAF bogie axles, such as geared bogie drives, casted designs, oil-immersed disc brakes and various designs of differential lock systems. Axle fixations can be made according customers’ demands.
NAF is ahead of the game, providing an option of a patented permanent bogie balancing systems (PBBS), that are capable of equipping a whole range of bogie axles. For agriculture harvesting machines NAF has developed a direct driven rear steering axle to provide heavy machines with additional pulling power during field operations. The combination, which has one centralized hydraulic motor that uses the ratio in the axle, can easily out-perform two wheel motors in terms of cost savings and control.
Some add-ons are requested by customers specifically in the agriculture sector. Examples include tire inflating systems, hydraulic pipes, cable sets including those with sensors, centralized greasing systems, reflectors and labels. All kinds of customer requirements can be realized by NAF, who is always able to give customers a ready-to-use product.
In addition to serving key sectors in the industry – forestry, agriculture and construction – NAF also provides ready-to use load axles with hydraulic or electric motors, suitable for use with materials handling machines and harbour cranes.

Source: IVT China, July 2019