What are the types of slip ring?

Types of Slip Rings

Slip rings are classified into various types according to construction and size. Types of slip rings are explained as below.

Pancake Slip Ring

In this type of slip ring, the conductors are arranged on a flat disc. This type of concentric disc placed on the center of a rotating shaft. The shape of this slip is flat. So, it is also known as a flat slip ring or platter slip ring.

It will reduce axial length. Therefore, this type of slip ring is designed for space-critical applications. This arrangement has more weight and volume. It has greater capacitance and greater brush wear.

Mercury Contact Slip Ring

In this type of slip ring, mercury contact is used as a conducting media. Under the normal temperature condition, it can transfer current and electrical signals by liquid metal.

The mercury contact slip ring features strong stability and less noise. And it provides the most scientific and economical option for applications in industries.

But the use of mercury creates a safety concern. Because it is a toxic substance. It is very dangerous to use this type of slip ring in applications like food manufacturing or processing and pharmaceutical. This is because it may corrupt the product if there is a mercury leakage.

Through Hole Slip Rings

This type of slip ring has a hole in the center of the slip ring. It is used in devices where requires to transmit power or signal when need 360˚ rotating.

This type of slip rings is designed to install with a flange on a sleeve bracket. It has free space in the center for connecting the shaft of a machine without affecting cable while it is rotating.

It has a long life span and offers low noise and maintenance. This type of slip ring is used for routing hydraulic pneumatic passages and it can integrate with high-frequency joints.

Ethernet Slip Ring

This type of slip ring is developed to provide reliable products that allow the transfer of the ethernet protocol through a rotary system.

While choosing an ethernet slip ring for communication, there are three important parameters that must be considered; Return Loss, Insertion Loss, and Crosstalk.

Ethernet slip rings designed to meet the requirement of matching impedance, reducing losses, and controlling crosstalk.

Miniature Slip Rings

This type of slip ring is very small in size and it is designed for small devices to transfer signals or power from a rotating device.

Miniature slip rings are ideal for electrical devices like control panel, video transmitter, and sensor.

Fiber Optic Slip Ring

This type of slip ring is designed to pass signals across rotating interfaces when a large amount of data needs to transfer.

Fiber optic slip ring is also known as the Fiber Optic joint or Fiber-Electric Rotary joint. This type of slip ring is used in the application like; sensor signal management, HD video transmission system, radar, and video monitoring system, medical equipment, microwave communication, etc.