Motion Industries contacted Mach III Clutch searching for a replacement for a Conway 858-14 Stationaire Clutch Mechanism sought by a paper mill.  The original clutch and adapter are underneath the guard in the picture on the right.  After reviewing the application along with photographs and drawings provided by the customer, Mach III designed the MBR3K-001.  An eleven inch friction diameter clutch with a 2.9375 Inch bore, the MBR3K-001 assembly (pictured below) includes both the clutch mechanism and a custom adapter flange.   The design is a variation of Mach III’s catalog model Heavy Duty Clutch Mechanism.  Mach III frequently adapts catalog models to match the specifications and mounting requirements of the application.  Lead times for such customization are typically only a week longer than for catalog products.

Mach III has assisted a number of customers seeking items no longer available from Conway Clutch.  While it is helpful to know the model number of the current Conway unit, it is more important to understand how the clutch is mounted and the function it is required to perform.  Digital photos or a sketch of the clutch and how it relates to the existing drive train are particularly useful.  For assistance replacing a Conway clutch or with any retrofit application, contact Mach III’s engineering department.

If you’ve witnessed any type medical procedure or even had a simple blood test you have seen sterilized supplies and instruments removed from packages. These could be items as simple as bandages and swabs or as complex as surgical kits, drug coated stents or heart bypass valves. There are a variety of ways those items became sterile. One possibility is that they were processed through an Ethylene Oxide Sterilizer designed and manufactured by Getinge UK. In such a system, items are placed in a sterilization chamber after they are manufactured, packaged and palletized. Inside the chamber, ethylene oxide gas penetrates the paper or plastic packaging and chemically sterilizes the items.

Getinge engineer, Simon Butler, contacted Mach III Clutch, Inc. in search of a brake to hold the drive shaft in place on the automated shuttles that load and unload pallets into and out of the sterilization chamber. His working design called for a disc brake but due to design constraints on a specific project, he was seeking something more compact. After reviewing the application thoroughly with Mach III’s engineering department, a B3F2R-STH air engaged friction brake was selected. With a torque rating of 267 pound inches versus the 177 pound inches delivered by the disc brake, the B3F2R-STH provided an improvement in stopping time and holding capacity. When air is exhausted from the system, the Mach III brake also gives the user the ability to manually move the shuttle without causing any back drive against the motor which is useful during maintenance.

The Ethylene Oxide Sterilizer systems are manufactured in the United Kingdom. Since Mach III bores all catalogue products to customer specifications,  B3F2R-STH brakes are shipped to Getinge finished with 20 mm H7 Class bores with 6 mm keyways. Systems using Mach III brakes are in operation in Finland and West Virginia. Two systems in progress are destined for Mexico and the UK. During a follow up to see how the brakes were performing, Simon Butler stated,

“As system designer I’ve been pleased with the performance of the brake - it’s compact size has also been a benefit to our system, allowing a greatly reduced overall system height.”

Mach III is pleased to have Getinge UK as a customer and we thank Simon Butler for providing photos and participating in this story.

Click Here to submit information to Mach III’s engineering department about your brake application, or email engineering directly: engineering@machiii.com

The Lights Camera Action attraction at Universal Studios Singapore provides visitors the experience of being on a film-production soundstage. The soundstage is set to simulate the scene from inside a waterfront boathouse in New York City during a category 5 hurricane. Visitors experience a scene filled with wind, rain, explosions, fire, and objects falling from the ceiling. Mach III clutches were used in the drive system that allowed elements of the scene (boats and steel girders) to free-fall into the water during the performance and then be quickly reset to their original positions before the arrival of the next visitors.

The elements which fall during the performance are suspended by cables. The cables are attached to winches that are driven by Mach III clutches. Spring engaged-air release clutches were selected based on the functional requirements. Since the clutches are spring applied, they remain engaged in the absence of air pressure. While a braking system assures that the winches are held in place, the engaged clutches provide redundancy. When the brake is released, air is simultaneously applied to the clutch to release it. The winch drums are then freed and the suspended element comes splashing down into the water.

Click Here for specs on the Mach III E8D3K-STH and EBD4K-STH clutches used in this application.

A manufacturer of food packaging equipment contacted Mach III looking for a combination clutch brake which would stop and start a pinch roll shaft with constant input from an attached pulley. The clutch/brake had to meet the following special requirements:

• covered & made of food-safe materials
• end of shaft, flange mounting
• capable of handling the pulley belt load on the unsupported end

The unit Mach III designed and manufactured was built from anodized aluminum, stainless steel and electroless nickel plated parts and food grade grease. To support the overhung belt load special bearings are used between the housing and drive hub. The clutch brake is attached to the machine frame using the tapped holes in the end plate. This combination air set clutch/air set brake is rated at 286 lb-in clutch and 143 lb-in brake at 80 PSI and is only 4-1/4” in diameter.

Mach III’s engineering department is available for assistance with selection of products for special environments.  Click Here to for contact information.

Mach III was contacted by a facility which uses large manually operated control valves. The quarter-turn valves are driven through right angle worm reducers by hand operated chain wheels. Due to the unfortunate fact that human beings are not equipped with torque sensors in their muscles, costly downtime failures were occurring when excess force was applied to the worm reducer via the chain wheel. Working with the facility's engineer, Mach III designed a special, keyless, friction torque limiter to connect the chain wheel to the reducer shaft. 

In addition to designing and manufacturing the torque limiter, Mach III also provided the customer with a mounting diagram including suggested dimensions for machining their existing chain wheel to accept the new device. Although Mach III offers the service of machining existing mating components, in this case the customer's shop felt comfortable with the task. The torque limiter was successfully installed and adjusted to a setting where it would slip to protect the worm reducer when the shop gorilla swings on the chain.

Those accustomed to working with other clutch suppliers might assume that only an application promising considerable quantities would merit this level of attention. But this customer needed only three torque limiters, and spent just about one thousand dollars. So what is the motivation? A report from the customer that the new system "worked perfectly".

If you've got a nagging issue needing a clutch, brake or torque limiter solution and are concerned that no one will think it's worth their while, give Mach III a call. We know you will be pleasantly surprised.

The photograph below shows a pair of Conway 858 series clutch mechanisms used on a Norton Hyprolap lapping machine.  Both units are mounted on a common shaft with one acting as a brake and the other as a clutch.  Due to the design of the machine, diameter and length were very limited.  To provide a drop-in replacement, Mach III created the M5R2K-001 clutch mechanism (link to drawing below) by combining the catalog-standard M5R2K-STH clutch mechanism with a custom designed adapter.  The pair cost the owner of this machine less than $2,000.00 USD and saved the additional expense of machine modification.

Mach III has assisted a number of customers seeking items no longer available from Conway Clutch.  While it is helpful to know the model number of the current Conway unit, it is more important to understand how the clutch is mounted and the function it is required to perform.  Digital photos like those on the right or a sketch of the clutch and how it relates to the existing drive train are extremely useful.  Contact Mach III for assistance replacing a Conway clutch or with any retrofit application.

M5R2K-001 OUTLINE ASSEMBLY.pdf (175.09 kb)

A manufacturer of plastics forming machinery needed a replacement for a troublesome caliper disc brake but no manufacturer offered a servo brake that would match their Japanese servo drive (metric) and U.S. made gear reducer (English). Mach III’s design team saved the OEM the expense of modifying the machine design by offering a c-face, spring applied brake to fit between these two components. Since this successful application, the OEM has requested similar designs for other models in their line of equipment.

Trying to find a replacement for a Conway Clutch product that is no longer manufactured?  Mach III Clutch can provide a solution that fits your current application and mounting requirements. Mach III catalog standard clutches displayed on this website are similar in design and function to Conway Clutches but are not typically suited for direct replacement without some modification.

Our engineering department will be glad to assist you with a replacement solution. While it is helpful to know the current Conway Clutch model number, it is also important that we understand how the clutch is mounted and the function it is performing.  Digital photographs of clutch and how it relates the existing drive are also useful.