Power Transmission

Ultraminiature ball screws, manufactured from corrosion-resistant 400-Series stainless steel that is hardened and precision ground, are available in diameters as small as 3 mm with a choice of two pitches: 1 or 0.5 m.

Flexures are power transmissions made from single, high-strength material.

Mechanical torque limiters provide relatively low-cost insurance in case of torque overloads due to jams and crashes.

Allen-Bradley PowerFlex 400 HVAC ac drives, rated up to 350 hp, have built-in network connections for building automation systems.

No-slip clutch/brakes keep loads and drives synced up.

Four different lines of motorized positioning tables produce zero-backlash.

Engineers at Audi (audiusa.com) have developed the first direct-shift automatic gearbox with twin clutches for a longitudinally installed engine.

Researchers at the University of Southampton turned an electric motor upside down to create a more efficient generator.

For high-level face-to-bore perpendicularity, shaft collars are single-point faced resulting in a face runout of TIR < 0.05 mm on standard collars.

Magnetic particle brakes with a hollow shaft need no precision alignment, which simplifies installation.

Braketex and Clutchex linings for industrial brake and clutch plates are made out of Kevlar fiber composite and last three to five times longer than old-style asbestos, sintered bronze, and molded graphitic facing.

OE-quality heavy-duty brake shoes feature an induction-hardened cam and anchor ends to prevent mushrooming and improve longterm durability.

Engineering cutbacks have forced companies to buy complete systems rather than assemble components themselves.

The AGK ball-screw drive from Bosch Rexroth Corp., Charlotte, N.C., combines a rigid aluminum housing, screw supports, bearings that reduce screw whip, and a high-performance ball screw to provide up to five times the speed (96 m/min) of conventional long-travel linear-motion systems.

TP+ planetary gearheads are suited for high-dynamic cyclic as well as continuous operation.