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The vary of manipulation duties that robots can perform is rising, in line with FAULHABER. It contains the whole lot from greedy and holding to clamping and screwing, in addition to foaming and welding, stated the German firm.
Relating to standardized mass manufacturing, specialised robots can carry out the identical duties day and evening. However many processes require flexibility, reminiscent of in terms of batch dimension 1. That is additionally essential to save lots of on funding prices. The larger the vary of duties {that a} robotic can perform, the higher, FAULHABER stated in a weblog put up.
Software changer with brushless flat motor. Supply: FAULHABER
Clever Peripherals for Robots (IPR) goals to unravel these downside with its TKX instrument changer. Mounted to the top of a robotic arm, it may possibly take away a wide range of instruments from a rack, in line with IPR.
For instance, TKX permits the robotic to first grip and place a workpiece, then course of it with instruments, and eventually test and doc the standard with a contour sensor or a digicam. For this, the adapter wants appropriate feed-throughs for the corresponding instrument features.
The TKX collection supplies choices, in addition to a number of lateral screw-on surfaces for added modules. Nonetheless, the principle activity of the instrument changer is to securely lock the instrument when it’s picked up and to shortly and persistently launch the lock once more when it’s set down after use.
Functions decide selected of pneumatic or electrical
Historically, many industrial purposes use pneumatic energy transmissions, stated FAULHABER. Compressed-air know-how has confirmed itself over many years, and it’s appropriate for dealing with very heavy objects, the firm famous. However a pneumatic system requires compressors, strains, and its personal management system with quite a few mechanical elements – a substantial funding in new methods.
In industries with elevated calls for on cleanliness and hygiene, reminiscent of microelectronics or meals, pneumatics are out of the query due to the unavoidable emission of compressed air. And pneumatics are an absolute no-go in clear rooms. Eppingen, Germany-based IPR stated it has seen a major pattern in the direction of using electrical drives as an alternative of pneumatic ones.
“Along with the hygienic security, electrical motors are far more versatile in use,” stated the corporate. “In contrast to compressed air connections, energy sockets can be found nearly anyplace.”
“In newly constructed industrial crops, pneumatic methods are typically not put in,” IPR added. “For cobots and smaller robots in addition to for decentralized areas, the electrical model is sort of all the time the higher resolution.”
The truth that the electrical drive is an actual different to pneumatics as we speak additionally has one thing to do with motor know-how, defined Roman Batz, growth engineer at IPR.
“Nice strides have been made in recent times,” he stated. “For our purposes, we principally want loads of energy with very small dimensions. FAULHABER presents motors that may simply maintain their very own in comparison with pneumatic drives.”
FAULHABER motors to open, shut, and maintain
Holding up can also be meant fairly actually right here. At the moment, essentially the most highly effective electrical mannequin within the TKX collection, the TKE 300, is appropriate for dealing with objects weighing as much as 300 kg (661.3 lb.), stated IPR.
In steel processing, robots can deal with heavy masses reminiscent of solid blocks or giant solid components. The pulling drive of their total mass then acts upon the locking ring within the TKX changer.
The torque equipped by the motor in standby mode could be sufficient for protected holding. However to make sure notably dependable fixation, IPR has additionally put in self-retaining kinematics, which had been developed in-house.
“A brushless motor from the FAULHABER BXT household supplies the driving drive for opening, closing, and holding,” FAULHABER stated. “With its exterior rotor know-how, it achieves a ratio of torque to weight and quantity that’s unequalled in the marketplace. This energy density is without doubt one of the stipulations for the distinctive promoting level of the brand new product household from IPR.”
“The TKX collection are the primary instrument changers in the marketplace which are out there on the identical platform with each pneumatic and electrical drives – we even have a guide model within the product vary,” Batz stated. “Which means that the whole vary of equipment can be utilized with all drive sorts with out retooling. And switching to electrical operation can also be fairly simple. This opens up new potentialities for robotic automation.”
IPR’s TKX instrument changer contains an electrical FAULHABER motor. Supply: FAULHABER
Parts designed to be dependable, simple to mix
The TKE changers might be out there in seven sizes for dealing with workpieces from 3 to 300 kg (6.6 to 661.3 lb.), in line with IPR. The electrical variant of the product household thus covers a variety of purposes, from light-weight robots to stationary purposes. The scale of the BXT motors used are tailored to the appliance.
“The vary of sizes and the massive choice of appropriate gears for the optimum discount in every case was an essential criterion for us,” Batz stated. “Robots ought to have the ability to obtain seven-digit cycle numbers with out upkeep. So solely a brushless motor with the very best potential processing high quality can be utilized. It must be simple to manage and handle with out further management – the built-in velocity controller takes care of that. Final however not least, the elements have to have the ability to stand up to temperatures of as much as +80°C.”
IPR procures all of its micromotors from FAULHABER. “We began working collectively a few years in the past, lengthy earlier than my time,” Batz stated. Along with the distinctive high quality of the merchandise, different elements play an essential position for him.
“It begins with the quite simple design of motor-gear combos on the FAULHABER web site,” stated Batz. “It takes only a few clicks to get a complete overview. The technical particulars are very effectively documented, and in terms of exactly calculating the finer factors – effectivity, energy consumption, temperature growth over time, and so on. — I all the time get the help I would like.”
An instance IPR workcell with the robotic instrument changer. Supply: FAULHABER
Editor’s notice: This text was syndicated with permission from FAULHABER’s weblog.
