Technological legacy
A legacy of five decades
The history of NORTEK would not be understood without the drive and genius of its founder and alma mater, Juan Alejandro Segrelles (1939-2016).
Over the course of fifty years, his entrepreneurial vision and technical audacity made it possible to transform a small workshop dedicated to the distribution of small lubrication equipment into a supplier of fluid systems on a global scale. Perseverance, imagination, inventiveness and fighting spirit were some of the traits that defined the trajectory of this unique entrepreneur, for whom every complex project was a source of hope and every door that closed was an opportunity to enter even through the last crack. Honouring this legacy and continuing to make it grow is our aim for the next fifty years.
«If something is difficult, it has a solution; if it is impossible, it is a challenge!»
JUAN ALEJANDRO SEGRELLES
Founder and soul of NORTEK
in memoriam ~ 1939-2016
Tribology, at the heart of our engineering
As a supplier of lubrication systems, NORTEK developed the heart of its engineering in the field of tribology.
This is the science of understanding, predicting and controlling the working conditions of solid surfaces in contact and in motion, in order to increase productivity, extend machine life, improve component accuracy, and save energy and maintenance effort.
Juan Alejandro Segrelles and his technical team soon stood out for their in-depth knowledge of this field of technical knowledge and the development of imaginative lubrication and cooling solutions, with two fundamental premises: maximum reliability at a competitive price. This synthesis of quality and rationality soon attracted the attention of leading companies in various sectors.
Alongside them, NORTEK grew and consolidated, learning from the demands made on it by the best, but also contributing new intuitions and developments. Thus, from tribology we grew towards a global vision of fluid engineering, progressively expanding our product offering and extending the limits of our research work.
Innovating since our beginnings
NORTEK’s innovative track record has not only been recognised by its customers around the world, but has also been backed by the granting of numerous patents and utility models, in some cases jointly with leading multinationals in their sector.
Patent map
From the first patent, obtained only two years after the company was founded, to the present – as we are in the process of having a new design approved as a European and US patent – this is a summary of the main innovations we have brought to our industrial and technological context.
1
The first patents
Juan Alejandro Segrelles saw his first patent recognised in 1969. This certified the numerous technical improvements that he had succeeded in introducing in the NORTEK twin-line grease dispensers compared to those supplied at that time by his competitors. In the following years, other company developments were patented, such as the pressure-operated hydraulic inverter, the hydraulic proportional multiplier and a series of improvements in the construction of hand pumps for grease lubrication.
2
Divinor®
In 1998, when NORTEK had already transcended its position as a mere supplier of grease systems, a patent was obtained for one of the emblematic products in our catalogue. This is an air-oil divider which, due to its use of the oil’s direction of rotation through its internal helical gear, offers a higher level of precision. The novelty was accompanied by the registration of a brand name for this product: the NORTEK splitter could only be called DIVINOR®.
3
SmartTank®
Traditionally, the reservoirs of oil circulation systems were oversized – or even doubled – to allow for maximum settling and aeration of the fluid. In addition to cooling problems, this led to increased costs, which became unnecessary when NORTEK and MORGAN CONSTRUCTION CO. (now Primetals Technologies) jointly patented the SmartTank® in 2003. This is an innovative interior design for oil tanks which, by minimising the size of the tank, simultaneously increases the oil retention time in the tank and ensures greater homogeneity of the lubricant temperature. Greater reliability at lower cost: a fundamental design criterion for understanding NORTEK’s track record.
4
Non-electrical heating system for accumulators
In 2006, NORTEK patented a new heating system for oil stored in accumulators. This solved in a very original way the problem caused by the cooling of oil deposited in accumulators located above the circulation line (but outside it), traditionally solved by the use of resistors. Under the NORTEK system, the line passes through the interior of the accumulator, using mechanical means to take advantage of the temperature of the circulating oil to guarantee the temperature of the stored lubricant.
5
Get to know NORTEK’s great contribution to oil dehydration systems.
Water contamination of the oil is one of the greatest enemies of any lubrication system and can cause failures with serious consequences. NORTEK’s contribution to the development of vacuum dehydration systems has been decisive, as it has succeeded in solving two of the industry’s biggest questions with highly reliable and economically competitive solutions: on the one hand, the NORTEK patent for vacuum devices (2007) finally provided an optimal and proven solution for the efficient and almost total dehydration of highly viscous oils. This made us the only supplier worldwide with the proven ability to offer this solution. Furthermore, in 2009, a joint patent was filed with MORGAN CONSTRUCTION CO. (now Primetals Technologies) for a dehydrator for highly contaminated oils, very useful for applications with high water penetration.