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Efficient, powerful, compact: Hypoid PMDC gearmotors

More efficient than comparable worm-gear models, Bodine's new hypoid gearmotors can deliver up to 1,535 lb-in. (173 Nm) torque while using 40% to 60% less energy than a same-size worm gearmotor. Side-by-side tests have shown that hypoid gearmotors can run as much as 15% cooler than worm-gear gearboxes, resulting in lower power consumption and longer lubricant life. The hollow-shaft design eliminates expensive shaft couplings and mounting hardware. Hardened steel gears ensure long life and maximum performance. The initial product launch includes 60 standard models with gear ratios from 5:1 to 240:1.
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New flexible, food-grade soft gripper handles tricky pick-and-place jobs

Automation just got easier for food and beverage and other "clean" applications. The flexible, electric OnRobot Soft Gripper uses three interchangeable silicon-molded cups in star and four-finger configurations to pick up almost any small object under 2.2 kg with a delicate, precise touch. One great feature is that no external air supply is needed.
Read the full article and see how it works.

Ideal for boost mode: Disc Magnet stepper motor + encoder

High resolution meets impressive speed when a FAULHABER Disc Magnet stepper motor is combined with a high-quality IE3 magnetic encoder. With an extended length of about 13 mm, this new combination offers high positioning resolution up to 1,024 lines per revolution together with extremely fast acceleration capabilities in a short and light package. It is ideal for boost-mode operation. Typical applications are found in the textile, semiconductor, and medical industries.
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Smarter retail logistics with self-driving robot retrieval

Small motors and motion controllers from FAULHABER are what make the TORU picker robot so versatile. With an eye on the relentlessly growing sector of online retail, logistics and material-handling companies are eager for ways to increase efficiency, particularly through automation and digitalization. For the handling operations inside the self-driving logistics robot, TORU relies on FAULHABER motion systems with integrated motion control.
Read the full article.

Explosion-proof DC brush motors

The Kollmorgen EP series of explosion-proof, SCR-rated, permanent magnet direct current (PMDC) brush motors meets the requirements of Division 1 and 2, Class I (Group C, D), Class II (Groups E, F), and Class III environments. The EP motors are equipped with standard NEMA 56C face mounting with removable base and Class H insulation. They are UL recognized and meet CSA standards. Available in several voltages (12, 24, 90, 180 VDC) and power ranges (1/4 to 3/4 HP) operating at 1,750 rpm.
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Budget-friendly SmartMotor servos

Moog Animatics recently introduced the Class 5 S-Style SmartMotor servos in frame sizes NEMA 23 and 34 (the SM23165S and SM34165S, respectively). This fully featured and integrated motor line is built around an IP65-sealed, value-added, budget-friendly design that combines some of the best features from the Class 5 D-style and M-style motors, including: field-proven, D-style components; robust, industry-standard M connectors; a compact D-style footprint; and DE power as standard. This line is easily programmed and available with optional brake (ideal for vertical applications) and high-torque versions. These motors have full Class 5 controls, which means they can handle the full complement of complex Class 5 operations such as gearing and camming, stand-alone, multi-axis coordinated motion, and more.
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Introducing the long-reach C12XL 6-axis robot

Packed with next-gen technology, the C12XL 6-Axis robot with SlimLine design is the newest addition to Epson's popular C-Series. Featuring a 1,400-mm reach and up to 12-kg payload, the C12XL is ideal for a variety of applications including packaging, load/unload, material handling, and more. Powered by proprietary Epson gyro sensors, the powerful servo system allows for low residual vibration and minimizes overshoot with smooth end-of-arm motion.
Learn more.

Direct drive linear motor with integrated encoder and temperature sensor

The new, patented SDLM-019-070-01-01 direct drive linear motor with integrated position and temperature sensors is the latest addition to the series of zero-backlash, zero-cogging, high-acceleration, high-speed, high-resolution, long-life motors from Moticont. Also known as an electric cylinder, this compact direct drive linear motor is just 0.75 in. (19.1 mm) in diameter and 2.75 in. (69.9 mm) long. Protected inside the motor housing, the linear optical quadrature encoder is directly connected to the shaft for the greatest possible accuracy. Highest throughputs are achieved by this motor when operating at peak efficiency, monitoring the data from the internal temperature sensor.
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50,000 lb of force: Tolomatic expands hydraulic-class electric actuator range

Tolomatic's expanded extreme-force electric actuator family now includes the RSX128 actuator, rated up to 50,000 lb of force (222.4 kN). Ideal for replacing hydraulic cylinders and designed for 100 percent duty cycle, the RSX actuator features Tolomatic's precision-ground planetary roller screws for long, consistent operating life in challenging environments. Applications include assembly, metal fabrication (pressing, punching, clamping), automotive manufacturing, timber processing, motion simulators, and more.
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Depend on FAULHABER drives for critical medical applications

Surgical robotics systems offer an overwhelming advantage over traditional methods: improved precision and speed, faster patient healing, and a reduced margin of error. For minimally invasive procedures requiring this level of precision, performance and quality, the engineers of surgical robotics systems rely on FAULHABER brushless dc motors.
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Brakes for automated guided vehicles

Today's latest automated guided vehicles (AGVs) require highly responsive braking and holding power while minimizing battery usage. The Miki Pulley BXR-LE brake is a power-off engaged brake that will hold the AGV in place when not in use. When the AGV must navigate the production floor, the brake is energized, which disengages the rotor disc and allows free rotation of the AGV drive wheels. The BXR-LE brake uses 24 VDC for a split second to overcome compression spring inertia to open the brake, then consumes only 7 VDC by utilizing the BEM power control module. This saves battery power and minimizes the number of battery recharging operations needed to keep the AGV in continuous operation.
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Tolomatic develops open-source, low-cost ventilator actuation prototypes for COVID-19 patients

Tolomatic has applied its linear motion expertise to develop prototypes of a new type of ventilator that uses an electric linear actuator to automate a non-invasive, positive-pressure resuscitator known as an Ambu bag. The company is looking for partners to develop this equipment to help fight COVID-19.
Learn more and see how the Tolomatic designs work.

New motion platform offers four degrees of freedom

The new Z3TM from ETEL is a compact motion platform that provides a surface with four degrees of freedom into a stacked architecture and is an alternative to piezoelectric solutions. It was designed in response to the needs of advanced wafer positioning in the semiconductor industry, but can also be used in a variety of industries such as medical, pharmaceutical, and general inspection. The Z3TM platform uses a combination of three flexures and a rotary module to provide rotary, Z-axis, and two oblique axis motions to a plate that can be anchored to a supporting table for multiaxial motion solutions.
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High-force linear actuator makes muscle car simulation possible

Tolomatic linear actuators are used worldwide in a myriad of industries for automation tasks like conveying, sorting, and filling, but they are also used in demanding, non-industrial applications such as simulators for flight, driving, testing, and entertainment. Learn how electric high-force linear actuators helped simulate the experience of popping a wheelie in a true muscle car.
Read this informative Tolomatic blog post.

New low-cost high-speed robot from DENSO

DENSO Robotics developed the entry-level LPH to meet the demand for precision robots needed for light-duty manufacturing applications. Equipment manufacturers who are new to automation, companies reinventing their product lines, and entrepreneurs launching new devices are among those who make up the growing market for high-quality robots that don't break the bank. Compact and lightweight, the LPH is a 4-axis selective compliance assembly robot arm (SCARA) built to handle a maximum payload of no more than 6.6 lb (3 kg) with a maximum arm reach of 1.3 ft (400 mm). When operated routinely at the highest rated payload, the LPH has a life cycle of up to five years. For lighter loads, the LPH has a longer life cycle.
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New research focuses on U.S. military drones changing shape mid-flight

Wings on fixed-wing small unmanned aerial systems, like the RQ-20A Puma that is launched by Soldiers, could soon have improved designs, thanks to a tool designed by Army researchers. [Credit: Spc. Brian Chaney]

 

 

 

 

Soon, the U.S. Army will be able to deploy autonomous air vehicles that can change shape during flight, according to new research presented at the AIAA Aviation Forum and Exposition's virtual event June 16.

Researchers with the U.S. Army's Combat Capabilities Development Command's Army Research Laboratory and Texas A&M University published findings of a two-year study in fluid-structure interaction. Their research led to a tool that will be able to rapidly optimize the structural configuration for Future Vertical Lift vehicles while properly accounting for the interaction between air and the structure.

Within the next year, this tool will be used to develop and rapidly optimize Future Vertical Lift vehicles capable of changing shape during flight, thereby optimizing performance of the vehicle through different phases of flight.

"Consider an ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) mission where the vehicle needs to get quickly to station, or dash, and then attempt to stay on station for as long as possible, or loiter," said Dr. Francis Phillips, an aerospace engineer at the laboratory. "During dash segments, short wings are desirable in order to go fast and be more maneuverable, but for loiter segments, long wings are desirable in order to enable low-power, high-endurance flight."

This tool will enable the structural optimization of a vehicle capable of such morphing while accounting for the deformation of the wings due to the fluid-structure interaction, he said.

One concern with morphing vehicles is striking a balance between sufficient bending stiffness and softness to enable to morphing. "If the wing bends too much, then the theoretical benefits of the morphing could be negated and also could lead to control issues and instabilities," Phillips said.

Researchers analyze a simulated air pressure field over a deformed wing inside a wind tunnel. [Credit: U.S. Army]

 

 

Fluid-structure interaction analyses typically require coupling between a fluid and a structural solver.

This, in turn, means that the computational cost for these analyses can be very high -- in the range of 10,000s of core hours -- for a single fluid and structural configuration.

To overcome these challenges, researchers developed a process that decouples the fluid and structural solvers, which can reduce the computational cost for a single run by as much as 80 percent, Phillips said.

The analysis of additional structural configurations can also be performed without re-analyzing the fluid due to this decoupled approach, which in turn generates additional computational cost savings, leading to multiple orders of magnitude reductions in computational cost when considering this method within an optimization framework.

Ultimately, this means the Army could design multi-functional Future Vertical Lift vehicles much more quickly than through the use of current techniques, he said.

For the past 20 years, there have been advances in research in morphing aerial vehicles, but what makes the Army's studies different is its look at the fluid-structure interaction during vehicle design and structural optimization instead of designing a vehicle first and then seeing what the fluid-structure interaction behavior will be.

"This research will have a direct impact on the ability to generate vehicles for the future warfighter," Phillips said. "By reducing the computational cost for fluid-structure interaction analysis, structural optimization of future vertical lift vehicles can be accomplished in a much shorter time frame."

According to Phillips, when implemented within an optimization framework and coupled with additive manufacturing, the future warfighter will be able to use this tool to manufacture optimized custom air vehicles for mission-specific uses.

Phillips presented this work in a paper, "Uncoupled Method for Massively Parallelizable 3-D Fluid-Structure Interaction Analysis and Design," that was co-authored by the laboratory's Drs. Todd Henry and John Hrynuk, as well as Texas A&M University's Trent White, William Scholten, and Dr. Darren Hartl.

Source: U.S. Army CCDC Research Laboratory

Published July 2020

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