Industrial motors are used in various applications, such as manufacturing, mining, forest products, materials handling, oil and gas, and more. Often paired with brakes to improve performance, they work together to accomplish the intended purpose, acting as a safety measure against uncontrolled machinery operations or to enable accurate positioning. Because of the vast selection of industrial brake systems available, choosing the right one for your specific application can be challenging. For instance, OEM manufacturers who include brakes on their equipment prioritize initial costs over operating costs including maintenance, repairs, and adjustment to keep the brakes running within desired parameters. However, replacing your brakes with the same model is not necessarily the best option. With the number of brake systems on the market and the variety of factors to consider, here are some guidelines to follow for your next motor brake system selection. Brake System Application  Whether you are constructing a new braking system or reconfiguring an existing system, one ne of the first considerations is to determine the intended use of your industrial brake.  Numerous options exist, but all brake types share the same fundamental purpose and employ comparable methods. Specifically, they all involve activated friction discs to impede the motor’s motion, halting the associated mechanical equipment (e.g., crane, hoist, lift, conveyor). The load applied to the brake and how often it is engaged directly affects the lifespan of the friction discs and the necessary maintenance and adjustment to ensure their optimal performance. With this information, you can determine if a wet or dry brake is better suited for your application. 

 Dry Or Wet Brakes

Dry braking systems are a straightforward and cost-effective solution. They employ a steel drive plate that compresses against a sacrificial friction disc to stop the motor shaft rotation. However, each engagement generates heat. Without a way to dissipate it, the heat can cause the surface of the friction plate to glaze over. Allowing air to flow through the dry brake can alleviate some of the heat, but doing so also introduces dust, dirt, scale, and moisture into the brake, which can cause corrosion, rust, and failed components – especially clips, coils, levers, springs, and bearings.    The maintenance and adjustment of dry brakes can be significant, often monthly or more, depending on the number of cycles that the system undergoes. Moreover, the cycles affect the brake’s service life, as there are only a limited number of engagements a mechanical item can endure. Higher cycle counts accelerate the failure date, regardless of maintenance and adjustment. If the brakes are spring set, the wear on friction discs can cause a change in torque and may cause unintended release issues.  If accurate positioning is required, the wearing away and glazing over of the dry brakes friction disc can elongate the stopping period and cause a positioning error. Depending on how critical the positioning is, this may be a mitigating factor in opting for an alternative means of stopping the load. Wet brakes utilize the same basic principles of sacrificial surfaces and steel drive plates as dry brakes, but they introduce transmission fluid in a totally enclosed housing to achieve deceleration. When the liquid is compressed, its molecules shear, causing torque transmission to the other side and decelerating the rotating discs against the stationary plates. The design results in virtually no wear on the friction disc, eliminating the need for adjustment and maintenance. These brakes also use a patented fluid recirculation system that dissipates the heat generated by brake engagement, a major issue in dry braking systems. The transmission fluid also lubricates all components of the oil shear brake, extending their service life. Because there is no wear on the friction disc, the positioning is precise over the lifespan of the oil shear brake, with no adjustment required. Oil Shear Brakes often perform at higher cycle counts than traditional dry brakes, enhancing machine performance.  The decision between dry or wet brakes also will have a significant impact on your budget when it comes to the overall cost of your braking system, but it is important to consider not only up-front purchase costs, but ongoing maintenance costs as well. Initial Cost Vs. Operating Cost  While dry brake systems have a relatively low initial cost, they require regular adjustment and maintenance. In addition to labor this also involves stocking materials like friction plates. Since dry brakes generate a lot of heat and cannot dissipate it, working on them can be dangerous, requiring cool-down periods before any adjustments, repairs, or replacements can be made. The location of the brake can also come into play. Crane brakes, for example, require that maintenance and adjustment be made at height, which introduces safety concerns. Whether for cooling down of the brake, assembling parts, or the actual labor to perform maintenance and adjustment, all this downtime adds up, becoming very costly, very quickly.  Wet, oil-shear brakes require no adjustment, and are maintenance-free except for an annual transmission fluid change. That can be good news for plants where maintenance personnel are in short supply. No maintenance and no adjustment mean there are no parts to stock, so inventory carrying costs are reduced. The positioning is precise over the opil shear brake’s lifetime as well, so there are no process changes or adjustments required of your production line. However, whether wet or dry brakes are employed, each has a finite number of engagements before they must be replaced. Brakes in high-cycle count operations, like a crane that is jogged into place, or will inherently wear out sooner, and are prime considerations for an Oil-Shear Brake.  Because initial setup costs and ongoing maintenance costs can differ so greatly, it’s important to do the math. Estimate the brake’s service life in comparing total costs over the estimated life of the longer-lasting brake system. This will provide you with a more realistic full-cost comparison to help determine the most economical braking option.

The Overall Plant Layout  Another factor to consider in your brake system selection is your plant’s layout. If multiple production lines can be used while brakes are being serviced, the cost of downtime will be lower than if the brake is critical to operate a single production or process line. Essentially brake downtime will be more costly the more it impacts your overall production. In a critical path environment, where stopping at any point halts the entire facility, shutting down the whole plant increases the system’s overall cost. This should also be factored into the economic considerations. In determining the right industrial braking system for your needs, it pays to take the time to consider your application, the type of brakes being used, your plant layout, and the overall cost considerations of your potential setup.