Benefits of an Active Magnetic Bearing system
Active Magnetic Bearing principle
Active Magnetic Bearings (AMBs) levitate the rotating part of an electric motor using electromagnetic forces. By levitating the rotor, there is no metal-to-metal contact between the rotating and stationary parts. This significantly increases energy efficiency and reduces the maintenance costs of high-speed motors. The need for high shaft speeds is one factor that makes magnetic bearing preferable to more traditional bearing types.
The magnetic bearing system levitates the rotating part of the machine, enabling low-maintenance operation. Built-in sensors support condition monitoring and predictive maintenance. Magnetic bearing technology helps customers significantly increase their system efficiency, reduce material consumption and minimize maintenance costs. A customer’s equipment lifecycle costs can be reduced by 35% with a magnetic bearing solution.
Higher system efficiency
The need to increase the energy efficiency of industrial processes is growing for both economic and environmental reasons. About 70% of industrial equipment lifecycle costs the lifetime costs come from electricity bills and maintenance expenses. These costs directly affect end-users profitability.
In many industrial applications, higher rotational speeds increase overall process efficiency, reduce energy consumption and enable smaller machinery. Other related benefits include easier transportation and installation and reduced material consumption. However, friction losses grow significantly at higher rotational speeds. To eliminate these, magnetic bearing levitation is applied. Thus, magnetic bearings enable higher operating speeds and greater efficiency compared with conventional bearings.
Maintenance-free system
Traditional bearings are one of the major sources of problems and downtime in high-speed motors. Magnetic bearing solutions eliminate wear caused by mechanical contacts between rotating and stationary components. Even in the harshest applications, they enable exceptionally long time between failures. With no mechanical contact, magnetic bearing systems can spin faster without the need for lubrication. Typically, they provide up to 20 years of maintenance-free operation.
“With no mechanical contact, magnetic bearing systems can spin faster without the need for lubrication. Typically, they provide up to 20 years of maintenance-free operation.“
Oil-free operation
Most original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) use technologies that cannot achieve the highest rotational speeds nor operate in the industries where an oil-free solution is a compulsory requirement. SpinDrive’s Active Magnetic Bearings are completely oil-free, allowing OEMs to enter rapidly growing markets and ensure contaminant-free operation.
Magnetic bearing technology is one of the few solutions that can enable completely oil-free compressed air in accordance with ISO 8573-1 Class 0. It is also the only one that can do that without extensive maintenance requirements.
SpinDrive’s magnetic bearings are components within OEM equipment, which end-users purchase from OEMs. For example, a car manufacturer may require oil-free air for the painting work at its assembly line. They purchase oil-free turbo compressor from an OEM. The OEM supplies, installs and commissions the equipment at the automotive manufacturer’s factory, with SpinDrive’s Active Magnetic Bearings operate as a component inside the turbo compressor.
Condition monitoring
The built-in condition monitoring system continuously collects data about equipment status to support predictive maintenance. SpinDrive’s magnetic bearing technology can be easily integrated with Internet of Things (IoT) services. It includes sensors and a controller that can be connected to an online equipment condition monitoring system.
Analyzed operational data helps prevent breakdowns and the associated costs. The software platform analyzes the data from the machine to monitor not only the condition of the electrical machine itself but also the working tools connected to the rotor and overall process performance. As more operating data becomes available over time, the system learns from the magnetic bearing system’s operating history and can predict maintenance needs more accurately.
Author: Dr. Janne Heikkinen
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