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
Ernie, Brent, Rick, Ben and Jerry
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.
Split Rings after excess has been machined.
The next step is to drill the holes.
G-10 Insulation
G-10 is also machined in house.
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.
Every job at ICC is a priority and is handled as such.
Clients and partners never wonder how their job is moving along. Consistent communication from tear down to shipping and everything in between is part of the manufacturing practice at ICC. Keeping our customers on schedule is of the utmost importance.
Wishing our Canadian clients and friends a very Happy Thanksgiving!
What should you look for in a molded commutator replacement?
First of all, be sure it has really been replaced.
How can you tell?
If replaced in the aftermarket, a molded commutator is typically converted to a v-ring commutator. You will see bolts or a nut instead of black molding compound, and the new commutator will be refillable, not a throw-away unit. Alternatively, you may buy a new molded unit, which the OEM may have on the shelf as part of a large earlier run.
Can you re-use any parts of a molded commutator? Not if you want a quality replacement.
When converting a molded, throw-away comm to a refillable style, the commutator is completely redesigned to match the external dimensions and mechanical specifications. On the interior, though, the commutator will look completely different from the original molded unit.
A commutator has to remain tight in operation. Lifting bars cause serious problems, and evidence of a poor design can show up this way. If a commutator builder re-uses the steel shell from a molded unit, he's not saving you money. A molded comm shell is designed for a molded comm, and doesn't leave enough room for v-ring clamping hubs to hold the bars tight. The comm may arrive looking fine, but will usually soon fail in operation.
Are there clues?
Yes. If your "replacement" comm arrives with a hub that has signs of being a casting (i.e. relief, rough surfaces), the chances are that it wasn't machined specifically for your replacement comm. Also, most molded comm manufacturers stamp their names into the steel shells (i.e. Cupex), so if you get a v-ring comm with the Cupex name stamped in the hub, the molded comm's steel core has been re-used. These clues can be important when tracing a failure, and potentially assigning warranty responsibility.
What if your budget is really tight?
You'd be safer to buy a molded comm from the OEM if it's available, than to sacrifice quality. If you ever have a question about a comm you've received, call an ICC representative. ICC uses all new materials in all molded commutator conversions.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
We would like to say thank you to our loyal customers and and extend special gratitude to our new clients who gave ICC a try for this first time this year. We hope your experience working with ICC has been a pleasure and we exceeded your expectations.
2015 SHOP HAPPENINGS
- ICC rolled out a new Shipping Guarantee this year. We are so confident in our process and efficiency that if we miss a promised ship date you get 10% off invoice. Straight time, overtime, emergency. We take every ship date seriously. There's a cost to being late, so if it's our fault, we'll pay for it. No exceptions.
- New Equipment - we added 13 pieces of new equipment, a manual lathe for secondary production operations, a 2nd manual lathe for maintenance operations, radial drill for use in fabricating larger steel parts and a semi-automatic chop saw that will be used for sawing copper bars, just to name a few. We implemented new manufacturing software InforVISUAL, and we aggressively trained our outstanding team.
- ICC Insider, a blog and video series you can subscribe to for answers about comm and slip ring maintenance, repairs and other frequently asked questions. At ICC we believe in helping our customers and industry partners achieve success by sharing best practices. ICC Insider takes you inside our facility and aims to give repair shop owners helpful information to expedite repairs on their end leading to satisfied clients returning time and time again.
We look forward to working with you in 2016!
~ ICC Team
Can you convert your commutator from inserted to solid risers?
Possibly.
A solid riser commutator is one in which the riser, into which the coils are inserted, is made of the same piece of copper as the rest of the bar. In a solid riser v-ring commutator, a rectangular shaped bar of copper has the three sections machined away - at each end for the dovetail,
and along the brush track, leaving the riser.
If a riser is very long, a tremendous amount of copper would be wasted to leave the riser. Instead, an inserted riser design was developed.
Winders, however, often prefer to work with solid riser designs, so how can you tell if your commutator is a candidate for conversion?
Alloy 116 (silver bearing commutator copper) is typically readily available in sizes up to 4, or even 5, inches in width. If your commutator from the inside diameter of the copper to the outside diameter of the risers fits within this, conversion may be a viable option.
What if the bar needs to be wider than available copper sizes?
An alternative to a solid riser is a lap joint design. A separate riser is brazed to the copper bar, but shaped to match the trapezoid of the bar itself. Though typically more expensive than an inserted riser unit, a lap joint riser will provide all the benefits of a solid riser commutator, i.e. carbon contamination prevention behind the risers.
What should you consider in a conversion?
If the risers in question are quite long, you will be adding weight to the unit, potentially
affecting performance. In addition, if cooling and airflow are considerations for your
application, note that the solid risers or lap joint will cut off this air flow versus the inserted riser design.
Call your ICC sales representative to discuss the possibility of conversion of any
commutator you have in house.