Search for a super small super strong vibrating motor 1

[Gedanken666]

Hi all,

I'm trying to build something that will help me clean the inside of a long thin metal tube I use in my lab. What I really need is to apply multiple strong hits on the inner surface of the tube.

What I had in mind is inserting a vibrating motor (let's say – an electric motor with an eccentric mass) in order to apply the force. I don't have any problem with bringing a strong power source (voltage and current), and I can go up in price to a few hundreds and even thousands of USD if needed. My main constraint is to find something that will give strong hits (in the order of tens of Newtons and more if possible) against a rigid surface but without too much support on the other side (my plans are to inflate something inside to get the counter force). The tube diameter is 10mm (ID in aluminum tube) and I need to go through a turn that will limit me to about 6mm in length.

Any ideas for motors? I couldn't find anything I was sure is strong enough in an online search.
Any ideas for other ways to achieve the same goal?

Thank you very much in advance,
Gedanken

 

[MintJulep]

I'd be inclined to keep the motor out of the tube and drive something similar to a plumbing snake.

But first I'd notice that aluminum tube is cheap, and think about how many brand new clean tubes I could purchase for thousands of dollars plus my time designing and building a custom cleaner.

 

[imcjoek]

How long is the tube? Will it fit in an ultrasonic cleaner?

 

[hydtools]

Chuck an appropriately sized bottle brush in an electric drill motor.

Ted

 

[1gibson]

Where did you get the idea to clean the ID with a small vibrating motor? Try pulling the motor from an electric toothbrush or a cell phone, dimensions should be about right so you could have a prototype in a few hours. I don't understand exactly how this would clean?

 

[ivymike]

can you "pig" the tube with a bead on a wire?

 

[ivymike]

(in case you're not familiar with the term:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pigging

)

 

[moltenmetal]

Tell us what you're trying to do, rather than how you plan to solve the problem, and we might be able to help you. But if your intention is to clean the ID of this tube, I think you're going about it the wrong way. And if you can't eliminate that bend, your options will be few and far less effective than they could be if the bend were gone.

 

[Gedanken666]

Thank you for the responses.

Obviously, if I were able to just throw away the aluminum and replace the piping, it would be much cheaper.
The idea is to clean a flowing system during an experiment, in which sediment is being created, and has to be removed with non-chemical means. I tried sonication, which did not work out well at all. The only thing that does work for me is scraping off the material, which is still not very effective. I tried removing it after an experiment with a vibrating part I took from a knitting machine, and it worked very well. What I had in mind was using the same effect with something much smaller, so I can actually insert it during an expriment (I don't mind it being there permanently, but I'd prefer to avoid it).

The idea of taking a motor from an electric toothbrush sounds very interesting, and I'm trying to get one. Also, I was unaware of the concept of "pigging", and it sounds exactly like what I am looking for. I will look into it.
Any specific suggestions for such a motor I can buy will be very helpful.

Thank you again,
Gedanken

 

[tomwalz]

http://makezine.com/projects/building-brushbot-kits/

Edmund Scientific

American Science and surplus

http://www.adafruit.com/products/1201?gclid=CMS5hOH3jsMCFQqDfgodyRgABw

Google search for "mini motors" - sponsored search had better results.

The whole "Make" (Make magazine), STEM, etc. movement is just full of cool, cheap parts.

Thomas J. Walz
Carbide Processors, Inc.

http://www.carbideprocessors.com

Good engineering starts with a Grainger Catalog.

 

[1gibson]

You don't "try" to get an electric toothbrush motor. You go to the grocery store, buy a $5 disposable electric toothbrush, try it out once to see if you like it, then crack it open and pull the motor.

 

[Gedanken666]

Hi all,

Thanks again for the useful tips and suggestions. I bought several electrical toothbrushes, but the motors inside where rotating and not vibrating (causing linear up/sown motion of the head). Regardless, I am currently trying to use vibration motors by Q Motor from the 6A series. The motors are rated for 3V, which yields too weak vibration motion. I am currently applying 7V instead of 3V and get significantly more violent vibration (knowing I'll burn the motors in a much higher rate than they are designed for).

For now, it seems to be working OK. If there are any more suggestions - I'll be grateful for any idea or tip.

Thank you all again!

 

[Sparweb]

The motor inside a cell phone is virtually identical.
Fasten a mass on the shaft to the motor you have, off center, and it will vibrate like crazy.

STF