The winners of the 2024 LEAP Awards (Leadership in Engineering Achievement Program) were announced yesterday across several categories. This year’s winner in the Mechanical category is electromagnetic clutches and brakes manufacturer, Ogura Industrial Corp.
GOLD
Ogura Industrial Corp
Power-Off Micro Clutch
This brand-new product is an electromagnetic power-off clutch intended for low power consumption, small envelope size, light weight, and high torque, while being extremely cost-effective.
Ogura has previously manufactured a power-on clutch of this nature and currently provides millions of units annually. Ogura enjoys one-third of the world’s market demand with the “power-on” variety of micro clutches, and this engineering advancement opens the doors to many new markets looking for a “power-off” version to offer lower power consumption, smaller footprint, lighter weight, and high torque.
The MPNC3.5 clutch offers significant size, torque, and power consumption advantages over competing products. This is evidenced in the comparative product chart.
The product can also be used as a power-off brake when the output is locked to a rigid frame. The output of the clutch can be a universal type dog bone style for easy design compatibility, or it can be a custom extruded gear to match a customer’s specific needs. The basic assembly stays the same.
When the clutch (or brake) needs to disengage, 24Vdc power is simply provided to the coil. The magnetic flux of the powered coil then cancels out the opposing magnetic flux of the permanent magnets inside the clutch. This allows for disconnection of the motor drive as required.
SILVER
Bodine Electric Company
Type 42R Motor Redesigned for Wet Environments
In 2023, the Design Engineers at the Bodine Electric Company reimagined the mechanical construction of their classic type 42R AC Fan-Cooled induction motor while developing a new gearmotor product line. The 4.5-in diameter type 42R has been a popular mainstay in the motor industry for many years, but Bodine Engineers wanted to go beyond merely attaching the existing motor to a new gearbox. To meet the anticipated needs of future customers, they created a TENV (Totally Enclosed, Non-Ventilated) version of the original 42R motor by redesigning the exterior center ring while retaining the reliable rotor and stator.
The new center ring features a smooth exterior surface without fins, which prevents build-up in dirty applications and environments. Additionally, the redesign includes O-rings at each joint and has been certified with an ingress protection rating of IP66 (IP66 means the enclosure is protected from high-pressure water jets from any direction). Removing the fan and shroud allowed for the creation of an integral wiring compartment, enabling the motor to fit into narrower spaces without requiring an additional terminal box (which is generally mounted onto the side of the motor). The accompanying photo shows the original 42R fan-cooled design on the left (with a terminal box mounted on the side) and the new 42R water-protected design on the right (with the end cover removed to show the integral wiring compartment).
Filed Under: LEAP Awards, Brakes • clutches, Motors (gearmotors)