optimising nature’s electromagnetic forces

oPTImIsInG naTuRE’s

ELECTRomaGnETIC foRCEs

The Cantoni Group is a global market leader in the design and manufacture of electric motors, brakes and specialised industrial tools. The company produces electric induction motors for use in pumps, fans, compressors,conveyors, etc., as well as electromagnetic brakes, electrohydraulic releases and others. Today it offers complete solutions with its latest innovative products keeping the company at the forefront of the electric-drive industry. Philip Yorke reports.

The history of Cantoni Group goes back to XIXth century. The Group comprises manufacturing plants located in Poland, with Cantoni Motor as the International Sales Office. Thanks to its constant and close cooperation with the various R&D departments of the Group, and in association with leading European universities, the company is able to create, produce and test specific solutions for a diverse range of industrial applications. These include electric motors for use in power plants, conveyers and mining equipment, as well as for the paper, marine, chemical and electromechanical industries. In addition Cantoni is involved in the design and manufacture of wide range of electrical apparatus, e.g. brakes, electrohydraulic releases, etc.

Advanced asynchronous power

The global demand for complete solutions concerning electric motor drives, and in particular those involved in the production of motors equipped with electromagnetic brakes, continues to grow.

One of the Cantoni Group’s state-of-the-art factories has for years been producing general purpose asynchronous motors with uprated output from 0.75kW to 250kW, and these are equipped with electromagnetic brakes for both AC and DC applications.

The company’s broad spectrum of brake motors executions is very wide starting from a simple safety brakes for hoist applications, to powerful, silent drives for stage movement in theatres and outdoor events. Heavy-duty brakes for use with conveyers in the mining industry and coal power plants are also produced by Cantoni with a high degree of protection from dust-intensive zones.

Since 1954, the Cantoni Group’s brakes factory located in Poland, has continued to produce a wide range of electrical equipment, whilst optimising performance in order to meet the challenging demands of today’s competitive marketplace. The company’s AC and DC brakes are used to stop the rotation of a motor shaft or a machine after the voltage supply has been switched off.

Cantoni’s HZg series three-phase AC brakes provide a braking torque of between 20 to 400Nm and are available in five different frame sizes. In addition, a broad range of DC brakes with a braking torque of up to 5000Nm in different executions and configurations in terms of supply and safety allows to use them in multi-purpose drives.

The safety-first NeX- series

The Cantoni Group’s commitment to research and new product development has resulted in some major safety breakthroughs over the years. The company’s latest NEX-series electromagnetic brakes are designed to meet all the essential requirements for equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres, such as gas and dust-laden atmospheres (zones 2 and 21), and this is underscored by its full ATEX safety certificate.

The company’s on-going development of this product range has resulted in the launch of the new HEX-series, a fully flame-proof brake system that is designed specifically for the hazardous mining and chemical industries.

The offer of the Group includes also electrohydraulic releases, a mechanical devices with linear movement which are used in most cases for releasing (opening) of expansion and disc brakes in drives of transportation machines, lifts, conveyors, elevators, etc.

One of the examples are electrohydraulic releases, type ExZE, which meet and in some cases exceed the essential requirements for equipment and protective systems intended for use in methane-endangered areas and potentially explosive atmospheres. They are fully certified and offered with a three-phase voltage supply of up to 1000V, with rated force 800÷3200N and have a stroke from 60-160mm.

Further development of the electrohydraulic ExZE releases has led to the production of the company’s latest ExwZE explosion-proof releases with higher voltage supplies that range from 1000 to 1250V.

Powering ahead

Earlier this year, the Cantoni Group announced that it had produced the biggest electric motors in its history in terms of both power and weight. This was a special consignment for the power industry. The motor type is Sfw900HV8D and has an output power of 5600kW, at a speed of 745RPM and voltage of 10500V.

The huge frames for these very large motors are steel welded and B3 mounted with an IC81W cooling system and mounted water-air heat exchangers. These powerful motors will be used for driving exhaust fans in a newly-constructed power station that will be delivering 910MW.

The motor’s characteristic features include low sound pressure levels, with built-in sound absorbing elements and low-value starting current. This is in addition to the special construction of a terminal box that is resistant to any short-circuits that may occur during everyday operation. These highly specialised motors are also equipped with dedicated control and management equipment: Pt100 sensors in stator’s winding and bearing nodes, as well as advanced water leakage sensors. There is also a built-in vibration management system and current transformers in the terminal box of stator’s winding.

Transforming visions

The Cantoni Group takes its responsibilities to the environment and the training of up-and-coming engineers seriously. A special project initiated by the company is designed to transform the visons of young engineers into technically advanced products, by training them and encouraging them to realise their visions in the process of designing ever-more efficient and eco-friendly electric motors. Cantoni also supports young scientists from the Politechnika Czestochowska University of technology in their pioneering work on the Mars Rover space programme. This has resulted in their models winning several international awards. n For further details of the Cantoni Group’s innovative products and services visit: www.cantonigroup.com.