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Overhung load adaptors provide load support and contamination protection

Overhung load adaptors (OHLA) provide both overhung radial and axial load support to protect electrified mobile equipment motors from heavy application loads, extending the lifetime of the motor and alleviating the cost of downtime both from maintenance costs and loss of production. They seal out dirt, grime, and other contaminants too. Zero-Max OHLAs are available in an extensive offering of standard models (including Extra-Duty options) for typical applications or customized designs.
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Why choose electric for linear actuators?

Tolomatic has been delivering a new type of linear motion technology that is giving hydraulics a run for its money. Learn the benefits of electric linear motion systems, the iceberg principle showing total cost of ownership, critical parameters of sizing, and conversion tips.
Get this informative e-book. (No registration required)

New AC hypoid inverter-duty gearmotors

Bodine Electric Company introduces 12 new AC inverter-duty hypoid hollow shaft gearmotors. These type 42R-25H2 and 42R-30H3 drives combine an all-new AC inverter-duty, 230/460-VAC motor with two hypoid gearheads. When used with an AC inverter (VFD) control, these units deliver maintenance-free and reliable high-torque output. They are ideal for conveyors, gates, packaging, and other industrial automation equipment that demands both high torque and low power consumption from the driving gearmotor.
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Next-gen warehouse automation: Siemens, Universal Robots, and Zivid partner up

Universal Robots, Siemens, and Zivid have created a new solution combining UR's cobot arms with Siemens' SIMATIC Robot Pick AI software and Zivid's 3D sensors to create a deep-learning picking solution for warehouse automation and intra-logistics fulfillment. It works regardless of object shape, size, opacity, or transparency and is a significant leap in solving the complex challenges faced by the logistics and e-commerce sectors.
Read the full article.

Innovative DuoDrive gear and motor unit is UL/CSA certified

The DuoDrive integrated gear unit and motor from NORD DRIVE-SYSTEMS is a compact, high-efficiency solution engineered for users in the fields of intralogistics, pharmaceutical, and the food and beverage industries. This drive combines a IE5+ synchronous motor and single-stage helical gear unit into one compact housing with a smooth, easy-to-clean surface. It has a system efficiency up to 92% and is available in two case sizes with a power range of 0.5 to 4.0 hp.
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BLDC flat motor with high output torque and speed reduction

Portescap's 60ECF brushless DC slotted flat motor is the newest frame size to join its flat motor portfolio. This 60-mm BLDC motor features a 38.2-mm body length and an outer-rotor slotted configuration with an open-body design, allowing it to deliver improved heat management in a compact package. Combined with Portescap gearheads, it delivers extremely high output torque and speed reduction. Available in both sensored and sensorless options. A great choice for applications such as electric grippers and exoskeletons, eVTOLs, and surgical robots.
Learn more and view all the specs.

Application story: Complete gearbox and coupling assembly for actuator system

Learn how GAM engineers not only sized and selected the appropriate gear reducers and couplings required to drive two ball screws in unison using a single motor, but how they also designed the mounting adapters necessary to complete the system. One-stop shopping eliminated unnecessary components and resulted in a 15% reduction in system cost.
Read this informative GAM blog.

Next-gen motor for pump and fan applications

The next evolution of the award-winning Aircore EC motor from Infinitum is a high-efficiency system designed to power commercial and industrial applications such as HVAC fans, pumps, and data centers with less energy consumption, reduced emissions, and reduced waste. It features an integrated variable frequency drive and delivers upward of 93% system efficiency, as well as class-leading power and torque density in a low-footprint package that is 20% lighter than the previous version. Four sizes available.
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Telescoping linear actuators for space-constrained applications

Rollon's new TLS telescoping linear actuators enable long stroke lengths with minimal closed lengths, which is especially good for applications with minimal vertical clearance. These actuators integrate seamlessly into multi-axis systems and are available in two- or three-stage versions. Equipped with a built-in automated lubrication system, the TLS Series features a synchronized drive system, requiring only a single motor to achieve motion. Four sizes (100, 230, 280, and 360) with up to 3,000-mm stroke length.
Learn more.

Competitively priced long-stroke parallel gripper

The DHPL from Festo is a new generation of pneumatic long-stroke grippers that offers a host of advantages for high-load and high-torque applications. It is interchangeable with competitive long-stroke grippers and provides the added benefits of lighter weight, higher precision, and no maintenance. It is ideal for gripping larger items, including stacking boxes, gripping shaped parts, and keeping bags open. It has high repetition accuracy due to three rugged guide rods and a rack-and-pinion design.
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Extend your range of motion: Controllers for mini motors

FAULHABER has added another extremely compact Motion Controller without housing to its product range. The new MC3603 controller is ideal for integration in equipment manufacturing and medical tech applications. With 36 V and 3 A (peak current 9 A), it covers the power range up to 100 W and is suitable for DC motors with encoder, brushless drives, or linear motors.
Learn more.

When is a frameless brushless DC motor the right choice?

Frameless BLDC motors fit easily into small, compact machines that require high precision, high torque, and high efficiency, such as robotic applications where a mix of low weight and inertia is critical. Learn from the experts at SDP/SI how these motors can replace heavier, less efficient hydraulic components by decreasing operating and maintenance costs. These motors are also more environmentally friendly than others.
View the video.

Tiny and smart: Step motor with closed-loop control

Nanotec's new PD1-C step motor features an integrated controller and absolute encoder with closed-loop control. With a flange size of merely 28 mm (NEMA 11), this compact motor reaches a max holding torque of 18 Ncm and a peak current of 3 A. Three motor versions are available: IP20 protection, IP65 protection, and a motor with open housing that can be modified with custom connectors. Ideal for applications with space constraints, effectively reducing both wiring complexity and installation costs.
Learn more.

Closed loop steppers drive new motion control applications

According to the motion experts at Performance Motion Devices, when it comes to step motors, the drive technique called closed loop stepper is making everything old new again and driving a burst of interest in the use of two-phase step motors. It's "winning back machine designers who may have relegated step motors to the category of low cost but low performance."
Read this informative Performance Motion Devices article.

Intelligent compact drives with extended fieldbus options

The intelligent PD6 compact drives from Nanotec are now available with Profinet and EtherNet/IP. They combine motor, controller, and encoder in a space-saving package. With its 80-mm flange and a rated power of 942 W, the PD6-EB is the most powerful brushless DC motor of this product family. The stepper motor version has an 86-mm flange (NEMA 34) and a holding torque up to 10 Nm. Features include acceleration feed forward and jerk-limited ramps. Reduced installation time and wiring make the PD6 series a highly profitable choice for machine tools, packaging machines, or conveyor belts.
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Incredible wraparound conveyor runs for 5 miles, belt turns into its own tube and handles tight bends

Continental's closed-trough conveyor system had to overcome complex infrastructural and geographic hurdles across its 8.1-km route through the coal mine in Yangquan, with many tight bends and extreme angles of inclination.

 

 

 

 

For those readers who like big-equipment applications, here's a neat one. Continental is using a closed-trough conveyor belt system to ensure the smooth and environmentally friendly extraction of pit coal in Yangquan, northern China's Shanxi province. The incredible setup, where the conveyor actually folds over to enclose the material, covers a distance of 5 miles (8.1 km) -- replacing trucking the coal and all the time, fuel, and emissions that goes with it. The closed system minimizes dust emissions, is fireproof, and has low rolling resistance, which makes it particularly energy efficient.

There are many types of pipe conveyor belts, but the standard design has a flat or slightly rounded conveyor moving inside a closed pipe. The Continental solution goes one further by making the conveyor belt turn into the pipe. The outside edges of the belt overlap throughout the entire duration of transportation like a protective casing for the transported material. Only when taking up and delivering material do the closed-trough belts open up and assume the shape of a conventional conveyor belt.

In Yangquan, the Continental tube conveyor, with a width of 1,600 mm (63 in.) and an outer pipe diameter of 458 mm (18 in.), transports 1,000 metric tons of coal per hour and 2.4 million metric tons of coal per year. "This results in an enormous saving of 2,880 metric tons of coal dust emissions per year -- and thus significantly improves air quality," says Stephan Weisgerber, General Management, Continental in China. "Our system also protects the health of mine workers and improves the quality of life of the people living in the area."

The closed-trough conveyor belts in Yangquan are also flame retardant, adding another layer of safety.

See an animation of how the conveyor works here.

 

 

The Continental closed-trough conveyor belt system is troughed at the loading point and can be filled like a conventional conveyor belt. Once the material has been loaded, specially arranged finger rollers ensure that the conveyor belt forms a closed circular belt. Further hexagonal idler stations along the conveyor route ensure closed guidance of the belt. As a result, the conveyed material is continuously protected by the closed belt system. At the end of the belting, the closed belt is opened by the arrangement of the idlers and takes on a flat shape on the pulley in order to unload the conveyed material, just like on conventional belt conveyor systems.

The system was devised with the help of conveyor manufacturer Sichuan Zigong Conveying Machine Group. One particular challenge in an application like this is the precise transverse rigidity, which ensures a good tube shape so that the belt does not collapse. If the rigidity is too high, the belt moving resistance will be too high -- and energy consumption will rise.

The Continental closed-trough conveyor belt system is troughed at the loading point and can be filled like a conventional conveyor belt. Specially arranged finger rollers ensure that the conveyor belt forms a closed circular belt when needed.

 

 

 

 

Shanxi's coalfields account for 37 percent of the province's total area. There are approximately 200 billion metric tons in the area, which roughly equates to one-third of China's coal deposits (source: China Tourism). Much of the province is more than 1,000 m above sea level. Consequently, the 13.37-km² mining area of YanKan Coal Ltd. in Yangquan, which is equivalent to approximately 1,870 football fields in size, is also hilly and almost impassable.

In mining, whether above or below ground as well as in industrial applications, large inclines and tight bends with low space requirements and high mass flows must often be overcome. While the angle of incline of traditional troughed belt conveyors is usually 20 degrees or less and curve radii remain very large, a pipe conveyor of Continental's design allows curve radii and tilt angles up to 30 percent.

The Yangquan closed-trough conveyor belt overcomes elevation differences up to 172 m over its 8.1-km stretch from the coal deposit to the transfer station, going through a complex route with over 39 convex, concave, and 20 horizontal bends.

"Our closed-trough conveyor belt easily masters tight bends and steep conveyor angles and thus adapts perfectly to the landscape to save space," says Ming-Ya Tang from Continental. "Our system is characterized by the fact that it manages without transfer points."

This also has a positive effect on the installation costs of the assembly, which are generally cheaper than for assemblies with transfer points.

In Yangquan, the closed-trough conveyor belt system transports pit coal at a high speed of 4 m/s or 14.4 km per hour -- about three times the speed of a pedestrian walking briskly or a cyclist riding at a moderate pace. But miles of conveyor belts can consume as much electricity yearly as a whole town. To address the energy usage, Continental uses a special rubber compound to minimize the rolling resistance of conveyor belts, which significantly reduces the system's energy consumption. Energy demands increase when the belt runs over the idlers, which account for two-thirds (and therefore the largest share) of the total resistive forces of the conveyor system.

Hexagonal idler stations along the conveyor route ensure closed guidance of the belt, protecting the conveyed material.

 

 

"With the right compound, we reduced the energy consumption involved in transporting raw materials by 25 percent," says Weisgerber. "This special compound is also used in the facility in Yangquan. This will improve the facility's carbon footprint and save on energy costs for the operator."

In an eye-popping comparison, the energy saved in just 1.5 hours of use for such a conveyor is about as large as the average annual consumption of a household in Germany (3,171 kWh) or that of five households in China (confirmed by the Institute for Transport and Automation Technology of the University of Hanover in Germany).

Continental closed-trough belt conveyors have already proven themselves in many places in China -- in coal mines as well as in power plants and steel mills. Yangquan's Shangshe coal mine has a 4.9-km closed-trough conveyor belt system in operation. At the Anyang coal mine in Chenghe (Shaanxi province) and the Hongyuan coal mine in Puxian (Shanxi province), there are also four pipe conveyors, with a total conveying length of 8.7 km. More projects are in the works.

Learn more about Continental conveyor systems here.

Source: Continental

Published October 2019

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