Mohawk Innovative Technology
Mohawk Innovative Technology, Inc. (MiTi) is the world’s leading authority in developing oil-free, high-speed rotating machinery employing compliant foil air bearing technologies. Using our proprietary know-how, company trade secrets, proprietary design software and patented technologies, MiTi has developed a family of CleanTech, high efficiency, oil-free rotating machinery products that include renewable energy turbogenerators, oil-free turbocompressors/blowers and electric motors. Each of these novel, made in the United States of America products combine high power density and high-speed permanent magnet motor elements, advanced Variable Frequency Drives (VFD) and MiTi’s patented, world leading, 4th Generation of oil-free compliant foil bearings. By integrating these key state-of-the-art technologies and components, compact and reliable variable speed machines with electromechanical efficiencies, higher than any other machine on the market today, are possible.
Besides achieving high efficiency, MiTi’s oil-free systems offer substantial environmental benefits by eliminating hazardous waste oil disposal concerns and lubricating oil spills. MiTi oil-free system designs result in durable machines with low operating and maintenance costs. MiTi has expanded its capabilities to include the design of centrifugal compressors, volutes and diffusers, as well as turbine nozzles for radial inflow and axial turbines. To compliment our rotor bearing system tools, we use advanced aerodynamic analytical and finite element structural analysis capabilities. Each MiTi machine uses our patented 4th Generation compliant foil bearings. These self-acting hydrodynamic bearings operate without any externally pressurized air source, require no supporting lubrication system, have no known speed limit and are crafted by MiTi’s manufacturing team in Albany, New York. In operation, the shaft glides on a thin film of air or process gas, virtually eliminating drag on the rotor. With little or no drag, it is possible to take advantage of efficiencies that come from operating at very high speeds. To accommodate tens of thousands of machine start/stop cycles, MiTi has developed a family of flexible, low friction and wear resistant bearing coatings for temperatures from cryogenic to elevated. Additionally, MiTi® foil bearings have high levels of damping and variable stiffness to ensure smooth running, durable machines. The MiTi oil-free, motor driven machinery offers efficiency gains over many competing motor, blower, compressor and turbogenerator technologies due to the low bearing and system losses combined with high-efficiency motor/generator elements. The non-contacting bearing operation affords long life and minimal maintenance. Given that MiTi oil-free machines are expected to have more than a twenty-year life, the cumulative effect of savings in both operating and maintenance costs is tremendous.
History
Mohawk Innovative Technology, Inc. (MiTi) is an advanced product development company with specific expertise in high-speed rotating machinery and advanced oil-free bearings and seals. Current company emphasis is on integrating MiTi’s advanced oil-free bearing technologies into high speed rotating machinery where conventional oil lubricated bearings are unsuitable. The laws of physics play a major role in the successful future of our company. As rotating machinery is made ever smaller and more compact, the speeds at which these machines must rotate to perform the same job increases dramatically. These speeds are now approaching the physical limits of conventional oil lubricated rolling element bearings, resulting in shorter bearing life and serious degradation in system reliability. The company, which was formed in November 1994, is headed by Dr. Hooshang Heshmat and three other principals, Mr. James F. Walton II, Ms. Melissa D. Heshmat and Mr. Michael J. Tomaszewski. Their shared vision is to foster and secure MiTi’s position as the world wide leader in advanced oil-free bearing technologies and to apply its bearings to efficient, environmentally sound, advanced rotating machinery systems that will provide a positive and long lasting contribution to our society.
The president of the company, Dr. Hooshang Heshmat, has played a primary role in the development of compliant foil bearings and has been responsible for major advances in this field including analytical and experimental research for bearing/seal design and application. Much of his work has been related to applying compliant foil bearings to high-speed turbomachinery, including advanced turbine engines (cruise missiles and liquid rocket engines), automotive gas turbines, air-cycle machinery for aircraft, turbochargers, turboexpanders, cryocoolers, pumps, compressors and refrigerant systems. Dr. Heshmat received his B.S. from Pennsylvania State University and his M.S. and Ph.D. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Mechanical Engineering. An STLE and ASME Fellow, Dr. Heshmat was Chairman of the Research Committee on Tribology of ASME (1999-2000) and a member of the ASME Tribology Division Executive and Honors and Awards Committees. He holds 28 patents, has published over 150 papers and has co-authored the chapter on Principles of Bearing Design for the Compressor Handbook and authored the book “Tribology of Interface Layers”. The principals are world renowned experts in their fields of foil bearings, fluid film bearings, powder lubrication, magnetic bearings, dampers and high-speed rotating machinery. On a par with major universities and research centers, MiTi engineers hold 28 U.S. and international patents, and have published more than 150 papers related to our products and services. More than just theoretical experts, the engineers at MiTi are highly regarded for their ability to meet customers’ real world needs and transition technology to successful product.
Medical applications of the company's products are marketed through the MiTiHeart Corporation, a spin-off company.
See also
Selected patents
- Multi-plane Balancing Process and Apparatus Using Powder Metal for Controlled Material Addition - Sept. 1992[1]
- Stator Controlled Magnetic Bearing - Feb. 2001[2]
- Hybrid Foil Magnetic Bearing - Mar. 2002[3]
- Hybrid Foil Magnetic Bearing with Improved Load Sharing - Aug. 2004[4]