Innovations
Under the careful direction of Dr. Suprock, Suprock Technologies has been breaking new ground since our founding in 2007. Below is a collection of our most impactful technologies.
Wirelessly powered telemetry
History: In 2008, Suprock Technologies introduced wireless power into the cutting tool industry for dynamic measurement telemetry located on cutting tool holders. The technology expanded greatly by satisfying markets in energy production and medical telemetry. The latest innovations in wireless power transfer are breaking new ground for transmission distance, power, safety, and highly compatible with statutory EMI requirements.
Problems solved: Powering telemetry and microelectronic systems on rotating equipment has been a challenge. With modern needs for optimization and legacy equipment upgrades, it is essential to take complex and long-term measurements from rotors. Suprock Technologies offers the ability to power telemetry indefinitely without batteries, inductive rings, or physical contact.
Direct Digitization of sensors
History: The use of buffers and instrumentation amplifiers is a legacy approach to strain gaging and bridge type sensors. Suprock Technologies has been at the forefront of direct digitization technology enabling up to 140dB dynamic range. With our telemetry you can observe extremely small signals that concurrent with very large signals. Furthermore all data is digitized at the site of the sensor itself.
Problems solved: Our direct digitization technologies solve problems associated with “saturation”, range issues, and bandwidth that engineers have struggled with for decades. It is a new approach to sensor digitization, with no analog transmission or opportunity for signal corruption, noise, or degradation.
High-Temperature Strain Gages
Suprock Technologies has vertically integrated strain gage fabrication capability that allows us to design semiconductor devices from the raw wafer to the complete transducer. One of our keystone technologies is high temperature strain gages. We produce strain gages that are capable of measurements at over 3000F continuously and survive over 250F/sec of thermal shock. We are capable of intermittent measurements up to 3700F. Our high temperature strain acquisition technologies are able to realize “impossible” measurements for failure mode analysis, oven systems, combustion systems, boilers, etc. Because of the zero-hysteresis attachment process, our high temperature strain transducers can have mechanical bandwidths in excess of 100kHz.
Problems solved: Design validation and monitoring of high temperature assets has been a historical challenge. Legacy technologies for measuring high temperature strain are inadequate for field applications. Suprock Technologies produces compact semiconductor load cells and strain transducers that are field mountable and capable of long-term measurements.
EMI Immune Telemetry
Machine tool customers require sensors to be run alongside BLDC and synchronous motor spindle drives. This is a major challenge for traditional digital and analog signal integrity. Suprock technologies has solved this problem by producing vibration and strain telemetry capable of maintaining excellent mechanical bandwidth and digital data transmission. Our approach is unique and operates with standard low cost coaxial cable to transmit both data and power to the fully digital telemetry modules.
Problems solved: Ability to transmit digitized telemetry data and power via low cost coaxial cable over extreme distances and in the presence of high environmental EMI. Both magnetic and capacitive EMI is resisted. Process measurement of high power motor spindles, welding, robots, etc. can be achieved with this telemetryHigh-Speed Power Sensing
Direct digital power sensing has been developed at Suprock for the purpose of watching transients in switching motor power supplies. This offers superior SNR for monitoring very small torque operations that occur on high power drives. Suprock has technology for 3PH power sensing (Synchronous 3 Voltage x 3 Current) at 256,000sps.
Problems Solved: A customer required monitoring of very small cutting tools being used on a large motor spindle. The response was to implement a new type of transducer that enabled very accurate peak power measurement from the PWM waveform driving the motor. This high speed ability also helps to solve discharge problems in motors as well as other issues related to field and stator.
