The benefits of custom components

In a perfect world, no matter the application, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components would provide the exact performance required and be just the right size and shape. In reality, almost every design involves trade-offs and compromise. Sometimes, the process is painless, requiring some give on low-priority parameters. Other times, the leap is simply too big. Projects can get sidetracked as designers surf from one Web site to another or call around for catalogs, desperately searching for products that are in the right ballpark. What’s often needed is customization.

Engineers involved with motion-control applications may not realize that the catalog is often only the start. Many suppliers customize offerings to suit specific needs, support R&D with design insights fueled by experience, and even help with troubleshooting. Partnering with knowledgeable vendors can improve the final product and speed commercialization. Here’s how.

Custom brings benefits
Customization sounds time consuming and expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. In the simplest form, customization involves a vendor modifying its COTS products to save an OEM time, cost, and headaches.

Perhaps the most basic example is adding cables to a motor. Many motors come with bare terminals, and users must connect the cables themselves. It’s a simple task but not nearly as forgiving as many would like. Bend the terminal once, it’s not a problem. Bend the terminal twice and it often breaks. Ideally, the motor would be sent back for repair, but if the break takes place on a busy production floor during crunch time, the motor may simply be discarded.

Sometimes, soldering applies so much heat to a terminal that the motor’s brushes burn up, turning a valuable component into a paperweight. In either case, manufacturers wind up losing money twice: once on scrap and again on lost production time.

Having the supplier attach cabling is an easy solution. They remove the terminals, make the connections, perhaps even add a strain-relief element. The key is they put in the production time, not you. Even better, they take the risk while you receive 100% usable products.

In many cases minor modifications are all that’s necessary for customization. Suppliers with skilled machinists and the right tools can quickly modify motors and assemblies by adding mounting plates and brackets, pulleys and gears, even leadscrews. They can drill cross holes into output shafts. If a planetary gearbox suffers from pin walk, they can weld the pins to the carrier. Simple changes such as these can dramatically increase a product’s value to the OEM.