No insulated bearings required

June 2023 Motion Control & Drives

Earthrings has developed the world’s most reliable and co-t effective bearing protection solution, tested and approved by all electric motor manufacturers in South Africa

Earthrings protects all motors up to 400 kW without the use of insulated bearings, insulated housings or any other technology. Earthrings is also the only product in its category that comes with an official 10-year guarantee. Earthrings saves you money and lasts the operating life of your motor, so no unnecessary maintenance or replacement intervals are required. Shaft voltages from variable speed drives (VSDs) are one of the biggest causes of downtime on motors powered by VSDs, but are the least identified. Shaft voltage damage is seen as ‘frosting’ or ‘fluting’ in the bearing, and also as dark, burnt, damaged grease. All electric motor manufacturers around the world advise shaft grounding as a critical and necessary protection on their electric motors.

Further reading:

Solving common automation challenges with Festo’s servo drive and servo motor solutions
Festo South Africa Motion Control & Drives
Automation projects face challenges that include limited installation space, the need for precise and repeatable linear motion, rising cycle-speed demands, and seamless integration with existing control architectures. Festo’s servo portfolio directly addresses these issues with compact, modular drive and motor solutions designed for specific applications.

Read more...

---

Inside the Giant Magellan Telescope with mechanical engineering at astronomical scale
Motion Control & Drives
Construction of the Giant Magellan Telescope, set to become the world’s largest Gregorian optical infrared telescope, is well underway. While its scientific mission is to transform astronomy, its performance depends heavily on advanced mechanical, hydraulic and pneumatic engineering.

Read more...

---

Motion control for flight simulators
Beckhoff Automation Motion Control & Drives
Turkish specialist, SANLAB is a leader in motion platforms and simulation technologies. At the heart of these platforms are application-specific servo drives, servomotors and industrial PCs for real-time control, which are supplied by Beckhoff.

Read more...

---

Filtration as a reliability driver in motion control systems
Parker Hannifin - Sales Company South Africa Motion Control & Drives
This article highlights the importance of filtration in motion control systems, how contamination affects performance, and what fleet managers, operators and maintenance teams in southern Africa can do to reduce downtime, avoidable wear and costly repairs, aided by Baldwin Filters.

Read more...

---

Supporting construction of next-gen floating offshore wind turbines
Motion Control & Drives
While windy locations naturally make ideal spots for offshore wind farms, they bring challenges when it comes to assembling wind turbines, particularly in ports. Mammoet was approached by Euroports to support with the marshalling and assembly of the components that make up the three turbines at Port-la-Nouvelle in France.

Read more...

---

Rollers excel where profits balance on a knife edge
igus Motion Control & Drives
Polymer component specialist manufacturer, igus has developed a range of lubrication-free long-life knife edge rollers designed to improve the transfer of products between conveyor belts in high-speed production environments.

Read more...

---

Bringing physical AI to the factory floor by deploying humanoids in industrial operations
Motion Control & Drives
Siemens and Humanoid have marked a landmark milestone in the journey to bring physical AI from vision to industrial reality. Humanoid’s humanoid robothas been successfully tested in operations at Siemens’ electronics factory in Germany, performing autonomous logistics tasks.

Read more...

---

Next-generation oil-free motor systems with active magnetic bearings
WEG Africa Motion Control & Drives
WEG and SpinDrive are collaborating to integrate SpinDrive’s AMBs and built-in IoT condition monitoring into WEG’s market-leading electric motor offering, creating an oil-free, maintenance-free drive solution.

Read more...

---

Rising demand for advanced coolant technology
Motion Control & Drives
As modern engines become smaller, more powerful and increasingly complex, coolant technology has undergone a fundamental transformation.

Read more...

---

Addressing cost, supply and disease pressures in Africa’s feed industry
Motion Control & Drives
Feed producers across Africa are operating in an increasingly complex and volatile environment. The pressures are forcing producers to rethink how they operate, balancing cost control, production efficiency and the need for greater flexibility in an unpredictable market.

Read more...

---