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Product category: Industrial Motors
News Release from: Lafert Electric Motors | Subject: AMBY-type motors
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial Team on 07 April 2004

Motors keep it quiet in the auditorium

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As part of the restoration of the world famous La Fenice theatre in Venice, 89 specially designed electric motors power an all-new system for silently manoeuvring scenery.

January 1996 saw the near total destruction of the world famous La Fenice theatre in Venice Yet, like the Phoenix, after six years of painstaking restoration the La Fenice has been restored to its former splendour and had its first major concert in December 2003, which was broadcast worldwide

As part of the restoration process entirely new systems for manoeuvring scenery were installed.

An essential characteristic of these systems was silent operation, permitting scenery to be moved, even during action on stage, without causing any distraction from the performance.

Essential to achieving this were 89 specially designed motors from AEG Electric Motors, which were actually built just a few kilometres away at the company's San Dona factory.

The AEG AMBY-type motors are specially engineered for use in theatres, in this application no cooling fans were fitted to minimise noise levels.

In addition, they have the facility for accepting encoders to give position feedback to ensure accurate positioning of scenery.

Two sizes of motor were supplied, 112 (5.5kW) and 160 (15kW) frames both equipped with special DC brakes producing 75 and 150Nm, respectively, with 150 and 200% peak braking potentials.

The motors were supplied as part of a package assembled by Bosch Rexroth which added inverters suitable for accepting encoder feedback.

The ultimate customer was Tecnologie Industriali, which built the total system for La Fenice.

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