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Drive gearboxes for mobile robots

Different automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) can require different types of wheel drives. GAM has all your needs covered from standard GML inline planetary gearboxes to integrated strain wave (harmonic) robotic gearboxes to modified and fully custom solutions. Check out all the offerings.
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Universal Robots unveils cobot AI Accelerator

Universal Robots' new UR AI Accelerator is a ready-to-use hardware and software toolkit created to further enable the development of AI-powered cobot applications. Designed for commercial and research applications, the UR AI Accelerator provides developers with an extensible platform to build applications, accelerate research, and reduce time to market of AI products -- ready to use straight out of the box.
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Z-Tip-Tilt nanopositioning stage: High-speed ultra precision

PI offers an ultra-low-profile Z-Tip-Tilt stage designed for demanding alignment applications in optics, semicon-ductors, precision assembly, and photonics. Based on air bearings and linear motors, the stage is wear-free, maintenance-free, and cleanroom compatible. High speed is ensured by 3-phase linear motors, while high resolution and precision are provided by closed-loop operation with linear encoders with 1-nm resolution. Comes in 5- and 6-axis combinations.
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Curtiss-Wright unveils new Exlar GTF food-grade actuator

Curtiss-Wright's Actuation Division has expanded its popular Exlar electric actuator product offerings to include hygienic actuators with FDA-approved materials and finishes. Designed for automation systems in the food and beverage, packaging, and pharmaceutical industries, the GTF with inverted roller screw technology helps customers achieve hygienic certifications more economically. Ideal for builders of hygienic machinery to easily incorporate into their designs.
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Robot has longest reach in Mitsubishi's low-cost series

The MELFA RV-12CRL vertically articulated robot has the longest reach of any robot in Mitsubishi Electric's low-cost robot series: 1,504 mm (59.2 in.). With a 12-kg (26.4-lb) payload capacity, this unit is an ideal candidate for machine tending, case packing, and pick-and-place applications. Built-in features provide enhanced safety, streamlined implementation, and an overall reduction in downtime. Features internal cables and air hoses for end-of-arm tooling.
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Servomotors for food, beverage, pharma, more

Siemens' new stainless steel SIMOTICS S-1FS2 line of servomotors has been designed for the clean condition requirements of the food, beverage, sterile packaging, pharma, and other process industries. These motors are highly resistant to corrosion and acidic chemicals and are offered in a variety of power ratings, from 0.45 to 2 kW (0.60 to 2.68 hp) with torque from 3.1 to 14 Nm (2.28 to 10.32 ft-lb). Features include high dynamics due to low inherent inertia, high overload capacity for pick-and-place, and precise movement of heavy loads. Easy installation and cleaning. Compatible with the SINAMICS S210 drive system.
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What is Sensorless Closed Loop? Precise motor control without an encoder

Matt Sherman, eMobility Sales and Application Engineer at KEB America, runs through different options to drive an AC motor, including one called "Sensorless Closed Loop" that does not require additional hardware such as encoder, resolver, or cables on the motor.
Read this informative KEB America blog.

All about magnetic rotary encoder

The precision and reliability offered by modern rotary encoders are essential in many product categories. These include robotics, machine tools, printing presses, motion control systems, medical equipment, aerospace, gaming and entertainment, and automotive. Learn all about magnetic rotary encoders -- and important developments in the technology's future.
Read the full Avnet article.

High-force actuator line expanded with new models

Tolomatic has introduced five new products in its RSX line of high-force actuators to meet a wider range of industrial applications. These five sizes expand the RSX's capabilities to include forces up to 66,000 lbf (294 kN). RSX actuators, which feature high-precision planetary roller or ball screws for longer life in harsh environments, enable the easy replacement of traditional hydraulics to eliminate leaks and improve system performance.
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What's a motion-amplified piezoelectric actuator -- and what can it do for you?

Piezoelectric motion components are highly valued for their fast response times, capable of dynamic movements at frequencies reaching several kHz, and delivering motion resolution down to the sub-nanometer level. Learn why amplified piezo actuators have the edge over traditional piezo stack actuators.
Read the full article.

How to maximize and optimize stepper motor control

Engineers from Performance Motion Devices take a comprehensive look at how to control two-phase stepper motors, beginning with the basics (operations, strengths and weaknesses) and moving on to traditional and updated advanced techniques for control including closed loop. A very thorough presentation.
Read this informative Performance Motion Devices article.

Ergoswiss table lifting systems from AutomationDirect

Automation-Direct has added the new SQ series table lifting systems from Ergoswiss. These lifting systems use electrically driven columns that allow the operator to reposition the height of a worktable, conveyor, etc. to meet specific requirements. In doing so, the operator can perform their tasks in a more comfortable working posture, helping to reduce work-related injuries. These systems are all electric (no hydraulic mess or manual hand cranks), and each lifting column features a housed motor and screw drive to perform the needed height adjustments.
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Compact linear voice coil servo motor with built-in shaft and bearing

The GVCM-032-025-02M Linear Voice Coil Servo Motor is the first of a new series of non-commutated, brushless linear servo motors from Moticont. This clean and quiet unit has a 12.7-mm stroke with built-in shaft and bearing, a continuous high-force-to-size ratio of 9.3 N (2.1 lb), and 29.3 N (6.6 lb) of peak force at a 10% duty cycle. Features include: high reliability, high speed, zero cogging, high acceleration/deceleration, and, when used in a servo loop, very high accuracy and repeatability. An ideal choice for: haptic feedback, medical devices, laser machining and drilling, work holding and clamping, scanners, optical focusing, testing, sorting, and assembly.
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Optical rotary encoders: Close the stepper motor linear actuator feedback loop

With the help of a motion controller and a stepper driver, all stepper motor linear actuators can be programmed to position a load to a precise location. However, standard configurations do not provide a feedback mechanism that tells the operator whether the move is completed or not. Adding an encoder can be an effective and simple solution to get real-time motion feedback about your application.
Read this informative Thomson article.

Overhead conveyor drives for automotive, food processing

Overhead conveyor drives from NORD DRIVE-SYSTEMS are engineered with long-lasting performance and durability in mind. They feature high-quality components, heavy-duty construction, and an output mounting flange and shaft for easy drop-in replacement of industry-standard footprints. They are an ideal solution for meat and poultry processing, automotive assembly, and other manufacturing systems where utilization of vertical space is required. Lots of options and many more features.
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Vertical turbines could be the future for wind farms

The now-familiar sight of traditional propeller wind turbines could be replaced in the future with wind farms containing more compact and efficient vertical turbines. New research from Oxford Brookes University in the UK has found that the vertical turbine design is far more efficient than traditional turbines in large-scale wind farms, and, when set in pairs, the vertical turbines increase each other's performance by up to 15%.

A research team from the School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics (ECM) at Oxford Brookes led by Professor Iakovos Tzanakis conducted an in-depth study using more than 11,500 hours of computer simulation to show that wind farms can perform more efficiently by substituting the traditional propeller-type Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWTs) for compact Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs).

Vertical turbines are more efficient than traditional windmill turbines
The research demonstrates for the first time, at a realistic scale, the potential of large-scale VAWTs to outcompete current HAWT wind farm turbines.

Farm of Vertical Axis Wind Turbines. [Credit: Oxford Brookes University]

 

 

VAWTs spin around an axis vertical to the ground, and they exhibit the opposite behavior of the well-known propeller design (HAWTs). The research found that VAWTs increase each other's performance when arranged in grid formations. Positioning wind turbines to maximize outputs is critical to the design of wind farms.

"The future of wind farms should be vertical," said Tzanakis. "Vertical axis wind farm turbines can be designed to be much closer together, increasing their efficiency and ultimately lowering the prices of electricity. In the long run, VAWTs can help accelerate the green transition of our energy systems, so that more clean and sustainable energy comes from renewable sources."

With the UK's wind energy capacity expected to almost double by 2030, the findings are a stepping stone toward designing more efficient wind farms, understanding large-scale wind energy harvesting techniques, and, ultimately, improving the renewable energy technology to replace fossil fuels more quickly as sources of energy.

Cost-effective way to meet wind power targets
According to the Global Wind Report 2021, the world needs to be installing wind power three times faster over the next decade in order to meet net-zero targets and avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

"Modern wind farms are one of the most efficient ways to generate green energy, however, they have one major flaw: as the wind approaches the front row of turbines, turbulence will be generated downstream," said Joachim Toftegaard Hansen, lead author of the report and Bachelor of Engineering graduate. "The turbulence is detrimental to the performance of the subsequent rows.

"In other words, the front row will convert about half the kinetic energy of the wind into electricity, whereas for the back row, that number is down to 25 to 30%. Each turbine costs more than £2-million/MW. As an engineer, it naturally occurred to me that there must be a more cost-effective way."

The study, published in the International Journal of Renewable Energy, is the first to analyze many aspects of wind turbine performance comprehensively with regard to array angle, direction of rotation, turbine spacing, and number of rotors. It is also the first research to investigate whether the performance improvements hold true for three VAWT turbines set in a series.

"The importance of using computational methods in understanding flow physics can't be underestimated," said Dr. Mahak Mahak, co-author of the article and senior lecturer in ECM. "These types of design and enhancement studies are a fraction of the cost compared to the huge experimental test facilities. This is particularly important at the initial design phase and is extremely useful for the industries trying to achieve maximum design efficiency and power output."

Source: Oxford Brookes University

Published May 2021

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