A number of automotive manufacturers have adopted Huco Dynatork Air Motors from Altra Industrial Motion. Piston air motors offer many advantages over electric or vane type air motors, including energy efficiency, simple installation, easy maintenance, longevity, controllability and spark-free operation.
The main purpose of paint agitators is to keep wafer thin metallic particles evenly distributed in suspension in the paint. The speed of stirring is critical: too slow and the particles will settle and form thick clusters at the bottom of the container, too fast and the particles collapse, becoming globular instead of flat, resulting in a granular paint finish. At the automotive paint plants stirring speed can be controlled directly through the air motors, because the chosen units have variable-speed capability.
In operation, air at up to 100psi is supplied to each of three pistons in turn via an integral rotary valve. The free-floating pistons transmit maximum torque on start-up, which can be adjusted via a pressure regulator. The resulting performance features: high torque, even at low speed; variable speed control; and very low noise operation. Furthermore, because they are supplied only with compressed air and no electrical cables are required, there is no possibility of sparking; making the motors intrinsically safe for use in ATEX Zone 1 applications. Because of the flammable nature of paint vapours, this feature is of direct benefit to modern high-throughput paint shops.
Huco Dynatork motors are available with aluminium, stainless steel or acetal bodies. Stainless steel and acetal versions are ideal for use in industries such as food processing, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment manufacture. Three standard sizes are offered, with maximum torques of up to 16Nm in direct drive, or up to 550Nm through a gearbox.
