Happiest of days to Michelle and Eddie! Wishing you the very best year ahead!
2017 International EASA Convention and Trade Show
June 24-26, 2017 - Tampa, Florida
For ICC, the annual International EASA Conference is a way for us to thank so many of the people who help make us successful. We were so pleased to see so many of our customers and vendors in Tampa, many of whom have become friends over the years. We would like to sincerely thank all the hardworking EASA employees and volunteers for another successful conference. This forum which brings a multitude of partners together facilitates so many opportunities for which we are truly grateful. ICC is so pleased with our success from the show that we are already making plans for our 2018 participation!
Steel Shrink Commutator Construction Overview
1 of 5 - Steel Shrink Ring Commutators
Here we have received the comm assembled to the armature. We then tear it down to collect interior and exterior dimensions. This comm will be rebuilt on the armature shaft, as opposed to most commutators which are assembled to a hub with caps then installed on the armature shaft back at the motor shop.
2 of 5 - Steel Shrink Ring Commutator
This is the segment pack that has been compressed under significant tonnage, banded and cured. The copper and mica are so tight as a result of this process, that the segment pack behaves like a single piece of metal (picture a collector ring). It will grow symmetrically when heated, which then allows ICC to install the segment pack to the mica wrapped armature, with significant retained fit to the shaft.
3 of 5 - Shrink Ring Progress – this compressed segment pack has been installed to the armature shaft. Designed with complex tapers on the bore of the segment pack and the OD of the shaft, the unit retains all the required fit and is ready for the next steps. Of interest, GE and Westinghouse Steel Shrink Ring designs are very different, and require a whole different set of process steps and expertise.
4 of 5 - Cont. Shrink Ring Progress – Can you guess what RPM this 15” diameter commutator operates at? Like glassbound commutators, external steel shrink ring comm segment packs are retained on the OD (unlike v-ring comms which are held together internally). Forged steel rings need to be fully insulated from the copper, as well as installed with significant retained fit to ensure tightness which hold up under instantaneous acceleration and high rpm. This process is one of the most finicky of all, and requires years of experience to master.
5 of 5 - Finished
Isn’t she beautiful? This careful crafted steel shrink ring commutator will run at 6000 RPM, and our customer can be confident that it will be fully electrically and mechanically sound, thanks to the expertise of our talented people.
SLOTTING SOLID RISERS
Slot perfection. The final step in the production process, slotting risers. Every solid riser commutator is slotted by hand to meet specific winder preferences. It takes a trained eye and a steady hand and many many hours of training to perfect this trade skill.
Watch an ICC professional in action:
Community Partnership
ICC is a proud supporter of the Blount Habitat for Humanity. Again this year, ICC is a key $10,000 sponsor of the 2017 Blount County Habitat for Humanity WOMEN BUILD house. Our General Manager, Tracy Queen donned a Transformer costume at today's luncheon to demonstrate how a community can transform the lives of families with a hand up. We hope to bring greater awareness and additional support to the Women Build housing initiative by inviting you to visit their website. You can make a financial donation or donate your time and muscle! Congratulations ladies on another successful event! https://www.blounthabitat.org/g…/special-events/women-build/
Checking Skew
An integral part of the comm building process is checking the skew. After all the bars and mica are stood up into a segment pack we check the skew to ensure the bars are straight and not leaning to either side. It's a tedious process and takes a trained eye and patients to look at each and every bar individually. It's a step that can not be skipped because if a bar is out of skew it will cause major problems throughout the process and the comm would then need to be rebuild from the beginning.
Play the ICC Quizzes
Let's have a little fun and test your knowledge of ICC and the commutators we manufacture!
Click the image to choose your quiz. Ready! Set! Go!
ICC Machinists
These guys are like artists, they can take a piece of raw steel, bronze or G10 and machine it into caps, cores, slip rings, buttons and more. At the center of every commutator is a steel core. That core provides stability and strength to the segment pack, exactly how we like to look at our machinists. Working together with our front end production team they support each other, jumping in when they need a hand or a second opinion.
Becoming a skilled machinist takes years of experience, between these 5 guys there are well over 150 years of knowledge. These machinists read and execute prints, they know what they are doing, each comm and slip ring is given individualized attention so when a machinist recommends an improvement it's taken seriously and often implemented.
Thank you guys for your dedication, hard work and attention to detail.
THE NAKED TRUTH... Paint can cover up a lot.
ICC commutators are stripped down to show we have nothing to hide. You get perfect banding and beautifully sealed edges. Commutators that can stand before you ... naked, in fact. Your coatings will adhere better, and you never have to wonder about what you can't see. With ICC commutators, beauty isn't only skin-deep, but it's a good place to start.
ICC industrial commutators are crafted in small volume by experts using the highest quality raw materials available. Contact your ICC representative today.
Note: If you do need a commutator painted for a specific application, let us know and we'll take care of it.
Extension Banding and why it's CRITICAL
Check out this image of bad banding versus good banding. See all the gaps and holes?
Those tiny little slits between the banding and the steel put this commutator (on the left) in a vulnerable position. The fine particles of carbon that come off the brushes find their way into any little gap or hole. Enough contamination will lead to a short or even worse, a failure. To get the most life out of your commutators check the banding frequently and if needed replace the banding.
ICC is more than happy to help. Call or email anytime if you have questions. We can walk you through what to look for and even guide you through the process, we'll even tell you exactly what products we recommend using.
New Executive Assistant Lana
Welcome aboard the fast train! Over the last several month's things have been moving fast at ICC. Business is booming and we couldn't be happier, but with no signs of it slowing we needed to hire a few additional employees. Rounding out our four new hires is Lana.
Thankfully Lana applied and could start immediately. She joins us after many years working at Ruby Tuesday HQ where she worked in Human Resources. She possesses all the skills we were looking for including detailed oriented, report writing, ability to support our HR department and most importantly greet every customer with the utmost professionalism. Lana will also handle the domestic and international shipping.
Meet Lana:
Favorite Hobby: Motorcycling, camping and cooking
Favorite Vacation: Panama City Beach, I met the man that would become my husband, four months later.
Best advice: Be kind, you never know what people are going through.
Favorite season: I love the spring with it's new beginnings.
Best sports team of all time: The Vols...of course!
What food could you eat everyday? Grilled chicken salad
ICC Licensed GE Parts and Motor Distributor
ICC is an authorized distributor for General Electric (GE) motor parts and motors. We have been building commutators for GE for more than 30 years so the distributor partnership was a natural progression.
We understand responsiveness the way only a small company can. We deliver on our promises, and now we deliver our trusted level of service with every GE part and motor ordered through us. Your time is valuable, we will handle all aspects of the process from ordering, shipping, delivery and follow up. Let us do what we do best on your behalf, and we'll make your GE purchases seamless and easy. QUOTE
Congratulations Michelle!
We're excited to say congratulations to Michelle on her recent promotion! Originally Michelle was hired to manage day to day administrative duties and shipping.
Here's Michelle describing her new position:
"Now that ICC is an authorized GE parts distributor, I will assist in managing the GE parts quoting, ordering, shipping and the customer relations aspect of our new partnership. I am excited to take on the challenges of the new role because it will be a great opportunity not only for me but for ICC as a company to grow this part of the business. I am looking forward to being an integral part and growing client relationships."
Need a GE Part? Give me a call and I'll work up a quote! MBarbra@iccinternational.com
Get to know Michelle:
1. Favorite Book: A Bend in the Road by Nicholas Sparks
2. Most important thing in life: Family, husband Matt and daughter Addy
3. How do you feel about Poutine: Awesome! Love the squeaky cheese!
4.How do you spend your free time: Outings with Matt and Addy to the zoo or aquarium making memories for and with Addy
5. Favorite Season: Fall. Love the bright colors, cool air, hot chocolate and the smell of an outdoor fireplace.
Investing in our company and how it impacts customer service.
Choosing between service and cost can put your business in a vulnerable position. At ICC we believe in being competitive with our pricing while never sacrificing service. We have reputations to protect, ours and yours.
ElectroMechanical Bench Reference / EMBR
EMBR Reference Guide, one of our industries most valuable publications. ICC recognizes the importance of this reference guide and continues to support the publication.
Get an advance look at the publication before it hits the shelves and check out our ad on page 6.
What's in your copper? And why it matters.
There is more to the choice of copper alloy than you might think. Quality manufacturers make a commitment to silver bearing alloys in ways you can learn about in our new video. Find out why it's important, in 1.5 minutes.
Milling Copper Bars
Before the copper and mica can be turned into a segment pack the copper must be milled into OEM trapezoids.
Should you band the outboard end of a v-ring comm for stability?
No. Although this is a popular consideration when finding a commutator with high bars, this field fix can easily cause additional problems.
High bars are typically the result of one of these four causes
- Overheating – caused by current fluctuations or a stall condition. This causes the copper to swell, typically in an identifiable pattern, appearing as high bars.
- Bent dovetails – caused by over tightening the commutator as part of routine maintenance.
- Loose commutator – typically the result of insufficient thermal cycling in closings, or bolts having backed off over time.
- Knocked or tapped bars – which have been machined smooth, but have then raised in operation as the dovetail re-seated itself due to centrifugal force.
Repairs for these situations are as varied as the causes, but banding the outboard end is not a solution.
In v-ring commutators there is a designed gap between the steel cap and the copper bar on the 3ᴼ angle of the dovetail (see fig 1). This is included to allow differential expansion of the copper and steel in operation, and is a necessary design component.
By banding the outboard end, the gap is forced closed, effectively shifting the entire length of the bar and causing the riser end and center to lift in operation (see fig 2). In addition, at the outbound end, the angles begin fighting for seating position, and the result is even more bar instability at this end.
Some commutators are designed with a band on the outboard end (see fig.3). This design incorporates a machined lip on the inside of the dovetail which rests against the steel cap. This maintains the gap, but prevents any bar movement in operation.
Split Ring Manufacturing
ICC manufactures not only commutators but slip rings as well. Below you'll see some of the steps involved to create a new set of bronze slip rings with G-10 insulation.
Before work can begin on the mill a program is designed by our engineers. After the program is working properly the slip ring is clamped center of the machine and the mill can locate the exact points of machining.
The next step is to drill the holes.
G-10 Insulation
Final Step is assembly. In this case the steel hub was reusable, so it was sandblasted and painted back to like-new condition.
What's in your copper?
Is it Tough Pitch Electrolytic Copper, silver bearing like Alloy 116? Our copper has 25-30 oz. of silver per metric ton for maximum strength and heat resistance. If your manufacturer isn't using silver bearing copper, consider asking for the upgrade.
ICC prides ourselves on using only the best possible materials. Providing quality to our customers is what we bank our reputation on, cutting costs is not an option. We believe quality over lesser price will always win in the long run.