Innovative Marine Winch Design Enhances ROV Operations and Efficiency

Jesse Dupuis, Director of Powertrain Product Management at Regal Rexnord, discusses a collaboration with an international engineering technology company to design a marine winch for controlling, lifting, and retrieving remote operated vehicles (ROVs) on sea vessels. The winch was specifically needed to lift a hull cleaner ROV to remove fouling on ship hulls, reducing biological contamination risks and improving fuel efficiency. The company sought help from Regal Rexnord to simplify their initial concept and enhance the winch’s performance for seafaring applications.

The design challenges for the marine winch included high corrosion resistance, simplified maintenance, and compact size for vessel enclosures. Functionally, the winch had to meet torque and speed requirements for controlling ROVs and dynamic braking for line management. By partnering with Regal Rexnord, the engineering company reduced complexity by 58%, eliminated seven components, and integrated the motor, brake, and encoder into one servo motor, resulting in a 32% cost reduction and 13% weight reduction for the winch system.

The collaboration led to improved reliability, efficiency, and reduced maintenance costs for the winch system. By streamlining the design and reducing the number of components, assembly time was cut by 50%, processing costs were reduced, and response time and safety were enhanced. The redesigned winch assembly showcased how innovative engineering solutions can simplify complex systems, lower costs, and enhance performance for demanding marine environments, exceeding the customer’s expectations.

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