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What's new in robotic efficiency and advanced gauging systems?

Renishaw will highlight its latest solutions for maximizing robot performance and manufacturing efficiency at Automate 2026, taking place June 22-25 at McCormick Place in Chicago. Highlights will be demonstrations of its Robot Calibration System for cell recovery and in-field robot calibration, the Equator-X dual-method gauging system for high-throughput production environments, and position and motion control encoders.
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New Titanium servo-drive line for harsh environs

The Elmo advanced Titanium line of harsh-environment servo drives offers optimal performance with advanced power density, providing exceptional intelligent and compact servo drives that are operational within minutes. These single-axis and multi-axis servo drives, featuring top-performance multi-core processors, deliver superior productivity, Functional Safety, advanced networking, and local intelligence in a compact package for operation in extreme conditions.
Learn more.

Top Tech Tip: Automating winding, unwinding applications

From paper mills and textiles to sheet metal and plastics manufacturing, winding and unwinding mechanisms play critical parts in many industries. Jonathan Bullick from KEB America examines the automation architecture behind industrial winding applications, with particular emphasis on motor selection, variable frequency drive (VFD) configuration, and control system design. Tension, winding loads, torque speed, regen energy, bus load sharing, and more are all addressed in this excellent technical overview.
Read the KEB America article.

3D printing and 5-axis milling get highly portable

Powered by Siemens' SINUMERIK ONE CNC platform and Ingersoll's MasterPrint^® industrial 3D printer, a new generation of deployable machines is bringing additive and subtractive manufacturing directly to the point of use for defense, disaster relief, and infrastructure and industry.
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Double the force capacity: New RSX50 linear actuators

Tolomatic's RSX50 is the newest, most powerful addition to the RSX Extreme Force electric actuator family. Delivering 50 tons of force within the compact footprint of its 25-ton predecessor, it offers industry-leading power density. Built with high-precision planetary roller screws, the RSX50 provides high-force reliability and environmental compliance, eliminating the mess and maintenance complexity of traditional hydraulic systems.
Get all the specs from Tolomatic.

Integrated drive system for next-gen robotics and human-like motions

Engineered for modern robotics, the BXI is FAULHABER's most powerful integrated drive. Delivering up to 20 Nm of torque, it ensures dynamic, precise control. This compact unit combines a motor, stepped planetary gearhead, and high-res encoder into one functional system. Its strength lies in systematic integration, offering maximum performance in minimal space -- ideal for humanoid robot joints and demanding applications.
Get all the specs from FAULHABER.

Important Qs about linear motor actuators that design engineers should ask

Many design engineers overestimate how accurate traditional motors and actuators stay over long travel runs, mistakenly believing that if the solution works well for short runs, it will work equally well on long ones. Do you know what type of actuator you should use for your application? Patrick Lehr, Product Manager, Precision Mechanics at Parker Hannifin, has some really good tips for you.
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Cobots get 4 m tall with the 8th-Axis Vertical Robot Transfer Unit

Designed to optimize industrial processes across various sectors, the 8th-Axis Vertical Robot Transfer Unit (RTU-V) from Bishop-Wisecarver features a vertical travel length of up to 4 m, enabling a single small robot or cobot to cover large areas traditionally requiring multiple robots. This innovation not only boosts productivity but also offers considerable cost savings, making it an ideal solution for industries such as logistics, manufacturing, agriculture, packaging, and more. Extended reach allows robots to perform tasks on oversized workpieces, such as rocket tubes, boat hulls, and aerospace structures, with ease.
View the video.

UR AI Trainer for robotics: First lab-to-factory AI model trainer

Universal Robots unveiled the UR AI Trainer last week. Developed in collaboration with Scale AI, the AI Trainer marks a tectonic shift as robots move from pre-programmed applications to fully AI-driven tasks. These systems are powered by robust data generated in AI training cells where robots imitate humans.
Read the full article.

BLDC motors with advanced safety features built in

Dunker-motoren has built advanced safety functions directly into its BG75 and BG95 BLDC motors, so you no longer need a separate safety controller or complex wiring. This means faster installation, lower costs, and simpler designs. With features such as safe stop and speed control, plus secure digital communication, dSafe motors are ready for automation, robotics, and mobile systems worldwide. It's safety that scales with your future.
Learn more.

Mobile robotic platform with contactless charging

MAXOLU-TION, an SEW-EURODRIVE company, has introduced the modular Mobile Robot Platform 1600 (MR P1600). It is designed to move heavy loads such as pallets through factories and warehouses, with less manual handling and more consistent material flow. The platform supports configurable load-handling options, including conveyor transfer, lift, drive-under, and precise docking, using standardized material transfer attachments or custom-engineered load handling. Max load is 1,600 kg.
Learn more.

Configurable modular precision linear stages

PI's Modular Precision Linear (MPL) stage family is a configurable platform that simplifies specifying and integrating high-precision linear positioning systems. Engineers can select mechanical, drive, and feedback options online, creating application-specific stages without the cost of fixed designs. The MPL series offers 50- to 300-mm travel ranges and servo or stepper motor options -- with linear motors planned for future release -- while maintaining high precision, stiffness, and reliability.
Learn more.

Key considerations for battery-powered motors

Battery-powered motor applications require careful design considerations to pair motor performance and power consumption profiles in concert with the correct battery type. This Power Electric article covers power requirements, performance considerations, and battery choices to assist you in selecting an efficient motor and a battery with the appropriate capacity. Good technical info.
Read the full article.

Motor revolutionizes industrial power tools

Portescap's 40EC-Pro PowerTool (PT) brushless slotless motor facilitates the transition from manual to powered devices and supports the shift from brushed to brushless technologies. It comes in two lengths. The 40EC-Pro PT delivers up to 30,000 rpm and 1.1-Nm peak torque in a compact 40-mm, 230-g package. The 55-mm version adds an integrated fan boosting continuous power from 150 W to 425 W. Cost-optimized and compatible with R32/R40 gearheads and M-Sense encoders, it's ideal for 18-V battery-powered industrial hand tools.
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FlexiSan modular spray system for mobile and efficient equipment and plant sanitation

BETE's FlexiSan™ Modular Spraying System offers a portable, cost-effective spray solution that enables mobility and effective cleaning and sanitization across a wide range of industrial applications. Engineered for flexibility and performance, the FlexiSan system allows operators to quickly rinse and apply cleaning and sanitizing agents to a variety of equipment, including conveyors, hoppers, bins, and mixers, as well as other critical process areas. Handles everything from light washdowns to heavy cleanups.
Learn more.

Can EV motors have second lives? Fraunhofer Institute working on it

The REASSERT project aims to develop a prototype electric motor for the circular economy. [Credit: © Schaeffler/Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA]

 

 

 

 

An increasing number of electric vehicles (EVs) are being sold, consequently raising the quantity of produced electric motors. At the end of their useful life, these electric motors are usually shredded and then recycled. The individual components and assemblies cannot be reused.

So far, there has been a lack of sustainable value retention strategies for remanufacturing and recycling electric motors as part of a modern circular economy. In the REASSERT project, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA are working alongside industry partners to pursue various concepts for repairing, remanufacturing, and reusing electric motors, as well as new designs for the circular economy.

The electric motors used in EVs contain valuable raw materials such as copper as well as rare earth metals like neodymium, where China holds a quasi-monopoly, and which cannot be recovered with current recycling methods. Hence, extending the usage phase of the motors is increasingly important. Furthermore, the raw materials used have a bigger carbon footprint compared to a combustion engine. Because of this, it is crucial to extend the use phase of these motors.

"Innovative value retention strategies offer significant potential for emission reduction in terms of sustainability," says Julian Grobe Erdmann, scientist at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA in Bayreuth, Germany. As part of the REASSERT project, researchers are collaborating with Schaeffler (consortium leader), the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, BRIGHT Testing GmbH, iFAKT GmbH, and Riebesam GmbH & Co. KG to develop innovative methods for remanufacturing electric motors and reusing them in vehicles. They are focusing on the value retention strategies of reuse, repair, remanufacture, and raw material recycling. These are key elements for a circular economy, enabling the reduction of natural resource consumption and minimization of waste. The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK).

Currently, recycling of raw materials is the established value retention strategy. Through either manual or automated recycling methods, materials such as copper and aluminum in particular are recovered. Electric traction motors are disassembled, shredded, sorted into individual material fractions, and melted down for this purpose.

However, the recycled material, which is often contaminated, can no longer be used for motor applications, and individual components and assemblies are destroyed. Therefore, raw material recycling should only be chosen as a last resort for recycling and replaced by high-quality value preservation strategies such as reuse, repair, remanufacturing, and material recycling.

"We want to establish a closed-loop system in which valuable resources are reused in order to eliminate dependency on raw material imports and to minimize raw material extraction," explains Grobe Erdmann.

The project partners define reuse as reusing the entire motor for secondary use, and repair as the replacement of defective components and assemblies. In "remanufacturing," all components are disassembled, cleaned, reconditioned, and reassembled.

"With these strategies, fewer raw materials like rare earths, copper, and others are needed, perhaps only for spare parts," Grobe Erdmann says. For raw material recycling, the project partners plan to disassemble the motor and sort the individual materials prior to shredding. The project partners are using reference motors from the passenger car sector to analyze and select which value retention strategies should be used in a given application.

The project involves establishing a complete process, each step of which boasts its own demonstrator and test rig -- from inbound inspection for motor classification to disassembly, demagnetization, cleaning, component diagnosis, and remanufacturing, all the way through to reassembly and end-of-line testing, where the motor's functionality is assessed.

"For instance, during this process, a motor housing with minor wear might be classified for reuse and, if necessary, reconditioned using machining processes to ensure functionality. Depending on the chosen value preservation strategy, different process steps and chains are involved, so the effort for reconditioning may vary," says Grobe Erdmann.

An example of one of the challenges of this would be disassembling and reusing the magnetic materials from motors. "A rotor with permanent magnets is difficult to disassemble into its components even in a manual disassembly process due to the coating and bonding of the magnets. Here, the goal is to establish non-destructive disassembly methods," says Grobe Erdmann.

An AI tool developed as part of the project helps to select the best value retention strategy for a given application. It has access to the product and process data for the electric motor, and all data attained is saved in a digital twin.

The knowledge gathered in the project is intended to be used for the design of new electric motors. The goal is to develop a prototype motor for the circular economy that can be easily disassembled and onto which the four mentioned value preservation strategies can be effortlessly applied.

Source: Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA

Published February 2024

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