Concentrated force in very small installation spaces

The brake specialist Intorq from Aerzen (Germany) intends to set new standards with its spring-loaded brake BFK518.

The holding brake with emergency stop function for servomotors aims to provide maximum braking torque in the minimum installation space.

"Our new safety brake combines the advantages of a spring-loaded brake with the performance of a permanent magnet brake," explained Ralph Krone, key account manager at Intorq. Its high, reliable holding torque, small size and high temperature stability make the spring-loaded brake suitable for various applications - from robotics and packaging technology to use in production machinery.

Great friction radius of the rotor

The extremely high braking torque for its size of the BFK518 results from the great friction radius of the rotor and the small air gap, produced to a very low tolerance. A flange produced as a bent plate component serves as a supporting structure closely aligned to the rotor – this ensures 100 percent use of the frictional surface.

In addition, Intorq uses a thermal joining procedure. The flange is fixed here precisely to the target air gap. The process parameters of the joining process are recorded by sensors and archived with the other test data of the brake. "This ensures maximum brake reliability," according to Krone.

Flexible installation location, easy mounting and stable price

Compared to permanent magnet brakes, the spring-loaded brake does not require any manual adjustment work, which saves time and avoids errors. Axial positioning is unnecessary for the Intorq BFK518, since the friction disk is designed to ensure that it automatically adopts the correct position.

According to the company, the installation location of the brake is flexible. It can be mounted on the fixed or movable bearing of the motor. Unlike a permanent magnet brake, the electromagnetically operating spring-loaded brake does not need rare earths, resulting in stable purchasing prices.

Safety in the event of power failures

Spring-loaded brakes are closed circuit brakes. Several compression springs generate the braking torque through frictional contact in a de-energised state. Even in the case of a power failure, the fail-safe brake ensures absolute safety.

The brake is ventilated electromagnetically: for this purpose, the coil of the magnet part is energised with direct current. The magnetic force created attracts the anchor disc against the spring force towards the magnetic part.

More information:intorq.com