Custom Capabilities

While we offer a variety of standard clutch and brake designs, many applications require some level of modification to adapt to the mechanical mounting and/or specialized performance criteria of the installation. Whether your application requires a simple mounting bracket, involves a complete subassembly, or is a ground-up custom design, SEPAC is your clutch and brake partner. We make it our mission to meet or exceed your expectations. For this reason, we offer extensive design, engineering, and customization capabilities to ensure we deliver the right clutch or brake for your application.

Our Design and Engineering Services 

When off-the-shelf clutch and brake products won’t cut it, we have the knowledge, skills, and tools to design and build a custom solution that accommodates even the highest performance requirements and withstands the harshest environments. Our design engineering department is staffed with engineering experts and equipped with advanced technology (including SOLIDWORKS for computer modeling and design and COMSOL for magnetic simulation), enabling us to create new designs and modify existing designs to ensure the final component we deliver fully complies with customer specifications and standards.

If you need assistance designing and engineering a custom clutch or brake, we recommend contacting our team early in the design and build cycle. This allows us to help you navigate various design and build considerations to ensure your component meets your design and performance objectives, fits your development timeline, and suits your budget. For additional information about our design and engineering capabilities, download our Res-Q-Jack case study.

Common Customer Requested Modifications 

Some of the most common clutch and brake modifications requested by our customers include:

• Bore/spline shapes and sizes. Bores and splines are available in a variety of shapes and sizes to suit different application requirements. For example, involute splines offer better sliding fit and closer tolerances.
• Coatings for environmental considerations. Many clutches and brakes come with corrosion-resistant coatings. However, OEMs can also choose from a selection of custom coatings, enclosures, and construction materials to accommodate specific application environments.
• Coil windings for various voltages. Coil windings are critical components in electrical and electromagnetic devices. The application in which they will be used determines how they will be shaped. We configure our coil windings to suit the voltage requirements of the customer.
• High-temperature windings. We can also customize coil windings to withstand higher temperatures if needed.
• Friction materials for holding or dynamic stopping. We provide spring-engaged friction brakes (SEBs) for applications that involve frequent dynamic stopping. While these types of systems naturally cause wear in friction components over time, our team can find the right material to match your requirements for performance and service life.
• Torque capacities. Our engineering team can tailor the design of a clutch or brake of a certain size to meet any torque capacity. For example, they can use self-locking teeth, increase the number of friction discs for friction disc units, increase the spring force of the spring-engaged units, or change the magnetic force on magnetically engaged units.
• Mounting configurations. Brakes and clutches are available with several mounting configuration options. The mounting mechanism employed depends on the design of the system in which it will be installed. For example, robotic technology often employs brakes and clutches mounted via large through bores.
• Gear, pulleys, and special integrated hubs. We can supply specialized gears, pulleys, and integrated hubs to accommodate highly specific or unique brake/clutch applications.
• Manual release mechanisms. For applications that require manual release capabilities, we offer modified designs and custom assemblies.
• Sensors. We can customize the sensors in brakes and clutches to suit different application requirements.
• Enclosures. We provide special integrated drive hubs and enclosures with sensors and manual release mechanisms upon customer request.

Our Commitment to Quality

We design and manufacture brakes and clutches for a wide range of industries, including aerospace, defense, energy, healthcare, robotics, and more. Some of our customers include Moog, General Electric, Honeywell, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, BAE, Raytheon, SL-MTI, Northrop Grumman, L3Harris, Johnson & Johnson, Schlumberger, Hardinge, Metso, and a variety of distributors. Regardless of the industry or specifications of the customer, we ensure every solution we deliver meets the highest quality standards.

We employ advanced inspection methods to determine and verify whether our components meet customer specifications. The equipment we employ includes two coordinate measuring machines (CMMs), a programmable optical comparator, and over 600 calibrated gages. These tools allow us to meet virtually any inspection requirement. Combined with our comprehensive inspection procedures and LEAN principles, they allow us to provide complete, accurate, and thorough inspection reports to customers.

We are also AS9100 and ISO 9001 certified. Our motion control products are carefully designed, engineered, and manufactured to high quality standards at every level of the business. We believe the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of our quality system is the path towards continually meeting or exceeding the exacting requirements and ever higher standards of our customers.

Partner With the Experts at SEPAC for Your Custom Clutch and Brake Needs

If you need custom brakes or clutches, the experts at SEPAC have got you covered. To learn more about our custom capabilities or discuss your project specifications with our experts, contact us or request a quote today.