Linear Direct Drive Servo Technology for Material Handling

April 3, 2006
The patented vehicle is an accurate high-speed linear transfer system that uses the latest advances in linear direct drive servo motor technology. This

The patented vehicle is an accurate high-speed linear transfer system that uses the latest advances in linear direct drive servo motor technology. This technology is scalable and modular, easily adapted to any design requiring product movement.

Full release:

Inventor Creates New Material Handling Solution and New Company

Paintsville, Kentucky – Ronald E. Ward, CEO and driving force behind Celerity Automation Inc., along with Richard C. Young and Michael Maynard, will take material handling into the 21st century when they introduce their revolutionary Linear Transfer Vehicle®, (LTV) at the NA2006 show to be held in Cleveland, Ohio, March 27-30, 2006.

Their patented Linear Transfer Vehicle® (LTV) is an accurate high-speed linear transfer system that uses the latest advances in linear direct drive servo motor technology. It will revolutionize material movement applications through its speed and precision; enabling material handlers and manufacturers to move, pick, and put away product with greater efficiency.

Taking advantage of linear motor technology’s smooth, virtually friction free electromagnetic operation, the LTV® moves product at speeds that are ten times faster than conventional belt drive systems. It moves at these speeds with a positioning accuracy of 0.010 in. Acceleration and deceleration rates can be 2 Gs. Plus, the LTV® can handle 121 cycles per hour. These features mean material handlers can see productivity improvements of as much as 300 percent.
To bring this new solution to market, Ward, Maynard and Young formed a first-rate team of highly skilled managers. The
Celerity Automation management team consists of:
Director and Chief Executive Officer: Ronald E. Ward.
Ronald Ward is co-inventor of the LTV®. A degreed engineer, Ward has designed special automated equipment for the automotive and appliance industries for almost three decades. Dating back to the mid sixties, when he became a project engineer in charge of the special metal cutting machinery for Avey Machine Tool Corp. His career included teaching machine design and engineering related classes at Mayo State College for ten years. He founded Ronald E. Ward Engineering Inc., an engineering house that grosses over five million dollars annually; supplying special automated assembly and production systems to the manufacturing industries. Throughout his career he has invented precision machines that fulfill the need for efficient automation and continuous improvement in the quality of life. He will use this experience in engineering, business, and education to direct Celerity into the future as CEO.

President: Michael D. Maynard:
Michael Maynard holds a B.S. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Kentucky. As an electrical engineer for Appalachian Power Co., he was responsible for new transmission line construction. In 1994 he joined Ronald E. Ward Engineering as Electrical Engineering Manager, where he managed the design, installation, and integration of automated control systems for the large-scale plant production systems and manufacturing equipment built by R.E. Ward Engineering. Among his many accomplishments was the development of the direct-driven linear servo technology, later adopted by Celerity Automation. In addition to his engineering duties, he assisted Mr. Ward in the management operations of Ward Engineering. Since 2000, Mr. Maynard provided contract engineering design and consulting services as president and founder of Industrial Automation Consultants, LLC, until joining the Celerity team in late 2002. As president of Celerity, he is responsible for new technology development and management of the day-to-day operations.

Director of Engineering: Richard C. Young.
Richard Young is co-inventor of the LTV®. He has a long and distinguished career as a design engineer and inventor for Production Plating Works, Enghauser Manufacturing, Precision Welder, Flexopress Co., and Teledyne Precision until his retirement in 1994. He worked as a consultant and designer for Ronald E. Ward Engineering Inc. Among the projects was the robotic mail handling system for the U.S. Postal Service. At Celerity, he is in charge of research and development implementation.

Director of Business Development: James E. Ogburn:
James Ogburn has been a senior executive in the material handling industry for over thirty years. After serving 3 years as an officer in the U.S. Navy, he became Vice President of Sales and Marketing at the Logan Co., then moved on to become Vice President-General Manager of the Material Handling Systems Division of Western Atlas Inc. He has also served as Unit Conveyor Product Section Chair for the Conveyor Equipment Manufacturers Association, Vice President-Budget Director of the Material Handling Institute, and Member of the Material Handling Roundtable, the Governing Board of the Material Handling Industry of America. He is the developer of the Ambassador Program for Celerity, a unique marketing plan that offers the LTV® to systems integrators and material handling equipment manufacturers.
Rounding out the executive team are: Dr. Adrian Park, M.D., Chairman of the Board; Donald H. Duke, Board Secretary; and Daniel J. Quinn, Director.

For more information, contact Celerity at
485 Ponderosa Drive
Paintsville, Kentucky 41240
Tel: 606 789 8511
Fax: 606 789 7511
[email protected]