Nelevator Production Update – April 2016

A lot has been happening at Nelevation HQ in preparation for the production of the first batch of Nelevator units, so we thought it was about time to tear ourselves away from the “Nelly” workshop for a little bit to let you know what we’ve been up to recently.

Limited in Name but Not in Features

The response to the Nelevator has been especially gratifying and has certainly exceeded our expectations. With the fantastic response and full order books, we decided that Nelevation deserved a more professional organisational structure to take her to greater things and to this aim we have incorporated Nelevation, so we are now officially Nelevation Limited.

“Nelly” Goes to Scotland

Last year “Nelly” went to three shows in England, so in February we thought it was about time she broadened her horizons with a trip across the northern border to Scotland.

We had an excellent three days in Glasgow where the Nelevator was well received and we were made very welcome. It was a long way to travel, but well worth it to give our Scottish supporters a chance to see the Nelevator in the flesh.

Ramping Up for Production

We have made amazing progress in the short time since releasing the Nelevator in August and the current design now shares no components with the original prototype.

During the productionisation of the Nelevator we have introduced a whole raft of design changes which not only make the Nelevator easier to produce, but will also help to improve performance, robustness, safety and future-proof the design for upgrades.

Some of these design changes include:

1. New quieter, more powerful motors
2. Larger optical encoder discs with more slots for greater resolution and accuracy
3. New circuit board with noise suppression and signal edge optimisation for improved accuracy and repeatability
4. Stall detection and bounce-back algorithms in case of portal blockage for safety
5. Addition of a serial port on the main PCB to allow for remote computer control
6. Revised worm wheel gear ratios
7. Addition of drive bar stabilisers to eliminate harmonic vibration on the drive shafts between the end plates
8. A new track clip design to clamp the track down and prevent sleepers being bent up, reducing track alignment issues
9. A new steel reinforced, glass filled Nylon stacker end moulding to eliminate the risk of the extrusions becoming displaced over time
10. New chassis design that improves stiffness and reduces weight
11. New motor mounting bracket and bearing block to improve alignment tolerances and reduce operational friction

All of this and yet to the untrained eye the Nelevator will look exactly the same.

We are currently also in the process of undergoing EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility) testing in order to meet our European obligations before we are allowed to ship product with the obligatory CE conformity mark.

When will Shipping Commence?

So, as you can see we’ve been very busy getting the Nelevator ready to ship as soon as possible, and in this respect we thank you ever so much for your continued patience.

The question on everyone’s mind is I’m sure, when will it ship?

Our  current estimates are for initial units to start shipping in May. With over 100 orders in our order book however, we obviously won’t be able to satisfy all orders simultaneously. A little closer to the time we hope to be able to advise of more accurate shipping dates for each individual order.

Thank you once again for your interest in the Nelevator and we look forward to bringing you more updates in the near future as we continue to work at a feverish pace getting things ready for production.