For Immediate Release

IDEC ez-Wheel Assist Wheel Drive Boosts Material HandlingOperations
The modular all-in-one wheel, gearbox, drive, battery, and control solution iseasily integrated into new or existing equipment to help workers safely
transport heavy payloads.
IDEC Corporation, Sunnyvale, CA, August 1, 2024 — IDEC Corporation announces the new ez-Wheel
Assist Wheel Drive (AWD) EW1A Series, providing electrical motion assistance for industrial manualmaterial handling equipment. With the help of an EW1A, workers can easily and safely move heavyloads, increasing productivity and efficiency.
Even in highly automated facilities, there remain many operations requiring personnel to exert manual
force to move trolleys, carts, and other mobile equipment. Besides the physical challenge, workers
could also be susceptible to injuries or other musculoskeletal issues while performing these tasks. TheEW1A addresses this and other issues with an integrated electric motorized wheel solution that iseasily retrofitted onto existing trollies or designed into new equipment.
Power and control options
The EW1A system consists of a few modular components, with many options to satisfy new equipment
designs, or aftermarket retrofits by maintenance personnel. The main drive unit is available with 150mm
or 160mm resilient polyurethane wheels, and the ability to support a vertical working load up to 400kg,
and to transfer loads up to 1000kg. A suspension bracket provides an adaptable way to add the maindrive unit to upgrade any equipment.
All models can accept internal batteries, which are recharged with a specific cable and charger.
However, for greater capacity designers can alternately choose to use an external battery pack bymeans of an adapter cable. Batteries operate at a nominal 24V DC, with capacities ranging from 3Ah to15Ah, depending on the model. The wheels operate at about 0 to 5km/hr (0 to 3mph) in both directions,and are available with adjustable braking modes and an option parking brake. The wheels are rated forindoor use, in non-freezing temperatures and up to 40°C.
Two controller options are available. The standard controller is a compact panel, much like a pendant
control but fixed-mounted, with an on/off button, forward/reverse speed control thumbwheel, and alighted or unlighted emergency stop button. A two-handle-type controller is also available with the samefunctionality implemented into a pair of handles, which can be oriented vertically or horizontally as
needed for best user experience. The handle-type controller is available with or without a battery
charge status LED indicator. Convenient ez-Config software running on a PC and connected using astandard USB cable lets users easily configure operating parameters, such as forward/reverse speed,
acceleration time, deceleration mode, assist time limit, time to sleep mode, and more.
Progressive safety and efficiency
Companies everywhere need solutions for improving the safety and efficiency of their workers, helping
them comply with standards like ISO 11228-2 for ergonomics, and potentially reducing insurance costs.

The IDEC ez-Wheel Assist Wheel Drive EW1A Series meets these needs as the world’s first 100%
integrated industrial autonomous wheel, combining the wheel, gearbox, drive, battery, and control
solution in a compact and modular form factor. It is easily retrofitted on any existing moving equipment
as an aftermarket solution, to upgrade and update working capabilities.
Applications abound anywhere equipment or payloads are manually moved, in warehouse and material
handling facilities, automotive plants, logistics/retail, manufacturing, construction, food and beverage,and more. With an attractive price/performance ratio, end users of all types can deploy the EW1A toimprove worker health while increasing productivity and efficiency, often realizing a return on
investment of less than one year.
As with all its products, IDEC offers free tech support for the ez-Wheel Assist Wheel Drive EW1A
Series, with no service or support contract required. For complete specifications or additional
information, please contact IDEC Corporation at 800-262-IDEC (4332), or visit us online athttps://lp.idec.com/ez-Wheel .
###About IDEC: IDEC Corporation is a global supplier that has provided innovative and reliable industrial
automation and control products since 1945. Covering a broad range of market needs, these feature-richand value-driven products include PLCs, human machine interfaces (HMIs), safety products and otherindustrial automation components. By delivering world-class products backed by personalized service andhighly-rated technical support, IDEC enables design engineers to create lean, cost-effective and safe
solutions to optimize their automation applications. With the acquisition of ez-Wheel, as well as theacquisition of APEM, one of the world's leading manufacturers of operator interface panels and relatedcomponents, IDEC continues to enhance our customers’ ability to create high-quality solutions. For
additional information, visit www.IDEC.com/usa
For more information, please contact:
Don PhamSenior Manager, Product Marketing
IDEC Corporation
800-262-4332
Don.Pham@idec.com