Oldham Couplings
Precision-engineered jaw couplings and disc-type flexible connectors that eliminate axial force, absorb radial misalignment, and protect your servo systems — built to ISO 9001 standards for over 20 years.
Oldham Coupling Series
From compact servo-axis connectors to heavy-duty industrial shaft couplings, our full product line covers bore diameters from 3 mm to 80 mm and torque ratings up to 300 N·m — available in aluminium alloy, engineering nylon, and polyurethane.
Set Screw Oldham Coupling
Radial locking via grub screws. Ideal for light to medium loads where quick disassembly and axial fixation are required.
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Clamp Oldham Coupling
Split-hub clamping design for superior shaft grip with no bore distortion. Recommended for servo motors and precision motion axes.
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SL Type Oldham Coupling
Compact disc-hub geometry optimised for short shaft spacing. Popular in medical devices, semiconductors and optical positioning systems.
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WH Type Oldham Coupling
Wide-hub design engineered for higher torque transmission and greater lateral offset compensation in industrial and packaging machinery.
View DetailsWhy Oldham Couplings Excel in Precision Drive Systems
Three defining characteristics place the three-piece Oldham design ahead of jaw, bellows, and beam-type couplings in misalignment-sensitive applications.
Zero Axial Force Transmission
The floating centre disc slides freely in both hubs, ensuring that axial loads are never transmitted to motor bearings or linear guide carriages. This characteristic is critical for high-precision servo and stepper motor applications where bearing preload must remain consistent.
High Radial Misalignment Compensation
Precision-machined tongue-and-groove interfaces in the disc hubs allow lateral parallel offset correction of ±0.5 mm to ±1.5 mm depending on series. Angular misalignment up to 1.0° is accommodated without side loading, extending connected component service life significantly.
Rapid Centre-Disc Maintenance
When the polymer disc reaches the end of its service interval, both hubs remain mounted on their respective shafts. Only the centre disc needs to be exchanged — no shaft realignment, no motor removal. Maintenance downtime is measured in minutes rather than hours.
Two Decades of Precision Coupling Manufacturing
Ever-power has spent over 20 years developing, refining, and producing Oldham-type shaft couplings for B2B customers across North America, Europe, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. Our engineering team holds deep expertise in tolerance chain analysis, material tribology, and rotational dynamics — knowledge that goes directly into every coupling we ship.
We operate as an OEM partner for automation integrators, machine builders, and MRO distributors who require consistent dimensional accuracy, reliable polymer disc performance, and responsive technical support. Whether you need a standard catalogue item or a custom bore-and-keyway configuration, our production engineering team works directly with your specification drawings.
- ISO 9001:2015 certified quality management system
- In-house CNC turning, milling, and anodising
- CMM dimensional verification on every batch
- Custom bore sizes, keyways, and set-screw patterns
- OEM private-label programmes available
- Technical data sheets and 3D CAD files supplied
Manufacturing Experience
General Technical Parameters
Representative specifications across the standard Oldham coupling range. Full datasheets and custom configurations available on request.
| Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|
| Bore Diameter Range | 3 mm – 80 mm |
| Rated Torque Range | 0.08 N·m – 300 N·m |
| Lateral Misalignment | ±0.5 mm – ±1.5 mm |
| Angular Misalignment | Up to 1.0° |
| Axial Load Transmitted | Zero |
| Operating Temperature | −30°C – +120°C |
| Max Rotational Speed | Up to 6,000 rpm (series dependent) |
| Hub Material Options | 6061 Al-alloy, SS304, Steel |
| Disc Material Options | Nylon, POM, Polyurethane |
| Surface Treatment | Black anodised, natural Al, zinc-plated |
| Keyway & Set Screw | Available on all bore sizes |
| Certification | ISO 9001:2015 |
Where Ever-power Oldham Couplings Are Deployed
Our flexible disc couplings are specified by engineers and procurement managers across five major precision and industrial verticals globally.
Precision Drive Solutions Across High-Demand Sectors
In CNC machining centres, Ever-power set screw and clamp couplings connect servo motors to ballscrew ends where angular stiffness and zero-backlash characteristics are paramount. Positional accuracy in closed-loop systems depends on the coupling transmitting torque impulses faithfully — our aluminium-hub, POM-disc configurations deliver torsional rigidity while still absorbing the minor shaft misalignments inherent in assembled machine structures.
Robotics integrators specify our SL-type couplings for joint actuator assemblies, where the slim axial profile fits within tight spatial envelopes. In medical imaging and laboratory automation equipment, stainless steel hub variants meet hygiene and corrosion-resistance requirements without sacrificing precision. Semiconductor wafer-handling systems benefit from the electrical insulation properties of nylon and POM centre discs, which prevent current leakage paths between motor and load shafts.
Food and beverage packaging lines demand both IP-compatible materials and rapid maintenance access. Our WH-type couplings, with their quick-release centre disc, allow sanitation teams to change wear elements without removing motors from their mounts — a direct contribution to overall equipment effectiveness.
Why Global B2B Buyers Choose Ever-power
Engineering quality, supply reliability, and commercial flexibility built over two decades of OEM partnerships.
Verified Dimensional Accuracy
Every production batch undergoes CMM inspection against master gauges. Bore tolerances are held to H7 standard as default, with H6 available on request. Your coupling will fit on first assembly.
Disc Material Engineering
We offer PA66 nylon for standard servo applications, POM for low-wear high-speed duty, and polyurethane for higher torque capacity with vibration damping. Material selection guidance is provided with every enquiry.
ISO 9001:2015 Quality System
Our quality management system covers raw material incoming inspection, in-process CNC verification, surface treatment control, and outgoing dimensional audit — documented and traceable to each shipment.
OEM and Private Label Programmes
We supply grey-label products to distributors and integration firms across North America, Europe, and Australia. Custom packaging, part numbering, and documentation can be arranged for qualified volume buyers.
Technical Sales Support
Our application engineers respond to technical enquiries with torque, speed, and misalignment calculations — not just part numbers. If your application is borderline, we will tell you, and recommend the right series.
Transparent B2B Commercial Terms
We work with standard Incoterms (EXW, FOB, CIF), accept TT and LC payment, and supply full material traceability documentation and test reports. Sample orders are welcomed before volume commitment.
Understanding Oldham Coupling Design: Selection, Performance, and Application
The Three-Piece Architecture
The Oldham coupling takes its name from John Oldham, who patented the three-piece sliding-disc mechanism in 1821 to transmit rotary motion between parallel but offset shafts. The design has remained fundamentally unchanged because it solves an enduring mechanical problem elegantly: how to couple two misaligned shafts without generating bending moments that damage bearings.
The assembly consists of two outer hubs and a centre disc. Each hub carries a rectangular tongue machined perpendicular to its face. The centre disc carries two grooves oriented 90° to each other, one on each face. The tongue of hub A slides in one groove of the disc; the tongue of hub B slides in the opposing groove. This arrangement ensures that regardless of the lateral offset between the two shaft centrelines, the centre disc transmits full torque while sliding radially to absorb the misalignment — generating no axial reaction force on either shaft.
Material Selection for Centre Disc Performance
The centre disc is the consumable wear element in an Oldham coupling, and material selection has a direct impact on torque capacity, service life, operating speed, and system noise level.
PA66 Nylon is the most widely used disc material for standard servo motor and stepper motor applications. It offers a good balance of tensile strength, surface hardness, and self-lubricating properties. The sliding contact between the aluminium hub tongue and the nylon groove produces low friction and acceptable wear rates at typical servo speeds of 1,000 to 3,000 rpm.
POM (Polyoxymethylene / Delrin) provides higher dimensional stability than nylon, lower moisture absorption, and improved surface finish. These properties make POM the preferred disc material in semiconductor and optical equipment where dimensional consistency across temperature cycles is critical. POM discs also exhibit better chemical resistance against cutting fluids and cleanroom solvents.
Polyurethane (PU) discs are specified where torque peaks and vibration damping are priorities rather than maximum speed. PU material absorbs shock loads and reduces transmission of rotational vibration, making it effective in packaging lines with cyclic indexing loads. The trade-off is higher sliding friction compared to nylon, so PU discs are not recommended above 3,000 rpm without specific verification.
Hub Material and Surface Treatment
Hub bodies are machined from 6061 aluminium alloy as standard. The alloy offers an excellent strength-to-weight ratio, high machinability for tight bore tolerances, and natural corrosion resistance. Black anodising provides additional surface hardness and a professional finish that prevents galvanic wear at the tongue contact faces. For applications in wet, hygienic, or chemically aggressive environments, SS304 stainless steel hubs are available at a material premium.
Selecting Bore and Fixation Method
Both set screw and clamping hub designs are offered across the product range. Set screw fixation uses one or two radial grub screws that bear against the shaft surface or a flat machined on the shaft. This provides adequate holding torque for light and medium duty cycles and is the lower-cost option for high-volume machine builds. However, repeated assembly and disassembly of set screw hubs can damage shaft surfaces over time.
Clamp-style hubs use a split bore and a tangential bolt to generate uniform radial clamping force around the shaft circumference. This method causes no localised stress concentration and preserves shaft surface integrity through many assembly cycles. Clamp hubs are the preferred choice for servo motor output shafts where shaft surface condition must be maintained for warranty compliance.
Bore diameters are available in standard metric and inch sizes. Custom bores and keyways are machined to order when standard dimensions do not match a specific shaft specification.
Coupling Selection Procedure
Correct Oldham coupling selection involves four key parameters: required torque capacity, shaft bore diameters, maximum operating speed, and radial misalignment. Begin by calculating the peak torque, including application service factors for start-stop cycles, load reversals, and shock loads. Choose a coupling series whose rated torque exceeds this figure by at least 20% as a safety margin.
Verify that the bore size range of the selected series accommodates both shaft diameters — they do not need to be equal. Check the operating speed against the maximum rpm rating of the series and disc material combination. Finally, measure or estimate the expected shaft-to-shaft parallel offset in the assembled machine and verify it sits within the ±0.5 mm to ±1.5 mm range depending on coupling size.
If your application parameters are at the boundary of a series rating, contact our technical team at [email protected] with your drive data. We will assess the duty cycle and recommend the most appropriate configuration, including disc material and fixation method.
Installation and Alignment Best Practices
An Oldham coupling tolerates misalignment, but the installation should still aim to minimise offset to preserve disc life. Use a dial gauge or laser alignment tool to bring shaft centres as close as practical — residual misalignment below 0.3 mm produces negligible disc wear and is entirely acceptable. Excessive deliberate misalignment beyond rated values will reduce disc service life proportionally and may introduce rotational torque ripple in precision servo axes.
Tighten set screws to the manufacturer torque specification and verify that both hubs are positioned so that the disc can be removed axially without disturbing either shaft mounting. This preserves the quick-change maintenance advantage that the Oldham design provides.
For further guidance on installation and maintenance, our technical team is available through the contact page. 3D CAD models in STEP format are provided with all orders to facilitate digital verification in your machine assembly environment.
Built for Volume. Engineered for Precision.
Ever-power manufacturing facility operates multi-axis CNC turning and machining centres, producing Oldham coupling hubs to tight positional and bore tolerances. Our vertical integration — from raw aluminium bar to finished anodised component — gives us direct control over quality at every stage and allows us to respond efficiently to custom specification requirements.
Incoming aluminium billets and polymer disc blanks are batch-tested against material certificates before entering production. In-process inspection is performed at bore machining and tongue milling stages. Final outgoing inspection checks bore diameter, hub face runout, and overall length against drawing tolerances. Batch records are retained for full traceability.
Our production capacity supports both sample and pilot orders for machine builders in the design phase and volume blanket orders for distributors managing active stock. We welcome factory audits from qualified B2B customers as part of the supplier qualification process.
What Our B2B Partners Say
Procurement engineers and machine builders from four continents have made Ever-power their preferred Oldham coupling source.
We specified the clamp-type Oldham couplings for our servo-driven linear stages. Bore tolerances were exactly within H7 specification on every unit across three orders. Technical documentation was thorough and response to our engineering queries was fast and precise.
Excellent product quality and consistent supply. We use the SL-type series in compact medical device assemblies where axial space is limited. The POM discs have shown very low wear rates over 18 months of continuous use in our validation batches.
We sourced WH-type Oldham couplings for our packaging line indexing drives. The polyurethane disc absorbs the torque spikes during indexing cycles well. Maintenance is very straightforward — our line technicians swap discs in under five minutes without any tools beyond a hex key.
Ready to Source Oldham Couplings for Your Next Project?
Send us your shaft dimensions, torque requirement, and quantity. Our application engineers will respond with a part recommendation, technical datasheet, and competitive B2B pricing — without obligation.