Contact Systems for Slip Ring Applications
Slip ring transmitters are used wherever electrical power and information is transferred between a stationary and a rotating component. Reliable signal transfer with precious metal contacts is important for defense and aerospace applications, energy and industrial applications.
About Contact Systems for Slip Ring Applications
The efficiency and capacity of the slip ring system depend on the quality of the transmission of power and signals, as well as on its resistance to wear.
These are determined by the design, the material, and the surface quality of the sliding system used. Only the optimal combination of the sliding contact and slip ring surface allows electrical signals to be transmitted without interference and the contact system to work with a minimum of wear and with a long service life.
High quality materials based on gold, silver, and palladium provide optimal contact resistance, mechanical and electrical properties, and excellent resistance to corrosion:
- Solid wire, sheet wire, multi wire wiper, multi fibre brush
- Solid and electroplated precious metal rings
- Pancake and drum type components
- Precious metal components with high temperature resistance, long life time, reduced wear rate
- Customized contact systems leading to excellent EMI shielding
- Components suitable for air, land, sea and aerospace
To minimize costs, we can offer material combinations with lower precious metal content and selective applications of precious metals.
Get Advice on Your Specific Requirements
Material Database
Find the right material for your product in our material database.
Contact us to discuss further steps to find the optimal solution for your process.
Advantages
Our wide selection of contact materials and designs for sliding contacts, along with specially adapted contact layer systems on slip ring surfaces, allows for a wide variety of design options for your contact system in a slip ring transmitter.
- A wide range of products for a solution optimized to your application
- Materials and products adapted specifically to the application with outstanding reliability and long service life
- Cost savings from lower precious metal content by means of selective application of the precious metals
- Expert consultation and expertise through years of experience in contact technology and application in the area of slip ring transmitters
- Analysis and evaluation of your contact system in our modern application laboratory
Aerospace & Defense
Heraeus slip ring solutions guarantee reliable signal transfer in harsh environmental conditions across all domains. Whether in air, on land, at sea or in space, Heraeus precious metal contacts excel in addressing demanding technical challenges:
- Rotation speed
- Signal quality – low noise
- Stability in harsh environmental conditions
- High vibration and shock resistance
- Reliable data and power transfer
- Low electrical loss – high conductivity materials
- Right choice of optimal contact system
Electromechanical components enable continuous power and data transmission between static and rotary parts of a rotating 360°system.
Energy
Heraeus provides empowered connections for energy distribution. Slip rings and components are used to transfer energy and signals in wind turbine pitch systems.
Technical challenges
- Long lifetime
- Low maintenance effort and costs
- High energy transfer
- Low noise in signal transmission
- Right choice of optimal contact system
Industrial
Heraeus provides slip ring components for a variety of industrial applications.
- Cranes
- Rotating production machines
- Precision instruments, e. g. for data transmission
- Medical equipment
- Stage equipment
- Robotics
- Optical measuring systems
Technical Data
Contact Components in Slip Rings
| Pan cake design/ Multi-wire wiper | Multi fibre brush | Single wire/ single ribbon/ sheet wire | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead [A] | 0 - 2 (single wiper) | 2 - 15 | 1 - 5 |
| Voltage [V] | 5 - 1500 | 5 - 5000 | 5 - 5000 |
| Rotation speed [m/sec] | Up to 1 | Up to 0.75 | Up to 0.5 |
| Signal noise | low | very low | medium |
| Contact resistance [m0hm] | <15 | <10 | <50 |
| Life cycles | 25 kk | 100 kk | 30 kk |
| Friction/ wear | low | medium | medium |
| Corrosion resistance | high | medium | high |
| Temperature range [°C] | -40 +100 | -40 +250 | -40 +250 |
All product types shown in the table are to be used in combination with electroplated Au or Ag rings.
