United Equipment Accessories works with customers in a variety of industries with wide-ranging requirements. Applications that are exposed to corrosive or salt air environment bring along a new set of requirements. Designing slip rings for these corrosive or salt air environments can be challenging to ensure that the slip ring components and cover can withstand these extreme environments.
When designing a slip ring for a corrosive environment, every aspect of the slip ring design, including internal components, must be considered. Corrosive and salt air environments can impact every part of the slip ring. For example, if the application requires a lot of downtime with no rotation, brass rings could corrode. In this example, UEA might suggest silver plating of the rings to help protect from corrosion.
In most cases, stainless steel enclosures and hardware are preferred for corrosive environments. Our in-house 3D printing capabilities have opened the door to print smaller slip rings and components that need to be produced out of corrosive-resistant materials. Some of our smaller slip ring enclosures can be entirely 3D printed, providing excellent corrosive-resistant properties. We can even print mounting and retention brackets to provide further corrosion protection if the application allows.
However, in some cases, aluminum must be used in conjunction with stainless steel or 3D printed materials. If 6061 aluminum is used, we can anodize or alodine all aluminum parts for corrosive environments.
Understanding the slip ring environment will allow UEA to design a product that will adequately function for years to come. Our custom design process means that our customers receive a slip ring made precisely to their requirements. Contact us today to start your custom slip ring design!