A
slip ring seems to be called a lot of different names - rotary
electrical
interface, commutator, collector, swivel, and rotary joint
are a few that I've
heard. If they're all the same thing, why are so many names
used? I wish
you guys would make up your minds - it's confusing!
Q: What's
the difference in wear between different brush materials?
A: Many
slip rings incorporate sacrificial brushes that wear, and
shed debris, spreading contaminates in the unit. Our patented
fiber brushes produce virtually no debris - eliminating
downtime to change brushes, and protecting the unit from
debris contamination.
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A: Most
of our commercial slip rings are available with an optional
seal that protects them from dust and splashes. They cannot,
however, be immersed in water. If a unit is going to be
subjected to wash downs, the slip ring is usually enclosed
in a protective housing.
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A: The
most basic slip ring design can pass power. We can handle
audio, video, DC power, AC power, temperature sensors, heaters,
high voltage, strain gauges, digital data and control signals
to name a few. To successfully pass high speed that requires
a much more sophisticated design than just transmitting
power. Poly-Scientific slip rings successfully transmit
the broadest band frequency transmission - from DC to gigahertz
- with absolute data integrity.
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A: Confusion
has arisen because different industries define the term
in different manners. We refer to a circuit as a single
conducting path through the slip ring. If there is a return
path or ground, that is a separate circuit. Circuit, ring
and way are synonymous.
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A: A separate
can sometimes accommodate size constraints or cost limitations
better than a capsule. It also allows you to mate the rotor
and stator in your own system, if you desire. Our slip ring
engineers can offer their years of expertise to you as you
decide which approach is better for your design.
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A: The
primary reason is safety. Mercury is, of course, a toxic
substance, so if your application involves food manufacturing
or processing, pharmaceutical equipment, or any other use
where contamination could be a serious threat, your choice
should be precious metal contacts. Leakage of the mercury
and the resultant contamination could be extremely serious.
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A: Your
best bet is a Poly-Twist™ or twist capsule, a reliable
slip ring substitute for limited rotation applications -
up to 1-1/2 turns of rotational freedom. It resembles a
miniature slip ring assembly in size and appearance and
provides a self-contained, no-sliding contact rotary interface
using flexible circuit tapes for those applications where
continuous rotation is not required. Poly-Twists feature
low torque, no noise and a very long performance life. We've
developed very large Poly-Twists as well as miniature twist-cap
assemblies.
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A: Although
we've designed some excellent pancake slip rings, our expertise
has shown that a drum design is more cost effective and
performs better than a pancake design. A pancake slip ring
usually has: greater weight and volume for the same circuits,
greater capacitance and crosstalk, greater brush wear and
more readily collects wear debris on its vertical axis.
However, a pancake offers reduced axial length for the number
of circuits. So the decision to use a pancake is usually
due to the size and shape of the envelope with which you're
working.
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A: Alas,
you are correct. And it is confusing. We've consistently
called them slip rings for the 46 years that we've been
designing and manufacturing them. We've noted that some
other slip ring manufacturers, technical and industrial
publications, and engineering textbooks sometimes use other
names. Our goal is that with consistent repetition, slip
ring will become the standard term for the device.
