A-S drive offers high starting torque, quick maintenance

Combining an ac motor with a speed reduction setting, the Ultima adjustablespeed drive can deliver larger starting torques than available with many other drive types. This enables starting fully loaded pumps, mixers, and conveyors without oversizing.

Offering output speeds adjustable over an 8:1 range, units are available from ¾ to 10 hp. All include cast-iron structures designed to survive damp and corrosive environments, and a new belt-disc design that enables changing belts in less than 3 min. To prevent corrosion, critical parts are constructed of cast iron, chrome plated, made of stainless steel, or separated by Nylatron bushings.

The adjustable-speed unit accepts off-the-shelf NEMA Cface or IEC B5 flanged motor inputs. This enables worldwide motor availability.

Options include retrofit kits for converting existing Reeves Drives to the Ultima belt cases, remote controls for open-loop speed control, interface with electronic controls, speed indicators, protective finishes, extensive motor selection, and many motor modifications.

DODGE/Reliance Electric, Greenville, S.C.

Miniature and custom seals

MicrOring seals come in over 1,000 miniature sizes including a 0.008-in. ID version, said to be the world’s smallest Oring. The company also offers standard seals as well as custom-engineered Microshapes for applications such as molded inserts, diaphragms, lip seals, piston cups, and bushings. Sealing solutions are available in all popular elastomers including medical grade silicone.

Apple Rubber Products Inc., Lancaster, N.Y.

Front-wheel drive differential cuts design, production costs

A new installation mode for a viscous limited- slip differential for front-wheel drive vehicles gets the viscous couplings outside the transaxle. In front-wheel drive applications the coupling typically is inside the automatic or manual transaxle.

The new approach puts an external viscous coupling on the intermediate shaft so that the inner plates adjoin the shaft. The housing, as outer plate carrier, couples to the differential carrier. External application has been introduced in Europe and Japan with applications targeted in North America for manual and automatic transmission vehicles, which typically have intermediate shafts.

The external approach can substantially reduce engineering and manufacturing costs. A key cost saver: the housing case seldom needs modification.

GKN Viscodrive, Auburn Hills, Mich.

Open styles expand plain bearing line

European Standard and European Compact Thin Wall Series metric Simplicity bearings now include open-style metric bearings. Bores are 12 to 80 mm. Load ratings are from 400 to 12,000 kg. The bearings interchange with European linear ball bearings.

Bearings are of solid aluminum body lined with Frelon, a Teflon compound. They are self-lubricating and carry three times the load of ball bearings. Temperature range is 2400 to 500 F.

Pacific Bearing Co., Rockford, Ill.

DC drive offers plug-in option modules

Installable at the factory and in the field, plug-in option modules enable the Saber DC 3306 adjustable-speed dc drive to meet different application requirements. Six modules — including Test Meter, Signal Follower, S-Curve Acceleration, and Damping for driving high-inertia loads — are available for the drives rated 5 to 75 hp for operation on 230 Vac, and 7.5 to 1,000 hp on 460 Vac.

MagneTek, New Berlin, Wis.

Continue on Page 2