Alpha Slip Rings

Manufacturer information and published contact details

Alpha Slip Rings contact details

UEA main office

2103 East Bremer Ave.
Waverly, Iowa 50677
United States

Telephone +1 319 352 3946

Email info@uea-inc.com

Website uea-inc.com/slip-rings/alpha-slip-rings

Show Alpha Slip Rings headquarters on the map Open in Google Maps →

Contact details as published by United Equipment Accessories, Inc., checked 2026-10-30. Specify Motion is not affiliated with United Equipment Accessories, Inc..

Alpha Slip Rings product lines

Who Alpha Slip Rings is

Alpha Slip Rings is a slip ring brand owned by United Equipment Accessories (UEA). UEA describes the range as stainless, high-seal builds for extreme environments and smaller footprints. Many Alpha designs combine electrical passes with fibre-optic channels, which makes them a natural fit for subsea, marine and oilfield equipment where data, power and survivability all matter.

History and ownership

UEA acquired Alpha Slip Rings, then based in Austin, Texas, in October 2018. UEA is a family-owned company founded in 1952 in Waverly, Iowa, which also owns Fabricast and American Reels. Alpha’s earlier history is not described on UEA’s pages, so we have not stated a founding date. Some current Alpha products carry notes of their previous model numbers, such as the high-speed ring (formerly model 331) and the downhole ring (formerly model 122).

Product portfolio

UEA publishes ratings for each Alpha family. Bodies range from 1.25 to 5.5 in (32 to 140 mm) in diameter, voltages reach 3.5 kV, current reaches 40 A per pass, and standard sealing is IP65 or IP50 depending on model.

• The subsea slip rings have 70+ passes, up to 3.5 kV and 5, 10, 20 or 40 A per pass, 16+ fibre channels and a typical 5.5 in body. An oil-filled, pressure-compensated option suits deep water.
• The deck winch and reel slip rings carry up to 60 passes at 600 V and 5 or 10 A, with up to seven fibre channels, in 2.37, 2.87 or 5.5 in IP65 housings.
• The industrial and small industrial slip rings use stainless bodies sealed to IP65. The Industrial carries 70+ passes at 3.5 kV and up to 40 A in 3.5 or 5.5 in bodies; the Small Industrial carries up to 60 passes at 600 V and 5 or 10 A in 2.4 or 2.9 in bodies.
• The High Speed slip ring has up to 10 passes plus one fibre channel at 600 V and 5 A, rated to 3,000 rpm in a 1.73 in aluminium housing.

The range also includes an Electro-Optic ring (up to 24 passes and one fibre, IP50), a Wireline Logging ring rated 1.5 kV with UHF, two-pin or fibre connector options, and a 1.25 in stainless Downhole ring with up to 28 passes for high-temperature, high-shock oilfield tools.

Technologies

• Hybrid electrical and optical rotation. Combining fibre channels with electrical passes avoids a separate fibre-optic rotary joint in tight spaces.
• Pressure compensation. Oil-filling the ring and balancing it to ambient pressure keeps seawater out at depth without heavy pressure housings.
• High voltage. 3.5 kV ratings suit powering ROVs and towed equipment over long tethers, where higher voltage reduces current and cable losses.

See waterproof and subsea slip rings, how to select a fibre-optic rotary joint and how to select a slip ring.

Industries served

UEA lists deck winches, fuel and electric cord reels, service trucks, tethered drones and research equipment; towed arrays, side-scan sonar, CTD rosettes, Vibracore sampling and ROVs; wireline logging trucks; radar and electro-optic systems; and oilfield downhole tools.

Worked example: an ROV tether winch

A launch-and-recovery winch must pass 3 kV power for the ROV, several low-voltage control circuits and four fibres for video and data. The Subsea and Deck Winch families both carry fibre, but only the Subsea and Industrial families are rated to 3.5 kV and 16+ fibres. For an on-deck winch, an Industrial ring in a stainless IP65 body is the likely fit; specify an oil-filled Subsea ring only if the ring itself goes underwater.

Things that catch engineers out

• Fibre count. Each extra fibre channel adds cost and size; confirm how many you really need, including spares.
• Sealing. IP65 resists spray but not immersion; use the pressure-compensated option for submerged rings.
• High-voltage spacing. Mixing kilovolt power with low-level signals needs careful segregation; state both on the enquiry.

Choosing between Alpha families

The families split mainly by voltage, pass count and environment. For 600 V and up to 60 passes, the Deck Winch and Small Industrial rings are the compact options. Above that, or where kilovolt power is needed, move to the Industrial or Subsea rings. The High Speed and Electro-Optic rings are small aluminium designs for dry, protected locations.

Global and UK presence

Alpha has no UK office or distributor listed. Enquiries are handled by UEA in Waverly, Iowa. For marine projects, also ask about classification-society or customer test requirements early.

What to send when specifying a marine slip ring

Send the number of passes, voltage and current per pass, number and type of fibres (single-mode or multimode), speed, environment (deck, splash or submerged and depth), materials and connector types.

Specify Motion is independent of UEA and Alpha Slip Rings and is not a distributor for either. Our engineers can help source Alpha products or propose equivalents from our supply network on published figures; see find a replacement or the slip rings hub.

Alpha Slip Rings history: key dates

1. 2018Acquired by United Equipment Accessories in October

Alpha Slip Rings slip rings

Marine and subsea slip rings

Subsea slip rings

Stainless subsea slip rings with 70+ passes, up to 3.5 kV and 40 A per pass, 16+ fibre channels and an oil-filled, pressure-compensated option, in a typical 5.5 in body.

Marine and subsea slip rings

Deck winch and reel slip rings

Slip rings for deck winches and cable reels with up to 60 passes, 600 V and 5 or 10 A, up to 7 fibre channels and IP65 housings of 2.37, 2.87 or 5.5 in diameter.

Slip rings

Industrial and small industrial slip rings

Stainless sealed slip rings for harsh industrial duty: Industrial with 70+ passes, 3.5 kV and up to 40 A in 3.5 or 5.5 in bodies; Small Industrial with up to 60 passes, 600 V and 5/10 A in 2.4 or 2.9 in bodies, both IP65.

High-speed slip rings

High Speed slip ring

Compact 1.73 in anodised aluminium slip ring with up to 10 passes plus one fibre channel, 600 V and 5 A, rated to 3,000 rpm (formerly model 331).