Torque Control with Placid Industries Brakes and Clutches

Torque control is vital for manufacturing as improper torque control can result in damaged products or machinery, poor manufacturing accuracy, and ultimately, reduced profitability. Placid Industries manufactures the smoothest operating magnetic particle brakes and clutches, and hysteresis brakes available on the market. Placid Industries also supplies brake and clutch accessories like power supplies, ultrasonic sensors, and follower-arm potentiometers. These accessories allow our customers to create complete torque control systems without relying on another supplier for supplementary products.

The following paragraphs will identify each of our brake and clutch product lines and illustrate their torque control capabilities.

Magnetic Particle Brakes for Torque Control

Magnetic Particle Brakes provide torque in a “nearly linear” proportion to the supplied current. Therefore, a precise and dependable constant current power supply is a critical supplementary product for magnetic particle brakes. As current is applied to the brake, our proprietary blend of magnetic particles are increasingly charged and attracted to each other. This magnetic force produces extremely smooth torque.

This type of torque control is ideal for unwinding applications as the smooth transmission and control of torque allow for total control over the material being unwound. The current supplied to the magnetic particle brake is managed with an ultrasonic sensor or a follower-arm potentiometer. These accessories send signals to the constant current power supply to either increase or decrease the supplied current to match the required level of torque. Having too much torque can result in torn, damaged, or otherwise unusable end products. Having too little torque can result in inconsistent manufacturing and diminished profitability due to increased soft costs associated with machine downtime and repair.

 

Magnetic Particle Clutches for Torque Control

Magnetic Particle Clutches also provide torque in a “nearly linear” proportion to the supplied current. This means that these types of clutches also require a constant current power supply for proper adjustment and control of torque. As with a magnetic particle brake, our proprietary blend of magnetic particles becomes charged and attracted to each other when current is supplied to the magnetic particle clutch. These attractions become stronger as the supplied current increases, effectively increasing the output torque. The opposite is also true, as torque is reduced with reduced supplied current.

Accessories and supplemental products are commonly used with magnetic particle clutches for torque control. Magnetic particle clutches are commonly used in re-winding applications as seen in the wire, cable, and paper manufacturing industries. The clutches help to control the torque of a re-winding apparatus to promote consistency in manufacturing. Without proper torque control, re-winding would not be possible. Too little torque would result in slack in the web being re-wound. Too much torque could result in tearing or damaging the web. Ultimately, Placid Industries’ magnetic particle clutches provide smooth torque control and promote improved manufacturability and profitability.

 

Hysteresis Brakes for Torque Control.

Hysteresis Brakes do not contain internal magnetic particles like our magnetic particle brakes and clutches do. Instead, torque is produced magnetically across an air gap. This results in an extremely long lifespan, even at high speeds. Similarly to the magnetic particle brake and clutch, the hysteresis brakes provide torque in a “nearly linear” proportion to the supplied current. When the load torque is less than the output torque, the shaft won’t rotate continuously. When the load torque increases, the brake will slip smoothly at the torque level set by the coil input current. Because of the function of this brake, slip torque control is extremely precise and it provides the smoothest operation available from high speeds down to zero RPM.

Hysteresis brakes are commonly used in unwinding and load simulation testing applications. Placid Industries’ hysteresis brakes are equipped with our patented “Cog-Buster”, which automatically decogs (stops the brake from cogging) in 1 revolution of the shaft. This functionality allows for hysteresis brakes to excel in applications requiring:

• Improved smoothness during low-speed operation compared to what a magnetic particle device can provide.
• A speed that is higher than the ‘Maximum RPM’ rating for a magnetic particle brake
• A heat dissipation requirement that is too high for a magnetic particle brake.

It is also important to note that hysteresis brakes are not well suited for applications that would require the brake to repeatedly change from high torque to low, while the shaft is moving slowly, or stopped. This would cause the hysteresis brake to cog, or pulse, for 1 revolution each occurrence.

                Torque Control with Placid Industries

Placid Industries provides its customers with the highest quality products with the smoothest operation available. We pride ourselves on our customer service and can offer a 24 – 48 hour turnaround from order to shipment on most of our products! Call us today to speak with a technical expert right away: 607-873-5560.