ERX Electromagnetic Brakes combines for automation applications

Warner Electric, a brand of Altra Industrial Motion Corp., has released a new range of pre-assembled electromagnetic brakes that offer superior performance for stopping and parking applications. The brakes can be specified in standard, high-torque or high-speed configurations and with a selection of accessories included. Thanks to its modular design and efficient stock holding, Warner Electric is able to offer thousands of variations with a very short lead time.

Complementing the smart design of the ERX range, Warner Electric has developed an easy-to-use configurator that allows engineers and purchasers to reliably order the part they want. Having first chosen between five brake sizes and three friction materials, hub bore diameter instructions are given followed by yes/no choices for the five options available. Once a code is generated and the order is placed, each component part is taken from stock and the complete brake is assembled and shipped.

As standard, the brakes provide braking torque from 5 up to 60 Nm. The high-torque option increases braking torque to 75 Nm and the high-speed version facilitates between 3,500 rpm (60 Nm) to 7,000 rpm (5 Nm).

All of the brakes are supplied with ‘non-stick’ friction material that has been developed by Warner Electric to stop brakes from seizing whilst closed. For automated processes where brakes are only applied occasionally, yet must be relied upon at a moment’s notice, this is of particular importance.

The five optional features allow customers to specify a hand lever for manual release; an IP54 protection kit; a double brake with two magnets and two friction discs for full redundancy; a ‘silent option’ – better than 55dB(A); and the Warner Electric Sensor (WES) – a contactless solution to monitor the position of the armature and provide feedback on wear measurements.

The WES outperforms traditional electromechanical designs thanks to a very low hysteresis: less than 0.05 mm between the full range of operating temperatures (-40 °C up to 105 °C). Both NPN and NO/NC outputs are available – the former with an integrated pull-up resistor to simplify integration into most PLC-based installations and the latter providing backward compatibility with almost all dry contact switches on the market. An optional analogue ratiometric output is also available, which offers real time wear detection that measures the brake air gap down to 0.15 mm.

The ERX range brings a level of versatility to designers and engineers that is unprecedented for electromagnetic brakes of this type – this will only improve as the maximum braking torque will increase to 400 Nm soon. As part of Altra, Warner Electric is able to support the product performance with a global supply and service network – ensuring that the ERX is a premium solution for Smart Factory applications.