Derbyshire food packaging machinery manufacturer MPE UK has detailed its established use of Apex Dynamics UK planetary gearboxes in heat sealing machines, tray sealing equipment, and conveyors. The components were adopted after MPE encountered rising prices, longer lead times, and corrosion issues with gearboxes from its previous supplier. The relationship has developed over several years, with Apex components now incorporated widely across the machine builder’s equipment.
MPE UK marks twenty years in business in 2026 and supplies customers in Britain, mainland Europe, and the United States. It designs and manufactures equipment used to position, handle, and seal food packaging, so transmission components must be matched to the operating sequence of each machine. The company now keeps commonly specified Apex gearboxes in stock for new builds and consults the supplier on component selection where a different mechanism or load requires another size or configuration.
The selected products are high-precision planetary gearboxes, which transmit motion from a motor through a compact gear arrangement to an output shaft. In a typical planetary stage, several planet gears mesh with a central sun gear and an outer ring gear, distributing load through multiple contact points. The arrangement allows speed reduction and torque multiplication within a relatively compact housing. Actual output torque, efficiency and speed depend on the chosen ratio, motor characteristics and operating conditions rather than on the gearbox designation alone.
Apex supplies planetary gearboxes with precision helical gearing in a range of sizes and configurations. Helical teeth engage progressively during rotation, supporting smooth torque transmission, while the planetary arrangement distributes load through multiple meshing gears. The finished unit’s response still depends on its selected ratio, bearings, mounting, lubrication, and operating loads. Consistent component quality and availability allow a machinery builder to use established transmission specifications across repeated machine assemblies.
Gearbox selection begins with the motor’s speed and torque characteristics and the movement required at the driven mechanism. The chosen reduction ratio changes output speed and available torque, while backlash, reflected inertia, and acceleration determine how closely a positioning mechanism can follow its motion programme. Repeated start-stop duty and rapid reversals can impose different demands from steady conveyor rotation, so the drive has to be assessed against the complete operating cycle rather than a single nominal load.
These mechanical requirements sit alongside the packaging process itself. During heat sealing, the machine must position the pack and bring the sealing surfaces together under the specified temperature, pressure, and dwell-time conditions. Precision transmission can support repeatable movement of the associated mechanism, while the quality of the seal also depends on film properties, tooling alignment, thermal control, and process settings. MPE’s range includes sandwich and tray sealing equipment, conveyors, and related handling machinery that require different combinations of positioning accuracy and torque.
MPE UK says Apex offered drop-in alternatives to the gearboxes previously used in its machines, making the change of supplier straightforward. Compatibility in such a replacement involves more than a broadly similar gear ratio. Overall dimensions, mounting interfaces, shaft geometry and the torque and speed envelope need to suit the existing drive arrangement. Electrical or control adjustments may also be necessary depending on the motor and motion system involved. MPE UK reports that its actual replacements presented no major difficulties, without publishing a component-by-component engineering comparison.
John Hodgkiss, technical director at MPE UK, said: “Apex Dynamics UK provide us with consistent high quality, excellent lead times and great customer service. We actively looked around for a new supplier and spoke to their team, initially at PPMA.” The continuing technical relationship includes advice on design and specification as well as the supply of replacement units.
Maintaining stock of commonly used components supports a consistent bill of materials for repeat machine builds and provides a practical buffer against delivery delays. MPE reports that Apex offers drop-in alternatives to gearboxes previously installed, allowing familiar machine layouts to be retained during the transition. Its adoption of the range is therefore relevant both to the mechanical design of each drive and to the assembly process through which customer machines are built.
Apex Dynamics UK provides a five-year warranty on the gearboxes, including seals and bearings, and MPE UK says it has not needed to make a claim. The arrangement gives the machinery builder defined component support alongside the performance observed in its installed equipment. Corrosion had been a concern with the previous supplier, so the selection of seals and appropriate operating conditions remains relevant where machinery is exposed to moisture or cleaning.
Backlash, shock loading, duty cycle, and installation space can all affect the choice between superficially similar gearboxes. A drive intended for intermittent indexing may have different peak torque and positional requirements from a continuously rotating conveyor shaft. Application support is useful at the design stage because the replacement’s interfaces and performance envelope can be reviewed alongside the motion programme before the gearbox is built into the machine.
Malcolm Hillary, northern region sales manager at Apex Dynamics UK, said the supplier had built a continuing relationship with MPE and aimed to support its delivery and specification needs. MPE expects to continue purchasing the gearboxes and describes the components as accurate and robust in its machines. The case study shows how a food packaging machinery builder has standardised an established gearbox range around mechanical compatibility, repeated production requirements, and access to technical support.
