Factory acceptance testing of a dual-powertrain test stand for the customer Alber at imc Berlin
The E-motor test stand designed and built by imc for the company Alber is not a commonplace solution. Recently, the customers Mr. Bitzer and Mr. Kaiser came to Berlin for the final commissioning and acceptance inspection of their new test stand. The two powertrains, consisting of an asynchronous machine from AMK and a dual-range torque transducer from Burster, can simultaneously and independently provide loading and thus test the complete auxiliary drive of a wheelchair for its performance data. Alternatively, on bicycle motors, the drive side system (chainring, chain, sprocket) and the driven side (rolling resistance) can also be simulated. For realistic acceptance tests, the wind blowing on the motors can be simulated by two independent blowers. Fan control occurs through a preset volume flow rate or wind speed.
The company Alber is a premium supplier in the field of user-friendly electromobility. Alber is the specialist within the Group network with the long-standing know-how for light and intelligent electric drive systems. Thus, particularly portable and versatile mobility aids for wheelchair users belong to the portfolio. Alber is the market leader in this segment. The range of the electric drives for wheelchairs is up to 20 km on a single charge at top speeds up to 10 km/h. In push mode, the energy generated by the electric drive is fed back into the battery and thus increases the range.
Furthermore, Alber develops and produces high-quality drive systems for the E-bike segment under the brand name neodrives. The directly driven hub motor equipped with a high-performance magnet develops a nominal power of 250 watts (peak power 650 watts) with a max. torque of 40 Nm and an efficiency of 80%. The weight of the electric motor is 4.3 kg and is offered by the following manufacturers in their bicycle portfolio: Bulls, Elmoto, Focus, FXX Cycles, ice (recumbent bike), icletta (recumbent bike), Kalkhoff, pedalpower (made in Berlin), Raleigh, Simplon, Univega, velotraum and others.
The cooperation between Alber and imc resulted from imc's long-standing experience with E-motor test stands for steering assist motors, which are also generally equipped with two powertrains. Furthermore, the test concept and the test stand automation was based on imc STUDIO, thus allowing the customer to easily expand its functionality. And with imc's experience in the area of measurement data analysis, especially in the field of electric motors, the decision was made.