Vibrator designs for OEM applications
Martin Engineering has begun offering custom-engineered vibration technology for manufacturers of shakers, separators, wash plants and other process equipment that uses vibration as a working force. By adding the new capability to its extensive lineup of stock vibrators, Martin Engineering will open up a wide range of new possibilities for equipment designers who have traditionally been forced to engineer their products around existing vibrator models. The design and engineering will be performed at Martin Engineering’s new 2100 m2 Center for Innovation, Research & Development (CFI) at the company’s Neponset, IL headquarters (Bild 1).
Custom-engineered drives are already being manufactured at Martin Engineering locations in the U.S. and China, and as the business grows, the firm plans to supply them from all eight of its business units around the world. “If an OEM has a unique need for a drive that hasn’t been (or couldn’t be) designed before, or if there’s a design for a machine that they could not find a drive for, now there’s a cost-effective resource for developing them”, VP of Operations Robert Nogaj says. Martin Engineering is targeting continuous-duty applications that often require explosion-proof construction and multi-year reliability, backing the products with an industry-first three-year warranty, plus three additional years on bearings and electrical parts. A key to the new technology is its global availability, as the company will be able to manufacture custom designs in any of the countries in which the firm does business. Customers will benefit from regional engineering, manufacturing and service in virtually any location.
Nogaj continues: “For the builders of next-generation equipment, we can now deliver design options that engineers have never had before. Instead of being limited to an off-the-shelf vibrator, manufacturers can specify the exact sizes and parameters they need to suit new and emerging designs.” Nogaj says that the designs are likely to find utility in high frequency vibratory screens, sizing equipment, dewatering operations and other vibratory equipment for the oil and gas industries, as well as processing of coal, iron ore, gold and other elements, silica sand, pharmaceuticals and even food applications. While traditional designs will remain a cornerstone of Martin Engineering’s family of vibration products, the company is now able to custom-engineer the size and shape of the drives, torque curves, weight and many other features, in both electrical and mechanical units.
An important component in the decision to offer custom-engineered vibration is Martin Engineering’s extensive new R&D capabilities in the CFI. For example, the firm has recently added four massive, spring-mounted 10,000-lb (4545 kg) test blocks specifically for development and trial of new vibrator designs. Martin Engineering’s new capabilities also include sophisticated dynamometer testing that allows the company to map the shape and values of an electric motor’s torque curve (Bild 2). “The dyno testing helps us analyze existing designs, but it also means that customers can come to us to obtain a specific torque curve,” says Global Vibration Development Manager Brad Pronschinske. Further supporting Martin Engineering’s commitment to the custom engineering concept is an endurance testing station located outside the CFI, where engineers can evaluate new vibratory drives and screen designs on any of five different shakers. A similar station at the company’s China facility also features two shakers. “The outdoor test stations are intended to duplicate tough real-world operating conditions,” Pronschinske adds. “The setup at CFI has one shaker design with a 4-pole drive unit that can develop as much as 10 Gs of force, helping us to engineer the highest quality, longest-lasting vibrators in the world.”
