Bison PowerSTAR gearmotor simplifies Jorgensen chip conveyor design

Recently, the Bison team met with associates at Jorgensen Conveyors Inc. to discuss a possible solution to drive their chip conveyor system. Jorgensen has dedicated over half a century to designing a wide range of coolant filtration and engineered conveyor solutions for CNC machine tool metal chip removal. The company was looking to simplify their current chip conveyor design by converting it to a direct-drive system. After reviewing the application requirements, Bison recommended PowerSTAR.

Chip conveyors are critical in CNC machine tool equipment. During operation of vertical/horizontal milling and other CNC machines, metal chips and shavings quickly accumulate. If left unchecked, this can create significant maintenance issues. Chip conveyors solve this problem by collecting the accumulated material – swarf – driving it out of the machine and into a collection bin for safe disposal.

Jorgensen’s previous chip conveyor system relied on a multi-component chain and sprocket assembly to drive the metal chips down the conveyor. The components that comprise the assembly are sourced independently, requiring equipment operators to stock numerous parts in preparation for any potential maintenance issues to avoid machine downtime. Jorgensen was seeking a simpler, one-piece solution to eliminate this problem.

PowerSTAR was a natural fit for this application. The concentric, right-angle design allows the gearmotor to mount directly against the equipment to save on space without additionally sourced components. The advanced hypoid gearing provides operation that is more efficient by running cooler and lasting longer. Installation and assembly time were significantly reduced, saving on cost. In addition, Bison Gear and Engineering designs and manufactures all of their products in the U.S., which allowed for reduced product lead-time. After initial testing, the PowerSTAR hypoid right-angle gearmotor proved to be an extremely viable replacement and Jorgensen adopted it into their chip conveyor systems.

Source: Bison Gear