Warner Electric Custom-Designed Clutch/Brake for Cotton Baler

March 18, 2013
Cotton Baler

A major agriculture OEM required an electric clutch/brake solution for a baler incorporated on their cotton picker. The combination clutch/brake is positioned on the main pulley-driven roller which, in turn, drives two idler rollers, the wrap belt roller and the wrap roll. When fully rolled and wrapped, the 8 ft. wide cotton bales are 7.5 ft. in diameter and weigh up to 5,000 lbs.

When the cotton roll is fully formed, sensors engage the clutch to start feeding the tensioned wrap film. Once the wrap is completed, sensors disengage the clutch and engage the brake, slowing the wrap roller, which breaks the wrap at a designated splice.

To meet the application challenge, Warner Electric engineers developed a clutch/brake unit that featured a custom-designed, spring-loaded armature which ensured more accurate engagement of both the clutch and the brake. The new armature design is not affected by the heavy dust and debris which had caused seizing problems in previous models. Thus, the new maintenance-free clutch/brake eliminates the need for time consuming and expensive disassembly and cleaning typically scheduled at the end of every harvest season.

Warner Custom Clutch Brake