Engineers at maxon precision motors inc., Fall River, Mass., have developed a series of dc-brushed motors (DCX), gearheads (GPX), and encoders (ENX), that can be mixed and matched to provide precise drives for applications in medicine, aerospace, motion control, and robotics.
Some of the motors can be equipped with graphite or preciousmetal brushes, preloaded ball or sintered bearings, and one of six different ironless windings. Ironless windings offer several advantages. For example, they eliminate eddy-current losses due to cogging, reduce vibrations and noise, and minimize inductance. Mounting flanges for the motors are also customizable in that buyers can specify the thread diameter, position and number of mounting holes, and dimension of the centering collar through predetermined drop-down selections. Engineers can select the length and, in certain cases, the diameter of the shaft as well as a flat, within a specified range.
Gearheads in the new line can have one to four stages, with the GPX10 going up to five stages. The gearheads are said to be quieter and stronger than other comparably sized alternatives. GPX gearheads are seamlessly joined to DCX motors with a laser weld.
Matching ENX encoders come in a variety of configurations. The ENX Quad, for example, is a single-pulse, two-channel encoder suited for speed and direction detection. It has built-in protection against electrostatic discharge and reverse polarity, and comes with cable- strain relief. The ENX EASY is a threechannel encoder with a line driver and has a resolution of up to 1,024 pulses/rev. Cables for the encoders come in seven lengths ranging from 50 to 1,000 mm.