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Home » Shop » Engine Starting » Pre-engaged Starter Motors

Pre-engaged Starter Motors

Alongside traditional inertia starter motors, IPU can also provide pre-engaged starter motors for both air and hydraulic starting systems. Depending on your application, a pre-engaged starter motor could be the essential choice to comply with safety regulations such as ATEX.

Jetstream 5 Air Starter Motor
Jetstream pneumatic starter motors can be used with your existing air supply.
ATEX-approved starting
IPU’s M28 hydraulic starter gains ATEX-approval through its pre-engaged mechanism and cast iron casing.

Pre-engaged vs inertia starting

The key difference between inertia and pre-engaged starting is that the pinion on a pre-engaged starter motor fully engages with the ring-gear before rotating at high-speed. Unlike traditional inertia starter motors there is no collision between a rapidly rotating pinion and a stationary ring-gear. This is a key factor when operating in a flammable environment.

Inertia Starter Motor
With inertia starters, the sudden impulse of the pinion as it begins to rotate causes the gear to move forward along a helix shaft.
Pre-engaged Starter Motor
The pre-engaged starter motor is fitted with a relay valve which controls the movement of the pinion.

How does a pre-engaged starter motor work?

The starter motor is fitted with a relay valve which controls the movement of the pinion. When the starter motor is activated the pinion moves along the shaft until it comes into contact with the toothed ring-gear.

The pinion is then interlocked with the ring-gear before rotating to crank the engine.

As the engine gets up to speed the pre-engaged starter motor is protected from overspeed by a free wheel clutch (like the free wheel gear of a bicycle). At this stage the return spring retracts the pinion to its disengaged position.

Watch our close-up video of a pre-engaged starter motor in action:

Pre-engaged starting and ATEX

Pre-engaged starter motors are critical in areas covered by the ATEX safety regulations as any sparks caused by the starting system could be disastrous. IPU’s pre-engaged starter motors satisfy ATEX’s EN1834-1 and 2 safety standards as they eliminate the risk of sparks being generated by traditional inertia engagement.

    Jetstream 5 Air (Pneumatic) Starter Motor

    The Jetstream 5 air start motor is a pre-engaged starter motor capable of starting engines up to 80 litres. It's ideal for environments with explosive atmospheres (such as underground mines) as it is ATEX compliant.

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    ATEX-approved starting
    M22 Pre-engaged Hydraulic Starter Motor

    IPU’s M22 pre-engaged hydraulic starter motor provides guaranteed reliability, no matter how challenging or unpredictable the environment. IPU's M22 hydraulic starter motors is ATEX-approved for use in both gas and mining environments.

    Read More
    ATEX-approved starting
    M28 Pre-engaged Hydraulic Starter Motor

    IPU’s M28 pre-engaged hydraulic starter motor provides guaranteed reliability, no matter how challenging or unpredictable the environment. IPU's M28 hydraulic starter motor is ATEX-approved for use in gas and mining environments.

    Read More
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IPU Group

Registered in England & Wales: 12167631

Industrial Power Units Ltd
Cygnus Way
West Bromwich
West Midlands
B70 0XB, UK

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+44 (0) 121 511 0400
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ipu@ipu.co.uk
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