New generation of piston air motors features internal porting

Due to their clean operation, compatibility with non-lube air supply and smooth, highly corrosion-resistant materials and surfaces, these air motors are also suitable for use in food and pharmaceutical production environments. The indexing and positioning operations common in these sectors are particularly well served by a Huco Dynatork piston air motor. The company claims that this is the only air motor on the market capable of precision position control and so can be used in many positional applications where typically a servo system or inverter-driven electric motor would be used.

Huco Dynatork says its air motor is typically lighter and less costly than an ATEX-certified electric motor and drive alternative. It also delivers improved wear characteristics over alternative air motor designs that tend to operate using a system of metal pistons and connecting rods that are unable to provide instant stop/start functionality. Not only is controllability compromised but so too is service life, as these parts tend to wear in other designs.

A floating piston design transmits the maximum torque on start-up, which can be adjusted to fine limits by means of standard valves. Pulse counters can be specified to allow programming of direction of rotation, speed and the number of revolutions, and even fractions of a revolution. This means the motors can provide near-instant stop/start/reversal and drive under load. These qualities are complemented by air consumption that is said to be only a fraction of that used by vane motor designs, providing significant cost savings even at maximum torque.

Huco Dynatork's air motors are available with torques up to 16Nm (or 550Nm with gearbox). Models are available in aluminium or acetyl plastic and may be specified with a choice of motors and gearboxes or lead screws. A further new introduction is a controller available in two sizes to suit the motor.

How the air motor works

In a simple operating principle, air up to 6.5bar is supplied to each of three pistons in turn via an integral rotary valve. The free-floating pistons transmit torque on start-up that can be adjusted via a pressure regulator. This results in high torque at variable low speed and low noise.

Suitable for use in harsh and hazardous environments, the motor excels in constant start/stop applications under load, displaying similar characteristics to those of a stepper motor. In contrast, an electric motor will often burn out and a vane motor stall out when subjected to these conditions.

These qualities make the Huco Dynatork air motor a good choice for paint and other liquid-stirring applications across a wide spectrum of industries.

Energy-saving application example

As result of changing from traditional vane motors to Huco Dynatork non-lubricated air motors for paint stirring, a large UK automobile plant is saving in the region of EUR115,000 per annum in power costs and plant renewals.

A spokesperson says: "The manufacturer has now installed 42 Huco Dynatork motors and these have provided a capital saving on air compressors and an overall power saving of 152kVA per annum."

This customer's original purchasing criteria for the motors required greater reliability on 24/7 operation and freedom from lubrication to avoid the possibility of contamination. However, the switch to the Huco Dynatork model did much more than meet these demands; it also substantially cut the need for compressed air, as, even at maximum torque, this design requires less than one-quarter of the air consumed by a traditional vane motor.

Follow the link for more information about Huco Dynatork air motors.