SG Transmission has designed a curved permanent magnet brake to be used in specialist medical equipment. The customized brake has been designed to control the height of a vertical and extendable pole, which moves linearly in oncology treatment machines.

The dual curve surface brake increases the working face of the brake to match that of the curvature of the pole, this ensures maximum contact and therefore a higher holding force.

Paul Short, technical manager at SG Transmission said: “As this brake is used in an operating theatre to control a system suspended above the patient, it is very important to the customer that the brake is fail-safe. In the event of a power failure, the suspended weight of the mechanism must not fall freely. The challenge was to maximize the working pole area within a specific envelope size to suit the customer’s needs. We delivered this unique concept to the customer in just 15 days.”

This bespoke, curved brake is suited to applications in the medical, military and robotics industries, due to its precision, increased holding force and fail-safe qualities.