Case Study | Arai Mfg. Co., Ltd.
2026/05/07
Thanks to customized product for us, we were able to fit the components within the available space, resulting in a compact motor roller!
Arai Mfg. Co., Ltd.
Arai Mfg. Co., Ltd. operates four business divisions: press manufacturing, die casting, motors, and rollers. With a track record spanning more than 70 years since its founding, the company has recently received the 2018 Super Manufacturing Parts Award "Machinery and Robot Parts Award" (2018) and the "Grand Prize in the Technology Category at the 8th Eiichi Shibusawa Business Awards" (2019) and has garnered attention as a company that provides outstanding products contributing to Japanese manufacturing.
〉Challenges
Unable to store parts efficiently within the space
〉Objective
We want to create a compact drive unit capable of automatically conveying objects
〉Results
Parts are neatly stored within the space, enabling precise positioning of conveyed items and preventing inertial movement!
We need to create compact products while maintaining precision
[What Is a Motorized Roller?]
A motorized roller is a roller that incorporates a motor and a reduction gear (gearbox).
Motorized rollers are used as the drive source for rotary conveyors that transport items such as cardboard boxes.
Because the drive unit (motor and reduction gear) is built-in, they can rotate automatically, unlike free rollers that do not
rotate unless force is applied. Furthermore, the flow of conveyed items can be controlled by turning the motor rollers on and off.
As explained, since motorized rollers incorporate both a motor and a reduction gear, they require a brake to position the conveyed items or to prevent inertia when necessary.
Therefore, it was necessary to secure space within the motorized roller to accommodate the brake.
Arai Mfg. Co., Ltd.'s Weston Roller
While we want to improve performance, we face challenges with component storage
We were
struggling because we couldn’t secure enough space to house the brake. Without a brake, if a motorized roller is stopped at a certain point, the conveyed material continues to move due to inertia, making it impossible to stop it at a specific position.
On the other hand, a brake is necessary to stop the conveyed material at a specific position.To incorporate a brake, it must be built into the motorized roller.
Therefore, we needed a compact brake, and the rectifier for the brake also had to fit inside the roller.
Customize brakes to fit in a limited space!
After discovering Miki Pulley’s compact non-excitation-type brake, we selected the “BXW (non-excitation-type brake)” due to its small diameter and compact design.To accommodate the
brake inside the motor roller, Miki Pulley customized the unit specifically for our company by connecting the brake rectifier directly to the brake before delivery. As
a result, we were able to neatly integrate both the brake and the brake rectifier within the roller.
