Regal Beloit Corporation, is a manufacturer of electric motors, electrical motion controls, power generation and power transmission components. Unplanned outages due to mechanical failures can cost millions of dollars of lost production time to Oil and Gas companies. While it’s difficult to quantify the cost of unplanned downtime, an outage of a single day may […]
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Locking devices: basic designs and applications
A locking device is a mechanical component that prevents mated shafts and other machine elements from moving out of position when subjected to external forces. Operating conditions such as initial installation error, temperature variations, vibration and others can all cause issues. These are critical components. The safety of an entire system often relies on locking devices. […]
Update on flexible-coupling considerations for OEM and plant designs
All couplings transmit torque and angular velocity. Flexible variations compensate for misalignment. Many of the latter even address vibration and improve system dynamics. Design considerations include machine or installation construction and backlash, torsional stiffness, damping, inertia, torque ratings, maximum rpm, size, misalignments, ease of installation, robustness, and cost. For power transmission (as in motors for […]
Servo couplings: Stiffness, damping, hunting, and stabilization considerations
Here we address considerations when specifying servo couplings to satisfy servo requirements — ever-evolving specifications that become more demanding all the time. By Tetsuya Niwa • Director of product planning and development Kei Yamada • Product Manager — Product planning and development Hiroki Goto • engineering specialist Paulo Castelo • Technical solutions supervisor • NBK America […]
Flexible-coupling considerations for motion-control designs in OEM and plant setups
Couplings connect rotating shafts in equipment powered by electric motors and other drives. All transmit torque and angular velocity. Flexible variations compensate for misalignment. Many of the latter even address vibration and improve system dynamics. Design considerations include machine or installation construction and backlash, torsional stiffness, damping, inertia, torque ratings, maximum rpm, size, misalignments, ease […]
Damping servomotor couplings — New ways to use flexible couplings to minimize hunting and boost system stability
August 27, 2017 update: The full-length technical feature on this servo-coupling topic of damping and gain setting is now live. New technological improvements in servomotors have spurred dramatic improvements in response frequencies. The catch is that vibration (and hunting) tend to arise when designers apply high gain settings to servo systems and use advanced couplings […]
Reaction forces from couplings: How to prevent or mitigate?
All flexible couplings compensating for misalignment cause reaction forces, and their effect is significant if misalignment is excessive. These often-overlooked reaction forces transmit to connected shafts and support bearings, and can cause damage to motion axes — especially on precision designs with delicate bearings and slender shafts. Though couplings get their compliance from elastomeric deflection, […]
What are the basics of coupling installation?
Installation overview: Even if a coupling is properly selected, poor installation can cause failures; staying within the recommended misalignment ratings of that coupling at installation is critical. Here, we will cover several coupling types and what to be careful of during installation. Always be sure the coupling is used within the manufacturer’s ratings. Use a […]
Misaligment: The concerns you need to know about
Edited by Mike Santora Why misalignment is a concern: Because not properly accounting for it can lead to premature coupling or system component failure. It also introduces RPM limitations, vibrations and noise, and potential for damage or injury. Most systems are going to have some type of misalignment. Some of the common causes of misalignment […]
What’s the difference between windup and backlash?
In this excerpt from a recent webinar with Robert Watkins, VP of Sales for Ruland Manufacturing, we learn about the key differences between windup and backlash. Watkins also touches on how to help deal with both. Here is what he had to say: Windup is often confused with backlash; they are not the same. Backlash […]