Meridian Laboratory

About Meridian

Meridian Laboratory develops and produces industrial-grade, high-performance rotary electrical contacts known as the ROTOCON® product line, as well as ML6®, a high-friction, low-wear polyurethane class material for drives, brakes, drums and other parts in mechanical rotation applications.

Founded in 1963, Meridian Laboratory attracts numerous repeat customers, some of whom we have proudly served for more than 40 years. Based in Middleton, Wisconsin, Meridian Laboratory solves electro-mechanical and material handling problems for customers worldwide. With over 50 years of operation, we continually develop, engineer, design, electrical and mechanical solutions and adapt them through expert engineering and high-precision manufacturing.

Meridian Laboratory serves a multitude of industries. ROTOCON slip ring alternatives are used in processes and equipment such as bottling, canning, paper manufacturing, welding, plating, coating, packaging, communications, oceanographic winches, battery manufacturing, silicon wafer polishing machines, testing and measuring controls, and oil and gas well logging.

Meridian Laboratories ML6 high-friction/low-wear polyurethane-class coatings bring efficiencies to drives, brakes and idlers in the cable industry, mail sorting systems, printing operations, plastics manufacturers, encoder wheels, aircraft manufacturing, vehicle passenger lifts and other applications.

Meridian Laboratories wide range of electrical and mechanical solutions continuously helps manufacturers, engineers, and machine builders decrease down-time and increase productivity. Contact Meridian Laboratory today to learn how its custom tailored solutions can help improve your process, machine, or application.

ROTOCON® Slip Ring Alternatives

ROTOCON environmentally sealed rotary electrical contact assemblies are the high-performance electrical link between stationary and rotating components. Developed by Meridian Laboratory, the ROTOCON offers low and stable resistance (low noise) and high current handling capabilities – ideal for carrying both power and control signals within the same assembly.

Unaffected by Orientation or Machine Vibration
High Precision, Industrial Grade Quality
Extremely Low Contact Resistance (Electrical Noise)

Completely Brush-Free, Maintenance Free Operation
Designed for Power and Instrumentation Signals within the same assembly

Single-Contact, High-Current Slip Ring Alternative

ROTOCON MC Series

Max Current:

10,000 Amps

Voltage:

Any Voltage (AC/DC)

Multi-Channel, End-of-Shaft Slip Ring Alternatives

ROTOCON M Series, including Models MM, MX, MY, MZ

Max Current:

50A/Circuit

Voltage:

3,000 Volts

Through Bore

Max Current:

50A/Circuit

Voltage:

3,000 Volts

High Current-Multiple Conductor

Max Current:

1,000+ Amps

Voltage:

3,000 Volts

Oceanographic/Harsh Industrial

Max Current:

50A/Circuit

Voltage:

3,000 VoltS

Oceanographic/Harsh Environment Industrial Slip Ring Alternative

ROTOCON MXO Series

High-Performance Contact for Harsh Environments The ROTOCON® MXO Series slip ring alternative offers superior quality and efficiency for high-pressure underwater environments and harsh, highly corrosive industrial conditions. It handles power and control in the same unit, and operates in any orientation with end-of-shaft mounting to provide continuous, reliable rotary measurements.

ROTOCON MXO models are ideal for oceanographic instrumentation, oil well logging, perforating circuits, bottling and packaging washdown facilities, ship winches and general-purpose transducer measurements.

High-Friction, High-Precision Polyurethane-class Coatings - ML6®

Precision Quality and Custom Coating Solutions

If you design or manufacture parts that drive, idle or brake, you should know about the science of ML6. Developed by Meridian Laboratory, ML6 is a polyurethane-class material scientifically formulated for exceptionally high-friction and -wearability characteristics. Parts precision-molded from ML6 are successfully used in a wide range of mechanical rotation applications, from printing and mail sorting equipment to marine winches.

ML6 has demonstrated superior friction and wear characteristics compared to rubber, nylon and other plastic-like materials. Metal parts coated with ML6 wear so well, they often outlast the machines they function on. Some ML6 parts have been in use for well over 30 years.

Meridian Laboratory can produce coated bearing designs without bearing assembly. We can apply ML6 to steel, stainless steel, aluminum, brass, other metals and ceramics.

The Science of ML6

Meridian Laboratory’s time-tested ML6 is an extremely versatile compound that can be formulated to fit virtually any drive application. Each compound is carefully engineered for specific properties of hardness, elongation, compression, tear and rebound, ensuring that every ML6 part will perform to customer specification.

Parts made from ML6 are precision-molded for a perfect surface finish and require no finish grinding whatsoever. Grinding can open the grain of plastic compounds, causing a much steeper rate of part degradation or deterioration. Eliminating the need for grinding significantly improves friction and wear characteristics of ML6 parts. ML6 two-dimensional molded parts are available in a variety of colors and hardnesses.

Meridian Laboratory can coat single prototype parts (machined in-house or provided to us by our customers) and strip and re-coat existing rollers.

ML6 Advantages

Unmatched precision quality and customizability
No-grind process improves friction, reduces wear
Superior performance to rubber, nylon, other plastics
Extreme durability eliminates downtime and maintenance costs
Won’t contaminate when in contact with other components

ML6 can be molded
to almost any shape
in any configurations.

Many colors and hardnesses available
Molded surface can be flat, concave, convex or notched
Final O.D. tolerance of up to 0.001 T.I.R. or better

Available in a wide range of Durometers and Colors

ML6 Durometers typically adhere to a standard color code, though we are happy to make any color you like at any hardness.

	ML6-40	ML6-55	ML6-70	ML6-80	ML6-90	ML6-60D
Hardness, Shore A ± 5 Shore D	40	55	70	80	90	60
Ultimate Elongation, %	600	590	615	650	700	600
Ultimate Tensile, psi	1,500	3,500	6,500	6,500	6,500	1,500
Tear Strength, pli Die "C"	90	128	370	420	90	90
Split	17	34	200	250	17	17
Compression Modulus, psi 10% Deflection	-	-	200	300	635	-
Compression Set "B", % 22 Hrs. @ 158ºF	2.0	1.7	24	2.0	2.0	2.0