Hardy Pro-Air Systems & Service, a manufacturing company serving the wastewater aeration and pneumatic conveying markets out of Antioch, Illinois had worked to transition from a belted motor/blower connection to a direct drive solution before. However, initial efforts in the metal to metal direct drive options did not last long on equipment that runs 24 hours a day. As they began to look for solutions again, the local ABB sales engineer suggested that Hardy Pro-Air consider the Dodge® Raptor elastomeric coupling.

Once selected, implementation went smoothly. “The engineering department enjoyed putting this into the designs” shared Jim Meyer, President Hardy Pro-Air.  “We were happy with ease of installation – no adjustment to alignment or tensioning is needed to maintain the Raptor coupling.”

Raptor couplings do not require maintenance, which is not possible with a belt drive. The elastomeric design and material of the Raptor also allows for longer driven equipment life. Coupled with Baldor-Reliance® Severe Duty motors, Hardy Pro-Air can offer reliable solutions to their customers that differentiate them from their competitors, who only offer belt driven solutions.

“We have found customers looking to modernize and streamline operations, and this is an integral component – the Raptor – in providing solutions that allows us to meet their needs in ways they didn’t expect,” Brad Hargett, VP Sales and Marketing at Hardy Pro-Air explains. “Being able to eliminate their pain points and ease management nightmares through this product results in the perfect solution.”

ABB provides local customer service, engineering backup, and sales support to complement the Hardy Pro-Air team.

Scott Stevenson, Industry Manager, Hardy Pro Air: “There Is not a better product on the market than the ABB Dodge Raptor.” Duane Acker, Lead engineer with Hardy Pro-Air adds “They are bulletproof.”