Micropelt TE-Power RING Enables Wireless Condition Monitoring of Bearings

Condition-based maintenance saves money for manufacturers and plant operators
FREIBURG, Germany--(Business Wire)--
Micropelt GmbH, Freiburg, Germany-based specialist in thin film thermoelectrics,
introduces the TE-Power RING wireless condition monitoring system for bearings,
transmissions, and similar parts that wear during operation. This fully
integrated, battery-free, on-shaft device monitors the condition of these parts
to determine if and when they need maintenance or replacing. Powered by a
bearing's frictional heat, the TE-Power RING can measure temperature and
pressure and record vibration signals to give manufacturers and plant operators
direct access to actual condition information of the wear of rotating parts.

The TE-Power RING is an economical, easy to install device that operates using
Micropelt`s high voltage energy harvesting thermogenerator chip technology. Each
Micropelt MPG-D751 chip has an approximate footprint of 14mm². One to four chips
are used to convert a bearing's frictional heat into milliwatts of electricity
according to the demands of the powered monitoring device. One milliwatt
harvested over one year equals the energy content of 10 to 15 AA primary cells.
Tests on the company`s simulator have shown that even a bearing without
mechanical load generates enough frictional heat for the thermogenerator to
effectively power measurements.

Integrating the TE-Power RING system to monitor bearings saves money because
only parts that actually need replacing are replaced. Existing parts can be used
for a longer period of time and the number of spare parts stocked and
manufactured can be reduced. By monitoring which parts are wearing out, they can
be replaced before they fail or jeopardize production quality. Productivity can
be improved because of less and shorter scheduled maintenance. In addition, the
system is economical because Micropelt`s thermogenerator provides a free
infinite energy supply for operation.

The monitoring results of the TE-Power RING can be broadcast via a wireless
network to those who need or are monitoring the information. Micropelt has
worked with Texas Instruments to use its commercially available ultra-low power
wireless technology, so expensive investment in new technology is not required.
Volker Prueller, EMEA marketing manager, Catalogue MCU and Low-Power RF at Texas
Instruments explains TI's support, "Micropelt`s battery-free thermal energy
harvesting technology can be used to power our ultra-low-power microcontrollers
and RF transceivers, enabling endless possibilities for wireless sensing. With
increased interest in wireless sensor systems across many markets, Micropelt`s
solution offers a renewable source of power and freedom from traditional
batteries."

"Billions of dollars are spent and lost every year to replace flawless machine
parts because constant and ubiquitous condition monitoring has always been
considered too expensive and complex," explained Burkhard Habbe, VP of business
development at Micropelt. "This equation changes with unlimited local power to
run a monitoring system. Condition-based maintenance and process monitoring are
available for just the cost of a wireless sensor node driven by a
thermogenerator."

According to Dr. Joachim Nurnus, CTO of Micropelt, "We anticipate that the
TE-Power RING concept can revolutionize on-shaft condition monitoring and become
standard equipment, at least for critical transmission components. Monitoring
replaces risk management with planning based on facts."

Photo available at:
http://www.micropelt.com/images/im_press/te_power_ring_simulator.jpg

About Micropelt

Micropelt GmbH, a 2006 spin-off from the research cooperation between Infineon
Technologies and Fraunhofer Institute IPM Freiburg, develops and markets the
world`s smallest and most effective thermoelectric elements for clean-tech power
generation (energy harvesting) for sensing, cycling and cooling. Readily
available standard products from the pilot-production plant at the company`s
headquarters in Freiburg, Germany are currently being evaluated by and
incorporated into the products of more than 40 customers. A large scale
production facility, fully financed and currently under construction in Halle,
Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany is expected to raise capacity to some 10 million devices
per year by mid 2010.

About Micropelt`s Thermoelectric Elements

Micropelt`s thermoelectric elements are based on a proprietary scalable MEMS
(Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems) micro-structuring platform technology.
Compared to conventional thermoelectric elements, Micropelt`s unique and
patented technology reduces component and feature sizes by orders of magnitude,
yielding 10 times higher cooling or heating power densities. Economies of scale
through volume production break the existing cost and price barriers of
conventional thermoelectrics, enabling Micropelt`s devices to scavenge free
electric power from waste heat to replace or recharge batteries in low power
wireless sensor networks. For more information contact Micropelt at +49 (0) 761
156 337 0, info@micropelt.com, or visit our website at www.micropelt.com.

Elisabeth Frey
Micropelt GmbH Thermoelectric Cooling & Power Generation
Tel: +49 761 156 337-71
Fax: +49 761 156 337-21
Elisabeth.frey@micropelt.com
or
Andrea Roberts
A R Marketing Inc.
858-451-8666
andrea@armarketinginc.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009