Your loved ones in safe hands

Why you don’t have to worry using the reliable brake technology by mayr power transmission Brakes by mayr power transmission have secured movements in machines for decades. They must protect people and systems, and in case of emergency, they must also save lives. Therefore, users have to be able to rely 100% on the technology. During a visit to Mauerstetten, systems technician Martin K. scrutinised what is behind this quality promise, and discovered why he can relax whilst enjoying his daughter’s concerts. For a moment, it is as quiet as a mouse in the hall. Spellbound, the audience watches as the young singer floats back to the ground over the heads of the other artists to land gently back on the stage. Then thundering applause breaks out. Martin grips his wife’s hand. She smiles. He can see how proud she is: their daughter’s performance has once again been a great success. What happens if the technology does not cooperate? Of course Martin is also proud, but primarily he is relieved. Once again, the technology has operated smoothly. His daughter and the other performers were never in danger. Due to his vocation as a service technician, he is fully aware of what can happen when stage technology does not function properly. Only last September, he and his colleagues were conducting an operation in a football stadium in Central America. Heavy stage elements, decoration and spotlights should have been moved, braked and accurately held above the heads of artists and spectators using winches in the complex opening event. However, the safety brakes in these systems did not want to cooperate. Rescued at the last minute – reliable products save a great deal of trouble! As it then became clear, the safety brakes were not designed for the high humidity prevalent in tropical regions. So that the opening ceremony could still take place as planned, the brakes were eventually replaced. Together with the system operator on-site, they had quickly come to a conclusion and decided on safety brakes by mayr power transmission. They had turned to the market leader, because, after the failure of the original brakes, it was clear to everyone that it is not just a matter of course when brakes function reliably – and therefore the decision was made to use products from the global market leader for safety brakes. These brakes operate perfectly and without compromises, and fulfil all safety requirements. During a visit to Mauerstetten in the Allgäu region, the headquarters of the family-run company, Martin K. wished to find out for himself why you can rely on the quality by mayr. Imagine you are traveling in an elevator and the safety brakes fail … Martin’s dialogue partners, Product Manager Bernd Kees and Philipp Kempf from the Development Department, were waiting for him on his arrival. During the tour around the company complex, they explained to him why people can rely on brakes from Mauerstetten in their everyday lives. “Apart from stage technology, elevators are also a particularly effective example”, says Bernd Kees. “Most of us use an elevator every day. No-one wants to imagine what would happen if the safety brakes were to fail. The same applies in hospitals with operation-support robots, for example. The robot joints are held in position using safety brakes. In case of an eye operation, for example, the robot arm must under no circumstances wobble or drop suddenly”. The requirements and dependencies are complex. Have you really thought of everything? “Our brakes are deployed in very different machines and systems – anywhere where movements must be reliably braked and/or precisely held. The demands on the brakes – and primarily on the components at the heart of these brakes, the friction linings – are therefore also completely different. This starts with the environmental conditions, such as humidity or temperature. In case of machine tools, in part cooling lubricants in the surrounding area must also be taken into consideration. And we can continue with the specific task of the brake. Is the braking static, i.e. does it concern holding brakes? Or do the brakes also have to brake movements, for example in case of an emergency stop or power failure, i.e. dynamic braking? How much load do the brakes have to carry, and how often? How short must the stopping distances or times be so that no one is harmed”? Only once the limits have been tested and are known under various operating conditions can the product operate reliably long-term “All these questions and many more have to be answered”, adds Philipp Kempf. “Only in this way can we ensure that a safety brake is correctly selected and designed for a respective application. We do not achieve this simply through data. Central components of our safety and quality comprehension are therefore extensive tests and checks unique in their form. This is particularly the case in the field of friction technology. They ensure that the values stated in the catalogue are also reliably achieved, i.e. that we are able to make reliable statements. This also means that we know the limits of the friction systems used by us. And of course, the experience and knowledge from these tests flow into the development of our products”. In the meantime, the little group has arrived in Production, and enters the Test Department. The typical smell of machined metal hangs in the air. A regular, muffled “click” of brakes in service lifetime tests can be heard quietly echoing through the open door. Full function under tropical conditions – as safety does not allow for compromises “We want a realistic picture”, says Philipp Kempf. “We want to know what really happens in an application with the customer. Therefore, we test the static and dynamic braking torques as realistically as possible on various rotating mass and torsion test stands. In the process, we also subject our safety brakes to extreme climatic tests with a temperature range from -40°C to +180°C, and a humidity range of almost 0% to 95%. For this purpose, we enclose the safety brakes gas-tight in a thermally insulated chamber, as you can see here. The air conditioning unit then generates the required temperature or humidity in the chamber. During the tests, we determine parameters such as the braking torque, speed, temperature, friction coefficient and friction work, and check these under various conditions. Furthermore, we assess the coefficient of friction profile and the wear behaviour of the friction system, because in later application, the brakes must always function in the respective system – as safety does not allow for compromises”. Subsequently, the group continues its tour of the company. They pass by the partial lining test stand for the qualification of the friction linings and the sound measuring cabin for noise-damped safety brakes, right up to the final test stands. Quality not only means the construction of a reliable brake, but also that every single brake must function reliably under the specified extreme values long-term. “Every single safety brake which leaves the works must pass a 100% check after complete assembly and adjustment”, says Bernd Kees. “All the measurement values determined are archived, together with the associated serial number of the brake, in our electronic database. This ensures 100-percent traceability”. By the end of the tour, Martin K. is absolutely satisfied. The Product Manager and Developer have answered all his questions, and Martin K. discovers, as many visitors before him: “There is hardly any other manufacturer for industrial brakes who has such a vast and well-equipped, high-tech testing area as mayr”. mayr.com – centre for application training and intensive exchange with customers The visit ends with a detour to the construction site of the adjacent new Communications Centre “mayr.com”. Both mayr employees proudly show their guest how this modern, sophisticated round building is already taking shape. Another visit would be worthwhile in the near future. “Soon our meetings and seminars for close dialogues with customers will take place here, but sometimes also cultural events, for example, concerts – perhaps a new stage for your daughter”, says Bernd Kees, winking!