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10 P&TR May/June 2012
P&TR News
Power Jacks conjures up
magical motor solution
Leading engineering and manufacturing business Power Jacks helped
to get the show on the road when a top European car manufacturer
wanted to stage a spectacular UK launch for a new model.
Power Jacks engineers had just three
weeks to devise and deliver a custombuilt
system for a stunning showcase
that would tour major shopping
centres up and down the country.
And the team responsible for meeting
the commission proved more than
up to the challenge, creating an
innovative solution centred upon
Power Jacks’ class leading C-Series
cubic machine screw jack.
The Power Jacks system was pivotal
to a dramatic ‘magic mirror’ effect
that slowly unveiled the car to
impressed onlookers as far afield as
Glasgow and London.
the sides of the box were moved up
and down in synchronisation so the
top and bottom halves of the car
were revealed at the same time.
We were delighted to have played
a part in creating such a fantastic
effect. It underlined our capabilities
to take on board a challenging and
ambitious commission, and come up
with the goods.
It not only highlighted the talent and
flair of our people at Power Jacks,
but also once again demonstrated
“The car sat inside a ring of pillars of
coloured LED light, and was covered
by a mirrored box that had a horizontal
split,” explains Customer Service and
Marketing Director Bruce Hamper. “To
make GLOBAL the car ADVERT appear and half disappear, page_GLOBAL 03/08/2011 11:48 Page 1
“Cross reference service available . . .
. . . why not give us a call with your requirements”
• Sole uk stockist of Rexroth Bosch Ballscrew assemblies.
• Fast and efficient machining service available.
• Full range of Linear motion products and precision bearings
from stock and on short delivery times.
ISO 9001:2000 approved and UKAS 229. Official distributors for:
both the versatility of our operations
and the diversity of potential
applications for our products.”
To keep the mirror operation simple
yet effective, Power Jacks engineers
opted to use a four screw jack
system in an H-configuration – the
type commonly used to lift a single
platform in one direction.
“For this application, however, the
design needed to move two platforms
in opposite directions, at the same
time and rate,” adds Bruce.
To achieve this, Power Jacks
designed a special lead screw which
had right hand and left hand threads
on the same lead screw, built into
the screw jack body. The screw
length matched the height of the
installation: the upper half had a right
hand thread form and the lower half
had a left hand thread form.
A lead nut with corresponding thread
ran on each thread form portion of
the screw, so each screw in effect
had two lead nuts. Therefore the
system had eight lead nuts in total
(two per screw jack) – four connected
to the top mirror section and four to
the bottom mirror section.
As the jacking system was operated,
the nuts ran in opposing directions
so the mirror sections did likewise
at the same speed in a mechanically
synchronised manner.
By using a mechanically linked
system, the whole operation was
• Official / Authorised distributor for
Linear products
• Competitive pricing
• Extensive european stock in
The Netherlands
• Full access to all stocks in Japan
• Bushings to profiled rail guides
• Ball splines to actuators
• We can supply the complete
range of Linear products
which is Interchangeable with all
leading brands
www.global-bearings.co.uk
TEL: +44 (0)1527 894 228 FAX: +44 (0)1527 894 194 E: info@global-bearings.co.uk
GLOBAL BEARINGS AND TRANSMISSION LTD, SAMBOURNE, REDDITCH, WORCS B96 6ES.
controlled by one motor which greatly
simplified the control system and
minimised costs.
The four C-Series cubic machine
screw jacks selected for the system
were mechanically linked to the
electric motor via three bevel
gearboxes from the ultra compact
Neeter Drive Range-N design.
For reader enquiries, please
mention P&TR:
Bruce Hamper
Power Jacks Ltd.
Balmacassie Commercial Park,
Ellon, Scotland AB41 8BX
Tel: +44 (0)1358 285100
Email: sales@powerjacks.com
www.powerjacks.com
News in brief
Miniature lead screw -
from Abssac
Miniature lead screw design uses 3mm
diameter by 1mm lead used in automated
micro syringe device. Only 30mm in length
and supplied with machined journal and
nut for motor connection.