Mohawk Innovative Technology, Inc., established in 1994, 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, we have developed a family of CleanTech, high efficiency, oil-free turbomachinery that include renewable energy turbogenerators, oil-free turbocompressors/blowers and electric motors. Each of these novel products are Made in the U.S. and combine high power density and high-speed permanent magnet motor elements, advanced Variable Frequency Drives (VFD) and patented 6th Generation oil-free compliant foil bearings. By integrating these key advanced technologies compact and reliable variable speed machines with electromechanical efficiencies – higher than any other machine on the market today – are possible. Besides achieving high efficiency, Mohawk Innovative’s oil-free systems offer substantial environmental benefits by eliminating hazardous waste oil disposal concerns and lubricating oil contaminations. Our oil-free system designs result in durable machines with low operating and maintenance costs. We have expanded our 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 machine uses Mohawk Innovative patented 6th 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 our 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 efficiency that comes from operating at very high speeds. To accommodate tens of thousands of machine start/stop cycles, we have developed a family of flexible, low friction and wear resistant bearing coatings for temperatures from cryogenic to elevated. Additionally, Mohawk Innovative Technology® foil bearings have high levels of damping and variable stiffness to ensure smooth running, durable machines.
Our 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 our 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 staggering.