News

Innovative engineering doubles dependability Maintenance-free wind turbine slip rings introduced

October 26, 2006

WAVERLY, IOWA (October 2006) - You may not be able to build a better mousetrap, but UEA has found a way to build a better wind turbine slip ring - and it's got the entire industry spinning.

"All moving parts eventually wear out, and wind turbine slip rings are no exception," states Jesse Shearer, Design Engineer for UEA. "And sending someone 90 meters up in the air to perform routine maintenance, or to repair or replace a worn out slip ring, isn't something anyone looks forward to. That's why we've taken our 40+ years of experience in developing slip rings for other industries, and perfected a process that produces superior slip rings exclusively for wind turbines. These new slip rings are built and delivered faster, last twice as long and are surprisingly affordable."

Shattering the industry standard.
When looking at other slip ring providers, it's pretty common to see warranties that are typically only good for 1-3 years. "But that's not good enough for our customers," states Shearer. "We've incorporated special copper graphite brush components that are rated to last up to 75 MILLION revolutions. That's the kind of dependability that allows UEA to offer a 5-10 year warranty for our slip rings, allowing our products to outlast the competition by at least 2-3 times. And when it comes to maintenance, UEA slip rings run circles around everyone else. Other slip rings can require monthly - or even weekly - maintenance. But UEA's superior slip rings allow you to install them, and forget about them. They're designed to be maintenance free, for year after year of worry-free dependability."

Custom solutions delivered faster.
It can take months to get a custom designed slip ring from most manufacturers. But not with UEA. "We learned from our customers that they don't have the luxury of time," explains Shearer. "When they need a custom slip ring, they need it NOW. UEA responds by delivering complete solutions – from design through production – in a matter of a few short weeks." That eliminates all the headaches and costs associated with excess downtime.

Save money in the short- and long-term.
At UEA, a premium performing slip ring doesn't carry a premium price tag. "We're known as THE slip ring experts in dozens of industries worldwide," commented Shearer. "We've leveraged that knowledge to bring the wind industry a superior solution, without all the up-front design and development costs many of our competitors have. That means we can pass on that savings in terms of an extremely affordable product. A product that saves money on the initial investment, and saves in the long-term with a slip ring that provides year after year of dependability."