Nord Delivers Heavy-Duty Industrial Gear Units, Motors, and Controls for Mining Applications
Maxxdrive line features modular options custom-built for the mining industry.
Published April 6, 2026
Nord Maxxdrive industrial gear units provide a high torque solution for mining systems with various configurations available to meet all application requirements.
Nord Drivesysystems recently highlighted their Maxxdrive system of motors, gear units, and controls, focusing specifically on handling the heavy conditions in the mining and bulk material handling industry.
Central to their offering is the Maxxdrive industrial gear unit series, which delivers high output torques up to 2,495,900 lb-in. for high-capacity applications such as crushers, mills, and conveyors. By pairing these robust units with energy-efficient motors (up to IE5+) and intelligent variable frequency drives, Nord has designed a fully integrated, modular system that handles such applications front to back.
Maxxdrive Gear Units
Maxxdrive industrial gear units provide the high torque and rugged durability required for the extreme environments of the mining industry. These units are typically engineered into large-scale conveyor systems, bucket elevators, winches, and crushers where they manage the high starting loads and continuous operation necessary for transporting heavy raw materials.
The Maxxdrive series is designed with a one-piece Unicase housing that ensures high structural rigidity and leak protection to withstand the temperature fluctuations and abrasive dust common in mining environments. The gear units can be equipped with cooling systems such as axial fans or internal cooling coils to maintain thermal stability during high-load processing, effectively minimizing downtime and extending the service life of the system. Customizable options commonly used for mining systems include elastic input couplings, disc/drum brakes, axial fans, swing bases, auxiliary drives, oil coolers/oil heaters, and splash lubrication.
Two-stage Maxxdrive XT industrial gear units utilize a special ribbed Unicase housing with an enhanced axial fan design that maximizes thermal power limits, often eliminating the need for external cooling in harsh, high-temperature environments. Large roller bearings and center distances increase the load capacity for consistent, safe operation of systems. Mirror-image installation is also possible via the symmetrical design, effectively reducing the number of replacement gear units and administrative expenses. A wide range of options including couplings, brakes, backstops, and motor attachments are additionally available to meet system needs.
Unicase Gear Motors
Unicase helical bevel gear units are made from a robust, single-piece housing designed for long-lasting gearing, high axial and radial load capacity, minimum backlash, and a long service life. They are ideal for applications such as screw classifiers, travel drives for tripper cars, and conveyors for surface miners, feeder breakers, and mobile or semi-mobile crushing plants for in-pit crushing and screening. 11 case sizes extend the torque range up to 442,500 lb-in. while a variety of shaft and mounting options, including the Gripmaxx keyless bushing system, provide flexibility for specific application requirements. Heavy duty bearing options and spread bearing/flange mount designs further increase load capacity and service life.
Unicase parallel shaft gear units deliver high efficiency and performance in a compact design for areas where installation space is limited. Application-specific designs allow adaptability to different requirements and a high degree of flexibility along with various mounting and shaft options. Heavy-duty bearings ensure excavators, drills, and crushers operate continuously under heavy stress with minimum downtime.
Nord electric AC motors meet all common global efficiency regulations and standards and are manufactured in-house for short lead times. As with many of Nord’s product lines, numerous custom configurations are possible with additional options including brakes, IP66 protection, encoders, external cooling fans, and thermal protection. Dust explosion protected motors and gas explosion protected motors are additionally available for elevated safety and efficiency of operations in the hazardous environmental conditions common in mining. These robust motors deliver reliable power from 0.16 – 30.0 hp, ensuring ideal performance where dust and gas explosions can occur.
Nordac Pro Variable Frequency Drives
Nordac Pro variable frequency drives are a centralized, control cabinet solution suited for a wide range of applications thanks to scalable functionality through 6 frame sizes up to 200.0 hp, ease of installation, and high precision regulation. The series features an integrated multi-protocol Ethernet interface, a multi-encoder interface for multi-axis control, and a USB interface for voltage-free parameterization. Functional safety options such as STO and SS1 offer protection for not only the drive system, but also the material and operators as well. An integrated PLC additionally enables detection of blockages in the systems and can automatically adjust operation direction to free the material blockage.
