DESIGN WORLD AUGUST 2022

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August 2022

inside: LINEAR MOTION: Belts drive motion innovation p.

54

3D CAD:

6 ways CAD and 3DP

address a range of ills p.

60

ROBOT REPORT: How a new joint design

powers the UR20 cobot

p. 67

Selecting

regenerative resistors to harvest servomotor energy page 46

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and I probably don’t give them as much recognition in this column as I should. I’m very proud of their constant hard work, their editorial integrity, and their commitment to the industries we serve. They take the immense amount of information that comes in across multiple engineering niches (and trust me, it is a lot — more every day, or so it seems) and distill it down to the most important products, news, application notes, how-to articles, and feature stories.

In fact, I’d put our industry experience up against any other OEM design engineering news source out there. Our 11-person editorial team that covers Design World and our sister publications, Fluid Power World, Fastener Engineering, and EE World has a combined 274 years of editorial experience in covering the engineering and manufacturing worlds. Incredible!

But all that experience doesn’t mean we’re doing things the old-fashioned way. To the contrary, our editors are arguably the most engaged and respected in the industry. They’re representing our brands at trade shows, conferences, and association events. They’re creating content for our print issues and our vast collection of websites. And they’re constantly developing videos, webinars, podcasts, and more. We’re highly active on social media, connecting with our readers on platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

My team has won multiple ASBPE editorial awards over the years, showing that even our peers in the b2b industry recognize the hard work they put in.

I like to think that we provide you with the answers to the kind of work questions that might otherwise keep you up at night. But if there’s a need we’re not filling for you in your engineering career, or a topic that you’d like to see more coverage of, please don’t hesitate to connect with me on social media — or drop me a note at the email below. And if there’s a particular story you’ve really appreciated or a particular editor who you enjoy reading, I’d love to hear about that as well, so I can pass on the recognition. DW

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Teschler on Topic

How to get a free STEM education If you are a kid living in the UK and want an engineering degree, you can get a free one by attending the Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology. James Dyson—probably best known for his invention of the bagless vacuum cleaner—set up the Institute in 2017. His motivation was an engineering skills shortage in the UK. The Institute grants full-blown four-year engineering degrees. It is a genuine educational facility complete with its own campus buildings and dorms. Moreover, students aren’t subjected to the math-and-physics death march that characterizes the freshman and sophomore years of many traditional engineering degree programs: Dyson students also work part-time as engineering apprentices pretty much from the beginning of their academic careers.

During the typical term, students get two days a week of teaching and study. The rest of the week they work alongside Dyson engineers on real Dyson projects. And Dyson Institute graduates don’t have to worry about college loans. Tuition there is not only free, but students get paid for the work done during their apprenticeships.

Residents of the U.S. might be thinking that it would be nice to have something like the Dyson Institute in the States. Actually, there was once an institution much like it. Until 1982,

the General Motors Institute operated in Flint, Mich. Run by GMC since 1926, it was once dubbed the “West Point of the automobile industry.” Like the Dyson Institute, GMI could grant degrees. It also pioneered freshmanlevel manufacturing courses. Students alternated between working at GMC and attending school every six or 12 weeks. Though tuition wasn’t free, GMC partially subsidized it.

GMI is still around but is now called Kettering University after GMC spun it off in 1982. Once it became privately run, tuition subsidies went away though the cooperative education model was retained and is still in place. And students are paid for their coop work.

All in all, you’d have to say Kettering doesn’t seem to have been harmed by GMC kicking it out of the nest. It was ranked 13th nationally in non-Ph.D. Engineering programs by U.S News and World Report and fourth in the country by The Economist magazine in terms of alumni holding patents.

Still, the national hand-wringing about the lack of STEM graduates has been with us for a long time. So you’d have to wonder why GMC decided to get out of STEM education while Dyson saw fit to enter it. We asked both GMC and Kettering University to explain what went into the decision to cut ties, but neither responded to us.

However, the economic environment of the early 1980s provides some clues.

On the surface, 1982 looked like a good year financially for GMC. Its 1982 profits were the largest since 1979. But GMC had lost money only for the second time ever in 1980. And financial analysts figured GM’s good showing for 1982 was due largely to cost-cutting, use of income tax credits and big profits for its subsidiaries, not from building and selling better vehicles.

Perhaps not coincidentally, 1981 was the year Jack Welch became president and CEO of GE. Welch had a reputation for intensely pressuring managers to produce short-term results, going so far as to annually fire the bottom 10% of GE managers regardless of their absolute performance. Welch was lionized for shenanigans that included converting GE from a manufacturing company into basically an unregulated bank, and it’s possible GMC top brass took note.

It diversified into mortgages and data processing while its U.S. vehicle market share fell from almost half to a third.

When James Dyson explained why he was creating the Dyson Institute, he said,“We are competing globally with Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Singapore. It’s all the major technology nations and we have got to be better than them.”

If GMC management in the 1980s realized global competition was upon them, their response was to spin off GMI and apparently get more heavily into banking. DW

Leland Teschler • Executive Editor lteschler@wtwhmedia.com On Twitter @ DW_LeeTeschler

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Green Engineering

Manufacturer’s new roo op solar system incorporates

advanced data logging Paul J. Heney

• VP, Editorial Director

A 961-kilowatt solar array on the roo op of Phoenix Contact’s U.S. headquarters in Harrisburg, Pa. was unveiled in April — and will generate about 30% of the facility’s energy needs.

“We estimate this solar power installation will reduce our electricity costs by approximately $150,000 per year. While a smart business choice for us, reducing our company’s carbon footprint is more important in the long term,” said Jack Nehlig, president of Phoenix Contact USA. “Sustainability and renewable power generation are at the heart of Phoenix Contact’s vision for an All Electric Society.

This is one critical step on our journey to becoming a carbon-neutral company by 2030.”

Phoenix Contact partnered with Gatter & Diehl Consulting Engineers and Terrasol Energies to design the roo op solar array. Phoenix Contact designed and installed the monitoring portion of the system, which features numerous Phoenix Contact products.

Terrasol also installed the solar array on the roof of Phoenix Contact’s Logistics Center for the Americas last year. The solar array consists of 2,185 SunPower photovoltaic panels, which can generate up to 961 kilowatts. A $250,000 PEDA restart grant and a $270,000 grant om the PPL ACT 129 fund helped offset the $1.8 million investment into the solar array.

In 2014, Phoenix Contact installed a 1-megawatt Combined Cooling Heating and Power (CCHP) facility. The system provides 65% of the facility’s energy needs and saves the company more than $300,000 annually. With the CCHP and 8

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the solar array, Phoenix Contact will generate enough energy to go off the grid on sunny days during the shoulder seasons (Spring and Fall).

Monitoring the sun Operating large photovoltaic systems requires continuous monitoring and control at the segment level. Phoenix Contact’s data logger assumes this function and records all relevant data about the ambient conditions and the inverter status. This data is transmitted to a higher-level SCADA system in the observation room.

The installed system can provide accurate data management, visualization, and communication, including: • Automation and visualization: The system collects all types of data DESIGN WORLD

7/27/22 3:41 PM

available from all the inverters and the weather sensors. Camera systems monitor for any additional interference.

• Inverters: All relevant values such as active power, reactive power, total power from all inverters, along with their respective DC and AC levels. Diagnostics and status from each inverter to monitor faults and report that to technical support for better maintenance.

• Current and voltage form individual strings: There are six strings at each inverter and 12 inverters in total, connecting more than 2,600 panels. The system continuously stores and evaluates the data for secure and highly reliable operation of the photovoltaic system.

• Meteorological data: Wind speed, wind direction, temperature, air temperature, relative humidity, air pressure, and compass.

• Solar irradiance: Measured by two pyranometers, one horizontal and one at a 10° angle, similar to the panels.

• DustIQ Sensor: High-quality instrument designed for measuring the light loss resulting from the soiling of the panels.

• Panel temperature: Multiple temperature sensors monitor this data.

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The system includes several of the company’s core product groups, such as terminal blocks, power supplies, and other industrial components: • PoE — Power over Ethernet devices • PLCnext Technology — Controller and I/O modules for aggregating the data and sending the data to a cloud service provider.

• Managed and unmanaged switches — Integrate and protect the network.

• Radioline wireless modules — communicate wirelessly with I/O and sensors with RS-485 without cables.

• Industrial PC — Runs a SCADA software to collect data for history and run user-based reports.

• mGuard security device — Firewall and security and user management.

• Solarworx — Library/Software for data management specifically designed for the solar industry. Supports the communication protocols and standards for the industry. DW Phoenix Contact phoenixcontact.com/en-us/ all-electric-society

DESIGN WORLD

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Contents 8 • 2022

•

vol 17 no 8

•

designworldonline.com

A Supplement to Design World - AUGUST 2022 www.therobotreport.com

How a new

54

joint design

powers the UR20 cobot INSIDE: • What’s the difference between a servo drive and motion controller? ................................................................. 74 • How precise motion systems drive AMRs .......................... 78 • How the mini cheetah robot learns to run ........................ 86

Redesigned from the ground up, the UR20 is the fastest and strongest collaborative robot arm ever built by Universal Robots. page 68

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67-92

IMTS 2022

46 _MOTION CONTROL

Selecting regenerative resistors to harvest servomotor energy

Here we explain the data required for determining regenerative-power requirements and regen-resistor selection for the controlled motion of servomotor systems.

International Manufacturing Technology Show September 12-17, 2022

54 _LINEAR MOTION Belts drive motion innovation

IMTS ready for its Chicago comeback .... p.94

New applications for belt drives prove an old technology’s viability in a new world of motion.

IMTS Cover 8-22.indd 93

7/26/22 11:29 AM

93-108 60 _3D CAD 6 ways CAD and 3DP address a range of ills

CAD and 3D printing have come together to drive healthcare forward. Only a few short decades ago, some of these results would have been considered “science fiction.”

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2022

2022

2022

2022

2022

GOLD NATIONAL AWARD

BRONZE NATIONAL AWARD

GOLD REGIONAL AWARD

SILVER REGIONAL AWARD

BRONZE REGIONAL AWARD

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ON THE COVER

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Ease Supply-chain Woes ®

DESIGN WORLD

Follow the whole team on twitter @DesignWorld

EDITORIAL

VP, Editorial Director Paul J. Heney pheney@wtwhmedia.com @wtwh_paulheney Managing Editor Mike Santora msantora@wtwhmedia.com @dw_mikesantora Executive Editor Leland Teschler lteschler@wtwhmedia.com @dw_leeteschler Executive Editor Lisa Eitel leitel@wtwhmedia.com @dw_lisaeitel Senior Editor Miles Budimir mbudimir@wtwhmedia.com @dw_motion Senior Editor Mary Gannon mgannon@wtwhmedia.com @dw_marygannon Associate Editor Heather Hall hhall@wtwhmedia.com @wtwh_heathhall Senior Contributing Editor Leslie Langnau llangnau@wtwhmedia.com @dw_3dprinting CREATIVE SERVICES

VP, Creative Services Mark Rook mrook@wtwhmedia.com @wtwh_graphics Senior Art Director Matthew Claney mclaney@wtwhmedia.com @wtwh_designer Senior Graphic Designer Allison Washko awashko@wtwhmedia.com @wtwh_allison Graphic Designer Mariel Evans mevans@wtwhmedia.com @wtwh_mariel

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Today, waiting for one’s “ship to come in” is quite literal. Few predicted chronic supply-chain gridlock, soaring food and fuel prices, and raw material shortages.

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7/28/22 9:56 AM

Design for Industry Medical

Autofocus camera is easy to set up Webcams can be found in a number of medical settings, but not as many as possible because they are more of a consumer item than a professional item. The uEye XC is an industrial camera with autofocus that is just as easy to operate as a webcam. But setting it up and commissioning the 13 MP USB3 camera is easy, requiring only a cable connection.

The camera delivers high-resolution, detailed images and videos. Its components score with long availability — a must for industrial applications.

Thanks to the integrated autofocus module, the Vision standard-compliant USB3 camera can easily manage changing object distances. In terms of appearance, it is distinguished by its lightweight magnesium housing. With dimensions of only 32 x 61 x 19 mm (W x H x D) and screwable USB Micro B connection, the camera can be easily integrated into image processing systems.

Its 13 MP onsemi sensor delivers 20 fps at full resolution and ensures high image quality even in changing light conditions thanks to BSI (“Back Side Illumination”) pixel technology. Useful functions such as 24x digital zoom, auto white balance, and color correction ensure that all details can be captured perfectly. With the IDS peak so ware development kit, users can configure the camera specifically for their application.

From process and quality assurance to kiosk systems, logistics automation and medical technology: the autofocus camera

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can be used in a variety of ways in both industrial and nonindustrial areas. With the quick-change macro attachment lens, users can easily shorten the minimum object distance of the camera. This makes it also suitable for close-up applications, such as diagnostics. DW

IDS Imaging Development Systems GmbH en.ids-imaging.com/ueye-xc-autofocus-camera

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DESIGN WORLD

7/27/22 3:48 PM

A D V E R T O R I A L

Sorbothane marks 40 years of shock and vibration innovation

Celebrating 40 years in business takes more than a unique product. It requires innovation and resiliency. Sorbothane, Inc., a company founded in 1982, has exemplified these characteristics over the past four decades.

What started as a unique material invention has developed into a product that supports various industries, including industrial, electronic, athletic, and medical applications.

Company name aside, Sorbothane also refers to a proprietary, viscoelastic polyurethane material.

“This material either protects an individual from the harmful shock of vibration or a piece of equipment from energy and vibration that would shorten its usefulness or lifespan,” explains company president David Church. “It makes working at Sorbothane special because we’re really in the business of making lives safer and better for the world.”

A unique polymer, Sorbothane material combines shock absorption, vibration isolation and damping, acoustic shielding, and good memory characteristics.

While several materials exhibit one of these features, Sorbothane combines them all in a stable material with a low creep rate and long fatigue life.

“It’s an interesting history,” shares Church.

“Sorbothane was first developed by Dr. Maurice Hiles, a British inventor — and runner — who found that the insoles of his running sneakers were ineffective in absorbing shock when he ran. So, he researched and developed a material that would act like the natural fatty pad of one’s hand or heel to better dissipate energy.”

Dr. Hiles’ goal was to reduce pain from the impact of running, which resulted in doctor-recommended insoles for shoes. Since then, the company has continued to grow and innovate. For example, NASA uses Sorbothane to protect critical components from damaging vibration during launch sequences. The material has also been used to safeguard GE MRI units during transport and even protected the Liberty Bell when it was moved to Independence National Historical Park.

DESIGN WORLD

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“Sorbothane has a unique history of protecting vital equipment, serving virtually any industry dealing with vibration and shock,” says Church. “Its viscoelasticity means the material exhibits the properties of a liquid [viscous] and a solid [elastic], acting like a fluid with the elasticity to return to its original shape. Sorbothane easily copes with energy from more than one direction, fully deforming and recovering while under load.”

The result is a unique system, offering engineers the opportunity to attenuate shock, isolate vibration, and damp noise in mechanical applications. To support such applications, Sorbothane offers online Design Guide Calculators to help determine the ideal material shape, geometry, and durometer for a project.

“Does a square work better than a rectangle for your application? And what durometer and thickness are ideal? The calculators allow for an initial evaluation to assess a shape, the size, and even the load on it,” he says. “We encourage customers to work with us early in the design stage of their application so we can help find the ideal solution.”

Forty years in business has meant decades of supporting its customers. This year, expect new Sorbothane products and sizes.

“We’re constantly updating our standard product brochure to provide engineers and entrepreneurs with more off-the-shelf solutions, including new sizes and shapes and additional features.”

Urethane coating is one example, which Church says has proven useful for applications that require less tackiness. The new standard parts brochure will launch in the third quarter of 2022. Customers can also expect an updated Sorbothane website soon.

“We couldn’t do what we do without our employees,” he adds. “The last few years have been challenging, given the pandemic and supply-chain issues. I give kudos to our employees for their talent and perseverance. Our success reflects their hard work, and we’re extremely proud of what we have accomplished over these 40 years.”

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August 2022

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7/27/22 9:39 AM

Design for Industry Medical

Chung-Ang University researchers pioneer new way to manipulate microdroplets

Microfluidics — a field that deals with the manipulation of very small volumes of geometrically constrained fluids — has enabled powerful laboratory tools for molecular and cellular biology, and has found several applications, including labon-a-chip devices, micro-engines, and miniature reactors.

There are many types of microfluidics technology. One approach that is rapidly gaining traction is droplet-based microfluidics, which involves precise control of the movement, mixing, and splitting of small droplets on lubricant impregnated surfaces.

One way to achieve this is by using heat to make a droplet move. This creates a temperature gradient inside the droplet, inducing a phenomenon called the “Marangoni effect.” This is characterized by a flow om a lower surface tension region to a higher surface tension region, the surface tension difference being induced by the temperature gradient in this case. This “Marangoni flow,” in turn, provides a way to control the droplet’s motion. However, in previous studies, the temperature difference inside the droplet was created by simply heating the substrate on which the droplet was resting. This makes it difficult to precisely control the direction of the droplet’s movement. Moreover, heating the substrate requires

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D

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RETAINING DEVICES & maintenance & assembly tools

a substantial amount of energy and narrows down the scope of suitable substrates.

To tackle these issues, a team of scientists led by Dr. Sanghyuk Wooh of Chung-Ang University, Korea, developed an innovative strategy. In their latest study published in Advanced Functional Materials, they presented a new way to induce Marangoni flow in droplets and control their motion using near-infrared (NIR) light, an approach that is contact-free and allows much more precise control. Their paper was available online on January 4, 2022 and was published in Volume 32 Issue 15 of the journal on April 11, 2022.

The proposed method is substantially different from conventional thermal techniques. Instead of heating the substrate, the team heated the droplets directly and remotely. However, water and other commonly used fluids do not absorb much NIR light on their own. To address this, they added a small amount of polypyrrole nanoparticles into the droplets, which helped absorb NIR light and convert it to thermal energy. This, in turn, created a temperature gradient, making the droplet move away from the NIR light.

The resulting Marangoni flow could be easily controlled by tuning the power and position of the laser. It also allowed an equally straightforward control of the direction of droplet motion on the substrate.

The team also tested their approach using various types of liquid repellent surfaces and fluid mixtures, such as water and ethanol. Interestingly, they found that the composition of the droplet significantly affected the direction of the Marangoni flow.

Put simply, both the composition and internal thermal gradient of a droplet dictated the direction in which it moved. In fact, it was even possible to make a droplet move backwards (towards the NIR light). Additionally, on using a superamphiphobic surface exhibiting a water contact angle over 160°, spherical droplets demonstrated a rolling motion instead of sliding.

“Our approach opens up a general way to precisely manipulate droplet motion on various solid surfaces, with potential applications in microfluidics, microdroplet reactors, self-cleaning surfaces, and drug delivery,” said Dr. Wooh. “Droplet manipulation is at the core of many phenomena in basic and applied physics, chemistry, materials science, and engineering. On a more fundamental side, our work provides quantitative insights into the mechanisms of droplet motion.” DW

Chung-Ang University neweng.cau.ac.kr/index.do

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Design for Industry Medical

All-in-one non-volatile memory for medical devices A new class of EEPROM offers highdensity, page-erasable SPI memory for better flexibility and performance with ultra-low power consumption.

The architecture of the Serial Page EEPROM gives designers the ability to mix firmware management and flexible data storage in the same device, a combination not previously available. This higher level of memory integration reduces bill of materials (BoM) and time-tomarket, increases application value, and enables smaller modules with ultra-low power operation and thus longer battery lifetime. These devices are suitable for implementing all-in-one non-volatile memory in new system designs for applications such as industrial IoT modules, wearables, healthcare, medical, electronic shelf-edge labelling, smart meters, and 5G optical-fiber modules.

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The Serial Page EEPROM combines e-STM 40nm non-volatile memory (NVM) cell technology with a new smart page architecture, bringing together the benefits of high memory density for firmware with byte flexibility and high endurance for simplified data logging. It also features fast read, erase, and program cycles, reducing manufacturing costs and application downtimes by enabling rapid upload and download. Fast power up and quad output read allow for faster application wake up.

This new simplified memory integration enables improved cost of ownership, offering ease-of-use, simple so ware development, and high reliability. Serial Page EEPROM offers a non-volatile memory solution that is less expensive than FRAM while offering lower power consumption, enhanced functionality, www.designworldonline.com

and greater ease of use compared with serial Flash and Dataflash products, respectively. DW

STMicroelectronics www.st.com

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Connect and discuss this and other engineering design issues with thousands of professionals online

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Material handling/conveying

“Sliced” couplings compensate for all types of misalignment Stainless steel ASK Couplings have a unique “sliced” body structure making

Basic specifications are:

them an effective low-cost corrosion resistant solution that can accommodate many types of misalignment, including sha -to-sha connection. The sliced design handles high rotation speeds in high temperature ranges.

The couplings offer good torsional stiffness and strength and precise control.

The coupling is available in different materials that dampen conductive heat transfer om motor to output sha . Also important, the coupling provides limited sha misalignment to alleviate premature system bearing wear.

The coupling’s aerodynamic profile decreases noise while optimizing performance at high speeds. Simple yet reliable, the couplings are easily configurable to accommodate a range of DBSE (distance between sha ends). Bores can be arranged with clamp, taper-lock, or keyed styles for specific application requirements.

These couplings are well-suited for chemical chlorine applications and small conveying systems used in the food service industry.

• Maximum RPM: 11,500 • Maximum allowable torque: 295 -lb (400 Nm) • Bore size range: 0.118 – 2.17” (3.0 mm – 55 mm) • Backlash: Zero • Ambient operating temperature: -40 120 C (-40 - 248 F)

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Miki Pulley www.mikipulley-us.com

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Design for Industry Material handling

Belt alignment switch for bulk conveying

The latest additions to the ZS 92 series belt alignment switch suit bulk conveying and handling applications. These switches offer robust plastic enclosures.

These versatile emergency pull-wire and belt alignment switches have been packaged in a die-cast aluminum enclosure suited to unfavorable ambient conditions through multiple coatings (passivation, base coat, powder coat). Users can alternatively opt for an enclosure which is made out of duroplastic and is anti-corrosive. All screws and connecting elements are stainless steel.

The entire series features a high degree of flexibility. The ZS 92 S is available with a variety of pre-installed settings for the release lever and the unlocking mechanism.

This means that the switch can be installed in nearly every conceivable operating position, including the rear side.

Installation dimensions are compatible with other readily available emergency pull-wire and belt alignment switches, making it easy to retrofit existing (conveyor) plants with the new switches or to exchange them later. In the ZS 92 SR belt alignment switch, the switching points for advance warning and switch off are easily adjustable 22

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in 5° steps, considerably increasing its practicality and versatility.

Users also benefit om reduced release forces and paths when actuating the emergency stop function. They make the safety switch easier to operate and also mean that all the relevant international standards (e.g. regarding emergency stop devices with mechanical latching function) are reliably met. DW

steute USA, Inc. steuteusa.com

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Offshore

For demanding offshore applications

The Baldor-Reliance motor is a totally enclosed watercooled AC motor. This water-cooled motor is versatile and available in both NEMA and IEC ame configurations. The motor runs quiet without the need for a cooling fan, and offers reduced maintenance and high performance in some of the toughest environments. Water-jacketed cooling provides efficient heat transfer extending the life of the motor. Rotor technology can achieve an ultrapremium efficient (IE5) rating for energy savings making this motor more environmentally iendly. This motor also has provisions for the ABB Ability smart sensor to be preinstalled. DW ABB Abb.com

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Design for Industry Offshore

Engineered combinations for

dissimilar fitting and tube materials Swagelok has expanded its engineered combinations offering — the pairing of dissimilar fitting and tube materials — to address growing customer needs in offshore and near shore environments as they maintain existing systems and plan new ones. These solutions provide rated, corrosion-resistant, cost-effective alternatives to fully exotic alloy solutions in certain applications where those traditional choices may be expensive and unnecessary.

The unique, robust design of this tube fitting technology allows combinations to be well-suited for applications in these environments. The superior tube grip achieved with hinging-colleting back ferrule design translates axial motion into radial swaging action on the tube yet operates with a low assembly torque requirement. The SAT12 low-temperature carburization process is used to case-harden the surface of the back ferrules in all offered materials, which facilitates achieving excellent tube grip on tubing.

Engineered combinations allow the well-performing 316/316L tube fitting to be used in combination with tubing of a different, more corrosion-resistant alloy in installations where corrosion is a top concern and 316/316L tubing is seeing crevice corrosion om tube clamps. For new installations where costs need to be optimized, it means that 6Mo or alloy 2507 tube fittings can be paired with the lower cost tube materials listed. DW

Swagelok www.swagelok.com

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Design Notes

How to “pick and place” the right electric motor Edited by Mike Santora • Managing Editor

The Zimmer Group uses FAULHABER motors for its GEP2000 gripper series, which can often be found in laboratory automation.

The test tube must go into the centrifuge, the component at its correct position, and the package onto the conveyor belt: gripping objects and placing them someplace else is a fundamental mechanical action in most work processes. In modern systems, “pick-and-place” is performed by automated grippers. They must operate both powerfully and delicately millions of times over. Increasingly, the necessary power comes om electric motors, such as the BX4 om FAULHABER. The Zimmer Group uses it for its GEP2000 gripper series, which can o en be found in laboratory automation.

Testing and vaccination have proven to be effective against coronavirus. They have provided a way out of lockdown and a return to normality. But the pandemic also revealed the limits of what is possible here. With the exponential spread of the virus, demand exploded — first for PCR laboratory tests, then for rapid tests, and later for vaccines. Capacity was inadequate every step of the way. For many, the wait for test kits and vaccines seemed endless.

Laboratory automation against Covid-19 The pharmaceutical industry, medical technology, and medical laboratories did work quickly. This also applies to the expansion of

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production and the increase of testing capabilities. A key factor in this success was automation. In laboratories, the pandemic proved to be a significant driver of automation.

Automatic laboratory devices and universal, flexible robots can relieve specialists of a great deal of work and increase both throughput and efficiency.

The automatic gripping and handling of samples, pipettes, or reagents are among the central, constantly recurring process steps here. For this purpose, delicate, industrial small parts grippers are required.

Two different technologies are generally available for gripping, explained product manager Maik Decker, who is responsible for this area at the southwest German manufacturer Zimmer Group. “Up until now, most

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The control of electric components is more straightforward and flexible than working with pneumatics. “We see a clear trend toward the electric drive, not least in the automotive industry,” said Zimmer Group’s Maik Decker. New products such as the GEP2000 series, serve and consolidate this trend.

grippers in industry have been powered pneumatically — with compressed air. This technology is, however, not suitable for the hygienic environments required in laboratories, in medicine, and the pharmaceutical and medical technology industries.

Grippers with electric drive are therefore used in these areas.”

Electric motor makes grippers flexible These grippers also have another advantage — they function without a compressed air system and the associated lines. In some industrial sectors, these are standard equipment in production facilities — electricity is, a er all, available everywhere. Besides, the machines in which the grippers are installed operate with electric power. An electrical connection is much easier to install than a compressed air supply. The control of electric components is both simpler and more flexible than working with pneumatics. “We see a clear trend toward the electric drive, not least in the automotive industry,” said Decker.

New products om the Zimmer Group, such as the new GEP2000 series, serve and consolidate this trend. The small parts gripper can — depending on the version — grip and hold components weighing up to five kilograms but can likewise handle delicate and sensitive

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parts such as a test tube without a problem. “The advantages of the electric drive also include the ability to adapt the gripping force to various objects at any time,” said Volker Kimmig, team leader for so ware at the Zimmer Group. “With the appropriate controller, the gripper can switch between different parts during a running process.”

10 million cycles without maintenance The power for these work steps is supplied by a brushless DC-servomotor of the BX4 series om FAULHABER. In addition to high torque, the strengths of the four-pole drive include its low vibration and low noise, compact design, and a long service life.

“We guarantee this product will perform over 10 million cycles without maintenance,” said Kimmig.

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Design Notes

The small parts gripper can — depending on the version — grip and hold components weighing up to five kilograms but can likewise handle delicate and sensitive parts such as a test tube without a problem.

The development engineer uses the production of car keys as an example. “Large quantities and high throughput set the tone here. The gripper robots work under very high-paced, permanent stress and short cycle times. The motor must therefore start and then stop again at very short intervals.

Decisive here is the motor’s acceleration, as every tenth of a second counts in the process. Moreover, the motor needs to efficiently dissipate the heat that forms in such an operation to eliminate the possibility of overheating.”

Mechanical self-locking The gripper series has one unique feature in common with other Zimmer Group products: The motor power is transferred to the jaws by a worm gear drive with a steep pitch. Even in the event of a power failure, the gripping force is retained, and the respective position is held. Once gripped, a workpiece is held securely by this mechanical self-locking function, without an additional device such as a brake being required.

The drive electronics in the two gripper types operate slightly differently. With the GEH6000, the encoder signals of the drive are used for positioning the jaws. With the GEP2000, this task is performed with the help of a positioning sensor. Both solutions achieve a high degree of repeatability. The specified path of the jaws is reproduced to within one five hundredths.

“In many applications, the prepositioning when lowering the gripper to the target object is very important,” said Kimmig.

“In constrained spaces, the open position is o en only allowed to be very slightly larger than the closed position. When “maneuvering” a robot arm in a complex environment, it may also be necessary to make very precise presettings. We do this using very precise electromechanics, where the motor again plays a crucial role, as well as with a flexible data connection.”

DW

The power for these work steps is supplied by a brushless DC-servomotor of the BX4 series from FAULHABER. In addition to high torque, the strengths of the four-pole drive include its low vibration and low noise, compact design, and a long service life.

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Faulhaber www.faulhaber.com

www.designworldonline.com

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Launcher’s Orbiter satellite transfer vehicle and platform, powered by 3D-printed engines, will first hitch a ride with SpaceX this fall; in 2024, the company’s Launcher Light rocket will independently boost the Orbiter into space to launch satellites on its own.

Taking off like a rocket: metal

AM for small satellite delivery systems Edited by Mike Santora • Managing Editor

Humankind launched the first orbital satellite in October of 1957. Sixtyfive years later, more than 5,000 satellites are in service, with roughly half of them placed into low earth orbit (LEO) over the past two years. Much of this activity comes courtesy of entrepreneur Elon Musk, whose SpaceX-launched satellite internet constellation Starlink will soon account for at least half of the objects circling our planet.

“We don’t think this rapid growth is an anomaly,” said Max Haot, founder and CEO of Launcher Inc., an aerospace firm in Hawthorne, California. “We think it’s the beginning of what’s to come. In fact, we believe there will be hundreds of thousands of small satellites in orbit within the next decade.”

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Catching a ride Haot plans to be a big part of what he refers to as a small satellite revolution. Later this year, Launcher will leverage the SpaceX SmallSat Rideshare Program to carry its Orbiter satellite transfer vehicle and platform into space, where it will deploy up to 400 kg worth of CubeSats and small satellites per mission and precisely place them into whatever orbit their owners desire. And

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Four of Launcher’s Orbiter engines additively manufactured with Velo3D’s technology.

From CAD design finalization to test-firing takes just a week.

beginning in 2024, the company will start offering its own launch service — Launcher Light — a liquid-fueled rocket measuring 15.2 m long and 1.1 in diameter that will carry 150 kg and 105 kg payloads into LEO and SSO (sunsynchronous orbit), respectively.

Orbiter is the top end of the rocket’s three-stage design, Haot explained, and somewhat ironically, was supposed to be the last part of the vehicle to be developed. But when SpaceX announced in early 2020 that it would begin selling payload space on its Falcon 9 rocket, Haot and the Launcher team realized they could make their satellite deployment system compatible with it and other launch platforms and decided to fast-track that part of the project.

“Seeing an opportunity to give our customers the best of both worlds, we brought Orbiter to the head of the line,” he said. “At the same time, we continue our work on the Launcher Light’s mechanical structures, the fairing, and, perhaps most importantly, the engine, all in preparation for its first commercial flight in 2024. So, it’s been a very exciting year, with 80% of the organization’s manufacturing capability focused on building our first Orbiter, which is flying in October of this year.”

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Less costly launches The goal is to make satellite deployment both easier and more affordable.

Between the SpaceX RideShare program and Launcher’s Orbiter transfer vehicle, the startup firm will soon be able to place payloads into customized orbits for a little more than $8,000 per kilogram. “These ride shares occur every three months, but if SpaceX’s timing or trajectory does not meet our customers’ requirements, we’ll also have a premium launch service through our Launcher Light offering,” said Haot. “Either way,

these services come at a price tag that’s unprecedented in the space industry.”

Haot and Launcher’s head of manufacturing, Tim Berry, are quick to point out that none of this would have been possible without additively manufactured metal components, the most challenging of which were produced on a Sapphire 3D printing system om Campbell, Calif.-based Velo3D. “The Velo Sapphire, with its ability to reliably print complex geometry, made it very easy for us to pivot in the face of

Launcher purchased a second Velo3D Sapphire metal AM system, this time dedicated to titanium, so it could manufacture a lighter-weight fuel tank than the original design that was 3D printed with Inconel.

Shown is a just-completed titanium fuel tank in the build chamber of the new Sapphire.

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Design Notes shi ing priorities,” said Berry. “That’s a Four Orbiter benefit of additive engine injectors, technology in printed on a Velo3D general, but Sapphire AM especially when system. you’re using a highly-capable print platform.”

He should know.

Before joining Launcher, Berry worked at SpaceX for close to a decade. During this time, he led the Falcon 9’s second stage integration team, followed by leadership roles on the Dragon’s crew and cargo capsules before transitioning to head of additive manufacturing. Today he oversees Launcher’s 24,000 sq. . factory floor and its machinists, welders, and you’ll probably hear lead times of eight technicians, as well as the company’s months to two years, especially if they’re small fleet of metal 3D printers, chief custom,” he said. “That’s not an option in among them the Sapphire systems om our environment, so as with many of our Velo3D. components, we took the approach of designing based on our available tools.”

Meeting the challenge As it so happens, the Orbiter’s 22-liter As noted earlier, Launcher began its tanks exactly match the Sapphire’s build most recent development efforts with volume. Launcher began by printing the the Orbiter rather than the rocket’s main parts out of Inconel, and although they stage that would carry it into space. And performed quite well, Berry and the team since no rocket flies without a rocket started looking for ways to optimize the engine, Launcher licensed the drawing design. Moving to lighter-weight titanium for a space-proven turbopump, then set was the obvious choice. about improving its design using additive “That’s what brought us to our second manufacturing (AM) technology. machine om Velo3D,” he explained.

Unfortunately, no metal AM “It can print the exact same tank but equipment provider could produce with less weight and higher-pressure many of the necessary components. capabilities. We already thinned the walls One notable example is the engine’s a bit compared to the original design, shrouded impeller, an extremely critical but once we have the first few launches and complex Inconel part that spins at under our belt, we’ll probably reduce 30,000 rpm, must withstand more than them even further as we continue to 300 bar of outlet pressure, and is filled push the envelope.” with notoriously hard-to-print zerodegree angle surfaces.

Building on success That’s one of the most significant Fueling up advantages of having in-house printing Berry pointed to the fuel tanks as capabilities, he noted, as Launcher can another typical example. “Shop around continually push for more aggressive for a space-graded tank able to designs and higher performance without withstand 3,000 psi of pressure, and DESIGN WORLD

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losing time or spending much money. As such, the company is 3D printing various components on its Sapphire systems, including brackets and other secondary structures, combustion chambers, and injectors.

Haot addressed one of the criticisms he and Berry had heard om others when shopping for a 3D printer. “Some people complain that the Velo system is closed in terms of materials and laser settings,” he said. “For me, that’s a positive rather than a negative.” DW

Velo3D velo3d.com

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Design Notes

Planting the seed for long

bearing life

Edited by Mike Santora • Managing Editor

Anyone involved in agriculture will tell you that maintenance is crucial to equipment life and performance and will quickly come back to bite you if it is neglected. A Vesconite planter planting row unit has many moving bushings ensure parts, all of which need to work in harmony to ensure continuous and continuous and accurate accurate seed placement in the seed placement in the harshest of conditions, all in the harshest of conditions, pursuit of better yields and higher all in the pursuit of efficiency. better yields and higher “Equalizer aims to use only the efficiency. best quality and fit-for-purpose components on the market to ensure that we manufacture world-class machines, which meet any farmer’s highest standards,” stated the head of design at Equalizer AG, a company that specializes in the design, manufacture, and global distribution of planting and seeding equipment for grain production.

“To ensure all parts keep moving as intended for as long as possible, we spec SKF hubs and bearings on all our machines. We also use Vesconite bushes on almost all of our oscillating pivot points, as many years of in-field feedback have led us to believe it is the best self-lubricating engineering polymer on the market for our applications.”

Before Equalizer made the switch to low- iction, wear-resistant, no-swell, selflubricating Vesconite bearings on its row units, it had been using nylon bushings on the pivot points. These bushings would typically be used on the parallel arms and closing wheel pivots.

All these oscillating points are under high loads, as hydraulic or spring forces are used to ensure the row unit has adequate downforce to plant at a consistent depth and create proper seed-to-soil contact for the best germination and even emergence.

Add to that rough undulating terrain or rock-filled fields — these bushings have a lot to handle.

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With the ever-increasing push to extend part life, Equalizer identified that an alternative to the nylon bushings needed to be found.

The main reason for the material change was to increase the life of the bushes, increasing the time between maintenance intervals.

This change keeps the equipment running as intended for longer, especially on larger farm setups, since mid-season maintenance is not feasible with the narrow planting windows. Another advantage of increased bush life is a reduction in maintenance downtime.

This increased efficiency allows users to go through several seasons before needing to do anything more significant than the standard greasing, which also adds considerable cost savings when considering the labor component.

“Under higher loading cases, the Vesconite resists deformation more than our previous nylon. This keeps the bushes in shape, which prevents the joints om getting ‘floppy,’” said Equalizer AG’s head of design. He continued, “I can’t give exact values on the difference in service life between the two materials as there are many factors that would need to be considered, but what I can say is our clients have been more than happy with our change over to Vesconite, which has solidified our feeling that we have made the right ‘fit for purpose’ material choice.” DW

Vesconite Bearings www.vesconite.com

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CAE Solutions

CAE experts often have to perform repeated design iterations for multiple projects.

Advancing automotive product development with Simulation Apps The product development division at Mahindra & Mahindra Limited (M&M) accelerates its product development life cycle while fostering collaboration between manufacturing, design, and computer-aided engineering (CAE) teams with simulation apps. Aditi Karandikar, COMSOL Product development is a time-sensitive process, and automotive companies like Mahindra & Mahindra Limited (M&M), a multinational original equipment manufacturer (OEM) in the automotive industry in India, are constantly on the lookout for innovative approaches to shorten the product development life cycle and gain an advantage over competitors. Simulation plays a crucial role in this endeavor by reducing the dependence on prototyping, which in turn reduces the time to market for any product.

However, even a er incorporating simulation, product design can take a lot of time. Designers require new concepts to be evaluated quickly, which may not be

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possible because of the required complexity of the analysis. A er the design is evaluated by the CAE team, the design team then modifies the design based on the CAE results and again waits for validation by the CAE experts. These iterations continue until a final design is obtained.

As a result, the design lead time can run into a couple of months for some vehicle components, depending upon the number of iterations required for design finalization. Moreover, the time-intensive CAE analysis between design iterations leaves the CAE experts juggling between intermediate design evaluations across several departments of an organization.

Simulation so ware like the COMSOL Multiphysics® so ware, with the built-in Application Builder tool, enable nonexperts to harness the power of simulation and help companies like M&M to reduce this bottleneck. The Methods Development team at M&M has developed close to 20 simulation applications, or apps, which are being used across teams working in different domains, including design; testing; and noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) analysis. The apps are deployed to the organization using both COMSOL Server and COMSOL Compiler.

These apps empower the design team with access to engineering analysis tools, allowing them to actively participate in the validation of new designs right om the concept phase, thus collaborating much more efficiently with CAE experts. This in turn minimizes the iterations required to arrive at a robust design and ees up time for the CAE team to take on other projects.

Benefits of Simulation Apps The M&M team found that the use of apps makes concept evaluation and finalization considerably more accessible. With apps, the designers can try out various designs themselves and objectively rank them based on set criteria. The parametric nature of apps offers convenience and flexibility for different design options to be evaluated quickly, leading to a shorter turnaround time than with a detailed 3D analysis.

Apps are especially beneficial when the design is in the concept stage, since there is no dependence on CAD availability. Earlier, the process was constrained by delivery of the design layout by the CAD team; this further increased the design lead time. With the introduction of apps, the design evaluation can begin much faster.

Apps are used as a starting point when the detailed CAD is not available. A number of ideas are evaluated and the CAD is prepared only for shortlisted designs.

For example, in the Chassis Concept Design app, faster evaluation of key metrics, such as the fundamental equency of vibration as well as bending and torsional stiffness, is possible while performing NVH analysis. The app users do not have to manually add boundary conditions and mesh; the app is doing that for them automatically. This leads to a larger number of concept designs being evaluated for the same design cycle.

Another important aspect is visualization of the concept designs. In the earlier process, the designers were using timeconsuming tools, or they were dependent on other teams to observe the effects of their changes on the ensuing design, which

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CAE Solutions

An example of a parametric app: the Engine Mount Analysis app. | Courtesy of Mahindra & Mahindra Limited

in turn made it more difficult to propose intuitive modifications. The use of apps allows designers to visualize different designs as well as the effect of changing key parameters on the resultant design.

This enables M&M teams to make more informed decisions about the feasibility of a design concept. This is highlighted in the Stabilizer Bar app, where a simplified modal analysis can be performed for quick evaluation of various design concepts.

Additionally, the user- iendly interface of simulation apps has made them very easy and convenient to adopt across M&M. The design process is easily accessible to various teams involved, since the apps can be launched om the web browsers on their individual machines with the help of COMSOL Server™. Further, postprocessing and sharing results via the built-in reporting functionality makes collaboration across teams much easier.

Apps are also converted into standalone executables with COMSOL Compiler, which simplifies the accessibility of apps, since the app user can run the simulation without a COMSOL Multiphysics® or COMSOL Server license.

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The Chassis Concept Design app.

| Courtesy of Mahindra & Mahindra Limited

Stabilizer Bar app for modal analysis. | Courtesy of Mahindra & Mahindra Limited

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Streamlining product development The most prominent advantage observed by the M&M team a er adopting apps in their design process is that the number of iterations before design finalization has reduced drastically, since the early designs emerging due to the use of apps are much closer to the desired outcome.

Frontloading of design evaluation means more mature designs that already meet the minimum requirements are passed on to the CAE team for finalization. Even crucial projects such as lightweighting and designing components for a target weight can be driven by the design team om the concept stage itself.

More concept designs generated due to the modified process in turn leads to faster design finalization, which ultimately results in savings of both time

and cost. The design team now has the tools to evaluate the proposed designs, allowing them to create innovative designs for upcoming and current projects. This has led to more innovation om various teams across M&M. What lies ahead The use of compiled apps has enabled the team at M&M to truly democratize simulation across the organization.

With the successful adoption of simulation apps for the design of various components in passenger vehicles, the M&M team plans to build on this momentum in the coming years. They plan to incorporate more load cases and metrics in the existing apps for optimum evaluation of concept designs. Newer and more stringent design targets will be accounted for in the apps, so that the

resulting design is a step closer to the final expected design. The inclusion of relevant optimization parameters will further enhance the efficacy of these apps. DW

COMSOL www.comsol.com

EE Classroom on Silicon Carbide

Silicon Carbide (SiC) has made its mark in bringing faster, a smaller, and more reliable components than its fellow semiconductors to market. While SiC components have been around for a couple of decades, there is still a lot to learn and a lot to consider when choosing the most suitable WBG semiconductor for your device.

LET US HELP with tutorials, from looking at how WBG semis stack up in power conversion efficiency to an overview of SiC FETs and MOSFETs.

Check out our EE Classroom to learn more:

www.eeworldonline.com/silicon-carbide-classroom

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DLP 3D printable material for dielectrics

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he Radix 3D Printable Dielectric is a 3D material featuring a dielectric constant of 2.8 and low loss characteristics at microwave equencies. These printable dielectric materials give radio equency (RF) designers design eedom in creating new components, eliminating the need to consider typical manufacturing design constraints.

This proprietary composite material is for Digital Light Processing (DLP) 3D printing, enabling a scalable, highresolution printing process for end-use RF dielectric component manufacturing. This printable dielectric material has a targeted dielectric constant of 2.8 and a dissipation factor of 0.0043 at 10 GHz when cured.

The material is intended for use as RF material in applications where geometric eedom can enhance the figure of merits of an RF system, such as gradient dielectric constant (GRIN) structures and other complex threedimensional parts. The Radix 3D Printable Dielectric offers the industry a way to manufacture systems and components at scale that could not be made with traditional fabrication methods.

DW

Rogers Corporation www.rogerscorp.com

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Sciaky’s EBAM deposits more than

40 lb of titanium/hour

T

he Sciaky, Inc., Electron Beam Additive Manufacturing (EBAM) process deposited 40 lb (18.14 kg) of titanium per hour, claiming it’s the highest – and fastest – deposition rate in the world for industrial metal 3D printing.

The Saint Exupéry Institute for Research in Technology (IRT), located in France, achieved EBAM’s high deposition rate (HDR) while conducting work for its Metallic Advanced Materials for Aeronautics (MAMA) project.

Launched in 2019, one of MAMA’s initial goals was combining die forging with metal 3D printing to develop a new process for manufacturing titanium aircraft parts. To date, EBAM has deposited over 330 lb (150 kg) of Ti-6AI-4V (titanium) for three different MAMA applications.

Additional projects are planned for 2022 and beyond, with a groundswell of support to adopt these new processes into production. Airbus and Aubert & Duval are also key process contributors for this particular initiative of the MAMA project.

EBAM systems can produce parts up to 19 feet (5.79 meters) in length. EBAM brings quality and control together with IRISS – the Interlayer Real-time Imaging and Sensing System, which is the only real-time adaptive control system in the metal 3D printing market that can sense and digitally self-adjust metal deposition with precision and repeatability. This innovative closed-loop control is the primary reason that the EBAM 3D printing process delivers consistent part geometry, mechanical properties, microstructure, and metal chemistry, from the first part to the last DW. Sciaky www.sciaky.com

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SPEE3D releases high velocity Phaser Nozzle for its metal 3D Printer

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he SPEE3D Phaser nozzle is a new ultra-high energy nozzle designed to work with a wider range of hard phase materials and with a significant increase in deposition velocity.

SPEE3D’s cold spray metal 3D printers are already fast, robust, deployable additive solutions to manufacture full-density, solid metal parts in just minutes. The Phaser nozzle uses compressed air or nitrogen to deposit material four times faster than the speed of sound at much higher energy.

This process achieves high particle velocity to enable more deformation of particles during the deposition process. As a result, harder materials can be made including stainless steel, titanium, high-strength aluminum, and

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The SPEE3D PHASER nozzle is revolutionary because anyone can print what’s considered ‘hardier’ materials, and without having to rely on helium to cold spray these materials like other nozzles. nickel-based carbides. These materials are in addition to SPEE3D’s standard copper, aluminum bronze, and aluminum materials.

“The SPEE3D PHASER nozzle is revolutionary because anyone can print what’s considered ‘hardier’ materials, and without having to rely on helium to cold spray these materials like other nozzles,” said Camilleri. “With supply chain issues continuing to delay parts for industries such as space, defense, auto racing and maritime, the Phaser nozzle can create these parts in just minutes to withstand severe conditions, high stress, immense shock loads and abrasive environments.”

SPEE3D’s cold spray process is highspeed, consistent, and able to produce high-quality applications every time. The technology is used worldwide and proven

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reliable by customers including the Australian Army, EWI, Penn State Applied Research Laboratory, and other global organizations that require fabricating parts in harsh expeditionary field environments. With the Australian Army, SPEE3D has tested and validated metal 3D printing as a military capability with the latest field trial being the longest and toughest to date taking place in remote Northern Territory, alongside exercise Koolendong. DW

SPEE3D www.spee3d.com

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Korea Maritime and Ocean University scholars find key to reducing defects in

multimaterials

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s the development of 3D printable materials plays a greater role in additive technology, many researchers seek strategies to reduce the potential for defects within these materials. This study shows that controlling the mixing gradient of the component materials in functionally graded materials can improve mechanical properties.

Functionally graded materials (FGMs) are high-performance materials with expected applications in aerospace, automobiles, defense, and medicine. These materials are usually employed in conditions of extreme temperature and pressure, making it important for them to be as defect- ee as possible. Now, researchers om Korea Maritime and Ocean University have found a way to minimize defects in FGMs by manipulating the gradient of the elemental composition.

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Controlling gradient ratio in FGMs can minimize defects According to the study, manipulating the gradient ratio of the component materials during the 3D printed process known as directed energy deposition can lead to high-performance functional materials with minimal defects.

Materials used in the fields of aerospace, automobiles, medical equipment, defense need to withstand extremely harsh environments. Small flaws in the materials, i.e., cracks, can lead to catastrophic consequences and massive economic loss. However, most materials cannot handle such high temperatures and pressures.

Multimaterials, like FGMs, which combine different materials to produce improved performance, are ideal in this situation.

Multimaterials are normally made by additive manufacturing, where layers of different materials are deposited one over the other. However, cracks and pores are common at the boundary layers due to the different properties of the materials. FGMs seek to reduce these cracks by creating a ‘gradient’ to the composition change across the volume of the material. Now, researchers from Korea Maritime and Ocean University have developed a way to synthesize a high-performance FGM made of Inconel 718 and stainless steel (STS) 316L and minimize its defects.

According to Professor Do-Sik Shim, who led the study, “Inconel 718 has excellent properties, but it is expensive.

By mixing it with STS 316L to create a high-performance FGM, we have not only improved its technical and commercial advantages but its economic feasibility as well.” Their findings are published in Journal of Materials Research and Technology.

For their work, the research team deposited STS 316L onto Inconel 718 DESIGN WORLD

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using directed energy deposition. They created three types of FGMs, nongraded (NG), which involved a layer of STS deposited directly on Inconel, graded (10), and graded (25), which had mixing gradients of 10% and 25% respectively.

They found that interfacial cracks were common in the NG type, whereas Graded (10) and Graded (25) had cracks only in specific regions due to ‘columnar-toequitaxial transition’ (a transition in the microstructure of the FGM), precipitation, or the inclusion of titanium, aluminium or chromium impurities. They moreover saw that the Graded (25) type showed the highest tensile strength and elongation.

These findings indicate that the microstructure and mechanical properties of FGM are highly dependent upon the gradient ratio of the components, thereby creating the potential to achieve minimal or even no defects in FGMs. “These findings will lead to improvements in the field, such as reduced costs, extended component lifespans in equipment, and enhanced functionality,” says Professor Shim. The research team’s future plans include using the new FGM to manufacture complex-shaped parts using AM technologies. DW

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Reference Title of original paper: Defect of functionally graded material of Inconel 718 and STS 316L fabricated by directed energy deposition and its effect on mechanical properties Journal: Journal of Materials Research and Technology DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j. jmrt.2022.01.029 Authors: Seung Weon Yang a,b, Jongcheon Yoon b, Hyub Lee b,**, Do Sik Shim c,* Affiliations: a Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Yonsei University, Republic of Korea b Advanced Joining and Additive Manufacturing R&D Department, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, Republic of Korea c Department of Ocean Advanced Materials Convergence Engineering, Korea Maritime and Ocean University, Republic of Korea

National Korea Maritime & Ocean University www.kmou.ac.kr/english/main.do

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A D V E R T O R I A L

Go with the dump pump that works as hard as you do

AMERICAN CHAMP Virtual learning?

No problem, says Permco and Case Western Reserve University

17-month, hybrid program, offering online Recently, Case Western Reserve and on-site learning.

University’s Weatherhead School of “I liked that the program was hybrid, so Management students in Cleveland have had I wouldn’t have to travel all the time,” said the opportunity to attend class in-person — Rotman, who lives on the West Coast. “And even from thousands of miles away, thanks Weatherhead has a very good reputation in to the efforts from Permco Inc. organization development.”

In the fall of 2021, Permco supplied Because of pandemic restrictions, Weatherhead School with 12 Rotman’s cohort wasn’t able to telepresence robots — at no cost meet in person until their last to the school — which have been scheduled residency this spring. used by Permco employees, Unfortunately, this coincided as well as other students and with her being seven months into faculty members who were in a difficult pregnancy. “There was need of a robot. no way I would be able to make it on The conversation to use my own to campus without help,” she robots came about during the winter said. “I thought they would Zoom me in like of 2021 when Permco, a hydraulic pump we did with our other courses.” manufacturer in Streetsboro, Ohio, wanted Instead, Rotman showed up to her to send a few of its employees to receive cohort’s first in-person class, gliding their Master of Business Administration around the room to talk with her peers and (MBA) degree from Weatherhead School. professor as a telepresence robot.

Because of the pandemic safety measures The robot looks equivalent to an iPad Permco was taking, the student employees sitting on top of a long pole attached were not allowed to come to class in person.

“After some wonderful conversations with to wheels. The iPad screen shows the Precision-Engineered Fluid Power Products person’s face who is using the robot. the creative minds at Case Western Reserve, AMERICAN CHAMP SERIES The person can easily move the robot we were able to come up with a way that wouldDMD400 make it possible for students to attend from left to right, or forward, by clicking on directional arrows on their screen. To classLight without losing that feel,” said and Medium Dutyin-class Dump Trucks and Trailers Bryce Dalton, director of talent development Rotman, the experience was as close to being in person as she could imagine. at Permco, and one of the part-time MBA “With the robot I could go chat with students who uses a robot to attend class. someone individually in the room and when “This is what led to the beginning of this we had group work I would sit there and game changing pilot program. These robots huddle with the group in this robot body,” are amazing.”

Home offithe American Champ she said. “I felt like I had a presence in the Reesa Rotman started her rst semester classroom.” in Weatherhead School of Management’s 1500 Frost Road Streetsboro, OH 44241 Beyond class, Rotman attended a Master of Science in Positive Organization cocktail reception this spring with her Development and Change (MPOD) program cohort as a robot. “I could look around in January of 2021. The program is a

PERMCO ADVERTORIAL 8-22_Vs4.indd 44

and drive the robot over to whoever wanted to chat. It opened up a host of different possibilities way beyond what Zoom could offer,” said Rotman, who graduated this spring with her master’s degree.

Other professors who have taught courses with a student robot share similar sentiments. Professor of Organizational Behavior Chris Laszlo said the use of the robots are, “very similar to having a student in the front row,” he said. “They’re at the same height as a student who would be sitting at a desk and the screen is filled with their face.”

Permco’s American Champ Dump Pump If a student using a robot wants to ask a question in class can do do so by raising works as hardthey as you - even under the height of the stick of the robot, similar to extreme conditions. It’s the only dump if a student was raising their hand. pump built entirely theDepartment USA with the “It’s pretty realistic,”insaid Chair and Professor of Accountancy Tom highest quality globally sourced products.

King. “What is really cool is when class The American Champ minimizes down ends and students disperse into groups a timerolls andright maximizes productivity robot up to a group and joinsso theyou conversation.” can always get the job done.

King said the partnership with Permco provided a solution for hybrid learning.

“We To find the best solution for your have to figure out hybrid learning and the needs, call 330-626-2801 or visit use of robots is very helpful in this journey,” permco.com he said.

“This is a school that’s based on innovation and we try new things.”

7/26/22 11:02 AM

Connector Notes

FAQ: How can EMI be eliminated from

an industrial cable system?

Electromagnetic interference, or EMI, is an unfortunate fact of life in industrial environments due to the wide variety of equipment and devices operating in close proximity. Every piece of electric or electronic equipment generates signals that can interfere with other nearby machinery, potentially causing suboptimal performance or even total failure. And while the idea of eliminating EMI is a lo y goal, a more realistic path is to reduce this interference to an acceptable level.

EMI may be either conducted or radiated. With conducted EMI, noise is passed through wires and cables om the source to the receiver or victim device. Power lines, especially ac lines, are a key source of EMI due to the noise generated by all the devices connected to the line, such as motors and switching power supplies. Generators, variable equency drives, so starters for motors, arc welding equipment, and bulb ballasts are other common sources, and let’s not forget about mobile phones and WiFi networks. Subpar grounds are yet another major source of conducted EMI. In contrast, radiated EMI occurs wirelessly with noise being transmitted om the source to the victim during wireless signal transmission. This is o en called near-field interference and includes crosstalk among the various wires inside a cable.

Managing EMI involves taking different approaches regarding the emitting and receiving devices. Easy fixes involve actions like creating more space between source devices and victims, turning one of the devices 90°, and rerouting cables. More sophisticated solutions involve filtering, shielding, and grounding. For example, filters are o en added to cables and connectors on lines going into and out of circuits. Because cables tend to act as antennas and radiate a huge amount of noisy signals, they are known culprits when it comes to EMI — as are their connectors. Using shielded cables will go a long way toward minimizing EMI. Coaxial cable is a good choice for instrument signals, as is twisted pair shielded cable. Twisting helps cancel the magnetic fields generated by each wire, while adding a shield

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safeguards the cable om EMI in addition to supplying a path for EMI current to travel to ground.

The best shielding option, whether foil or a braided shield, will be determined by factors such as the operating environment, flexibility required, and cable strength. Foil shields are less expensive and use a thin layer of metal reinforced with a polymeric layer (o en aluminum plus mylar composite tape) to ensure 100% shielding, although cable flexibility may be reduced. Braided shields made of woven wire mesh (using bare or tinned copper wires) provide roughly 95% coverage due to spaces in the braids, but offer better conductivity than foil options. Be sure to ground the shielded cable’s drain wire for it to function properly, as the shield’s role is to reflect signal interference as well as pick up noise and conduct it to ground.

Another important strategy for minimizing EMI is to route signal cables separately om power and motor cables.

These different types of cables should be run in separate conduits or at least keep the following recommended distances: 4 in. between signal and power cables for drives below 20 A; 6 in. for 40-A drives; and 8 in. for 80-A drives. If instrument wiring must cross over power wiring, do so at a 90° angle and keep as much separation as possible.

Finally, avoid creating loops in your wiring — cable should be run as straight as possible.

Following a few simple tips will go a long way toward keeping EMI at a manageable level in your industrial cable layout, helping both wired and wireless equipment to function at its best.

For the best protection in noisy environments, an aluminum shield and copper braid can be used together. DW August 2022

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C o n t r o l

Part 1 of 3:

Selecting

regenerative resistors

to harvest servomotor energy Here we explain the data required for determining regenerative-power requirements and regen-resistor selection for the controlled motion of servomotor systems.

| AdobeStock.com

By Hurley Gill | Senior applications and systems engineer | Kollmorgen

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Electric AC servomotors are either synchronous or asynchronous motors used in closed-loop (servo) configurations for precise output control.

Control over motion outputs — which can include position, velocity, and torque — relies on feedback signals from sensors on the machinery or its motor(s) to the motor controllers (drive amplifiers). When a position loop is closed around the velocity loop, the bidirectional servo mechanism controls: •The motor’s physical position, velocity, and/or torque to accomplish some specific purpose.

•The motor’s response to everchanging loads, disturbances, and commands.

The required feedback signals may be generated either from multiple feedback devices coupled to the motor/load or an individually coupled feedback sensor (from which the other necessary feedback signals are derived). Independent of position, a velocity loop can command the bidirectional velocity and torque while controlling motor velocity, current, and response to everchanging loads, disturbances, and commands.

Servomotors and their kinetic and electric energies DC brush servomotor designs have been around for more than fifty years and AC asynchronous servomotors since the mid 1980s. But today in the automation industry, the term rotary servomotor typically refers to actuators

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based on permanent-magnet (PM) AC synchronous motor technology. Similarly, linear servomotor typically refers to linear actuators based on a PM AC synchronous motor design.

These motors actuate rotational axes or linear axes traversing vertical, horizontal, or other planes.

Every servomotor’s precisely controlled (and often repeated) accelerations, traverses, decelerations, and dwells over a defined period are represented by a motion profile.

Each segment of a motion profile has an associated quantity of energy stored or dissipated as a function of the controlled motion’s velocity and loads. Kinetic energy is stored by the total moment of inertia or mass and the commanded (and achieved) axis velocity. Assuming no potential energy sources, energy used to accelerate an axis to its commanded velocity is supplied by the servo drive’s power source.

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Likewise, a deceleration of that same mass or rotating inertia requires by some physical means, the absorption or dissipation of the stored mechanical energy. Energy absorption or dissipation occurs when the motor enters power-generation operation: • During normal decelerations (normal machine operation) or • During event-driven stop functions — as during a controlled motion - NEC Category 1 emergency stop (e-stop) or Category 2, priority stop (p-stop) — i.e., with drive control power applied to minimize event-driven stop times.

When a servomotor system is in the process of recovering axis kinetic energy during a controlled deceleration, the servomotor enters a power-regeneration mode … converting excess mechanical energy back to electricity. By design, its drive returns that energy back to the same power source used to originally supply energy to the motor. If the power source was a battery, the returned power would simply recharge that battery. More common AC-line input-

Web spool application example

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power drives absorb the resulting additional energy (joules) via their DC-bus capacitance (over and above nominally stored joules). An increased DC-bus voltage (pumping up the DC bus) is the physical effect of this additional energy absorbed by the DCbus capacitors.

However, the DC-bus capacitance and maximum resulting voltage is limited by a drive’s design and selected capacitors. In manufacturing settings, the typical servomotor is powered by pulse width modulation (PWM) of the DC bus via a full-wave three-phase bridge rectifier circuit (typically supplied by 208 up to 480 Vac notwithstanding lower voltage requirements).

Whenever a servomotor slows down (whether there is an external servoloop closed around the motor or not) it’s possible for kinetic energy to return to the drive’s power source. Upon axis deceleration, the mechanically stored energy is converted back to electrical energy … and any energy not lost to mechanical frictions or dissipated

within the motor (as when the motor acts as an alternator) must be absorbed by the drive. This happens when the internally generated voltage of the motor electromotive force (emf) exceeds drive-supplied voltage. Then generated emf becomes the dominant power source — reversing the current within the motor’s windings. That in turn causes a braking action on the axis.

Question about regenerated energy: What happens when the controlled motion defined by an axis’ motion-profile requires the servomotor to convert (regenerate) more energy than the DC-bus capacitors can safely absorb for a given servo drive?

Answer: Additional energy exceeding the DC bus capacitance storage capacity must be diverted so the DC bus voltage remains below its maximum safe-operating value during both normal operation and stopfunction events. Exceeding DC bus voltage should cause the drive to fault

Adobe Stock www.designworldonline.com

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and shut down. This excess energy can be handled with one or more of the following approaches:

➊ Increase total DC-bus capacitance for

a higher energy absorption capability.

This may be accomplished by adding an external capacitance module to the subject DC bus or by connecting multiple drives together for a common/ shared DC bus. ➋ Present and return excess energy back onto the AC line source by adding an AC line-regeneration module. The drawback with this method is how it can add significant cost and size to the drive system electronics. ➌ Use the servo drive’s regeneration circuit to dissipate the excess DC-bus energy across a regeneration (regen) power resistor. This is an often-used solution.

A regen resistor is a resistive-power device to dissipate the pumped-up DC bus energy — to dissipate the excess regenerated energy returned to a servo drive’s DC-bus capacitors. DCbus voltage is controlled by dumping power to the regen resistor and (as long as the regen circuit’s power-dumping capability exceeds the power the motor is returning) the DC-bus voltage will fall.

Repeatedly switching a regeneration resistor on and off across the DC-bus capacitors in a controlled manner will keep DC-bus voltage within a safe range between the rectified AC line voltage (nominal DC bus) and the upper DC-bus voltage limit set by the drive electronics.

If a regen resistor is undersized or there is no regen resistor where one is needed, the production speeds could be degraded, and the machine could even shutdown due to nuisance tripping caused by overvoltages … blown or tripped protection circuity … and/or drive component damage.

Regeneration resistor questions: How does an engineer determine if a regen resistor is required? If such a resistor is required, what should its resistance and wattage values be?

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Shown here are two IP40 regenerative resistors from Kollmorgen — including (left) a BAFP-U-IP40 external brake resistor. For these resistors, peak wattage is tenfold the continuous wattage ratings.

Answer: Simply put, we must evaluate the power flow over a machine’s motion cycle. If the power flow as energy/ time from the motor to the drive has significant power distribution to the drive’s DC-bus capacitors, the system will require a power resistor to dissipate excess regenerative power. Otherwise, power flow will need to be lowered.

This regenerative analysis is simplified by considering total returned energy rather than the exact details of the power flow. The mechanical kinetic energy E(k), less all applicable losses E(el) and E(f), and any external forces E(ext-f), for each deceleration of an axis summed together, is compared against the drive’s DC-bus capacitors energy storage capacity E(caps). If the total recovered energy Er(total) is greater than the additional storage capacity of the DC-bus capacitance E(caps) then a regen resistor is required.

A regen resistor with a continuous power capacity greater than the application’s requirement is typically selected to satisfy (Pc_req = (Er(total) – E(caps))/t_total). For multi-axis machines with a common DC-bus capacitance, the total continuous power requirement Pc_req(total) is determined by summing continuous power requirements of each axis for the number of axes being served by the common DC bus.

Expressed as an equation, this Pc_req(total) is: Pc_req(A1) + Pc_req(A2) + … Pc_req(Axis#).

to be absorbed or dissipated. Each defined deceleration segment within an axis’ motion profile will potentially present some recovered kinetic energy Er(n) requiring absorption by the DC-bus capacitance — and potential further dissipation by a regen resistor. Hence, each deceleration of each axis should be considered.

It’s straightforward to calculate the sum of each axis’ recovered energies Er(total) to be dissipated over a machine’s cycle time (or for any specific deceleration n). That in turn determines the minimum required continuous power capability of the selected regen resistor:

Where t_total = Axis cycle time Pc_req(total) = Pc_req(A1) + Pc_req(A2) + … Pc_req(A#) Any given axis (A#) having Er(n) < 1 is set = 0.

Note that the calculated Pc_req for any given axis (A#) can become quite small for motion profiles with large dwells between active motion. In these cases, the regeneration resistor is selected to satisfy peak power requirements rather than the average requirement over time. Also, multi-axis

But first, we need to calculate kinetic energy less losses Er(n) for each deceleration (n) of the axis under consideration with Er(n) = E(k) - E(el) ± (ext-f) - E(f) and: Er(n) = ½(J_load + J_motor) ωm2 - 3(I2_dec × Rm/2) t_dec ± (T_ext × Δωm/2) t_dec) - (Tf × Δωm/2) t_dec.

Where Er(total) = Er(1) + Er(2) + Er(3) + … Er(n).

For each axis under consideration, we must determine each represented motion segment of an axis’ motion-profile with potential recovered kinetic energy (joules)

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IP20 regenerative resistors from Kollmorgen include (top) a BAS-U-IP20 resistor and (bottom) a BAR-UIP20 resistor. For initial selection, wound-caged resistor peak wattages are estimated to be fifteenfold the continuous wattage ratings.

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machines often have situations involving one axis returning energy while another concurrently consumes energy — so the net returned energy can approach or be zero. That’s why unless all machine axes will concurrently return energy (as during controlled motion-stop functions) engineers should consider the timing of all returned energy.

Once the total continuous power (Pc_req(total)) requirement is known for normal operation (and not stop functions) further refinement can be achieved by subtracting additional DC-bus capacitance absorption capability.

Accounting for peak power conditions Proper regen-resistor selection also requires calculation of peak requirements (Ppk_req). The values are calculated much like Pc_req values, but typically for the peak (maximum) power on the motor just prior to deceleration onset … at time zero (t_0) of the power regenerative mode.

Peak power question: When do the highest-power worstcase (wc) conditions determining peak energy Er(n) or Er(wc) and its absorption requirements occur?

Answer: These conditions are generally defined by the motion segment with the highest mass or moment of inertia and velocity — represented as E(k). But it is the worst-case recovered energy Er(wc) that must be absorbed regardless of the time period over which the deceleration occurs.

Independently decelerated axes under normal machine operation can and often do require recovered kinetic energy dissipation above the DC-bus capacitance storage capacity by other means — such as using the DC-bus capacitance shared by multiple drives, for example. Sometimes it’s easier to set the peak regen capability based on the peak possible returned energy set by the drive’s ac input line and its peak output current … less a little margin for losses. A 20% margin for losses is a good rule of thumb. In other words, for a threephase servomotor the upper-bound peak power (VA) is equal to 0.8 · (AC-line Vac) · (Drive peak phase current) ·√3.

Of course, safety is a top design objective for most machine designs (and their axes). Best practices for designing servocontrolled motion demand the shortest possible stop times for controlled-motion p-stops and e-stops with few exceptions.

Ideally, each servo-controlled axis of a machine should be able to stop controlled motion in the shortest possible time for maximal protection of human, machine, and product. Satisfying this requirement for controlled motion requires a separate evaluation of each axis’ resulting recovered energy for the stop-function Er(sf): Er(wc) or Er(sf) = E(k) - 3(I2_dec × Rm/2) t_dec ± (T_ext × Δωm/2) t_dec) - (Tf × Δωm/2) t_dec

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Robotics application example.

| Adobe Stock

Where E(k) = ½(J_load + J_motor) times ωm2 = Specific kinetic energy E(k) used for determining maximum resulting recovered Er(wc) or Er(sf) for the specific axis under consideration.

Note: The required I_dec developed by the motor’s application must fall within the motor’s peak current capability Ipk(motor) and the proposed servo drive’s peak current Ipk(drive) capability for the defined time (t_dec). Otherwise: • The desired t_dec must be increased and/or • A different servomotor should be chosen and/or • A different drive with a higher capacity should be chosen.

So I_dec(required) ≤ Ipk(motor) and Ipk(drive) capability where Ipk is the peak RMS phase (Ø) current and I_dec:

In addition, Ppk_req = Er(n)/t_dec where Er(n) = Er(wc) for worst-case (wc) instantaneous peak under normal axis operation or Er(sf) for stop functions such as p-stops or e-stops — are two separate evaluations.

No part of the DC-bus capacity E(caps) is considered as in (Er(n) - E(caps))/t_dec) because the available DC-bus capacity before a stop-function occurrence can’t be guaranteed or easily determined. The maximum value R_regen(Ω) for any selected regen resistor mustn’t exceed:

Where Ppk_req(total) represents the rate of energy needing to be drained from the DC bus. This is the maximum www.designworldonline.com

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possible resistance value for the defined condition of the application that will continuously keep DC-bus operation under its maximum value VDC_max(fault).

Of course, the regen resistor’s peak wattage requirement (Ppk_req) and selection can be affected by using shortest possible stop time as during stop functions. For some individual axes or multiple machine axes with a shared DC bus, the defining deceleration — and determining factor for regen resistor selection — is based on best-practice design evaluations for controlled stops. Here, the regen resistor is selected based on peakwattage requirements. Otherwise, when a regen resistor is required for normal axis operation, Pc_req is the typical dominating criteria.

Again, be careful of motion-profiles with significant dwell times relative to total cycle time (t_total) … especially relative to the calculated normal operation Ppk_req.

Balancing competing resistor objectives A motor-drive sizing program should look at each motion segment for calculating Pc_req and determine the worst-case Ppk_req for normal axis operation … though typical sizing programs require separate evaluation for deceleration events with unique values. All e-stop and p-stop functions for a given axis are typically set to the same minimum deceleration stop time.

For multiple axis machines with a shared and common DC bus, the simultaneous deceleration of all axes during a stop-function event requires a resistance value so VDC bus stays below VDC_max(fault).

Specification tip: When possible, select the regen-resistor manufacturer’s standard ohms value — or one within their published range. Engineers should ensure that the manufacturer’s published maximum continuous/peak current is not exceeded by selecting a regen resistor:

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also • Ensuring the regen resistor ohm value is low enough to keep DC-bus voltage below the drive’s maximum (fault) value For the latter that means Vmax = VDC_max(fault) - 1 during normal operation (normal axis’ decelerations or stops) and during any e-stop or p-stop. For any selected regen resistor R_regen(Ω) the maximum shunt current from DC-bus capacitance may be calculated:

Within the defined application, the selected regen resistor maximum instantaneous or pulse, peak wattage is calculated:

The selected regen resistor’s capability must meet the following conditions: ➊ Pc_resistor (wattage) > axis’ calculated required Pc_req. ➋ Ppk_resistor (wattage) > axis’ calculated required Ppk_req (under all conditions). ➌ R_regen(Ω) must be within the selected drive’s specified regen resistor range, where the external resistance may be presented as an ohms range and/or a preferred standard value by the drive manufacturer. ➍ As mentioned earlier, the maximum value R_regen(Ω) for any selected regen resistor mustn’t exceed:

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remain under its maximum value VDC_ max(fault). ➎ R_regen(Ω) > Pc_req(total)/ I2_shunt(drive max) and the selected R_regen(Ω) should be greater than the minimum possible resistance for the selected drive’s or resistor’s defined maximum possible regen shunt current capability. This limits continuousoperation regen current to something less than maximum shunt-current capability.

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For many regen resistors the peak or pulse wattage capability is established by a rule-of-thumb fixed multiple (say, tenfold or fifteenfold) the published continuous capability. Instantaneous peak capability like the continuous capability of a given regen resistor is a function of its physical design, materials, duty-cycle (used and applied) and manufacturing process … and in all cases, the resistor’s peak capacity should be published or otherwise defined. Once a motor-duty-rated regen resistor has been selected, more specific capabilities versus requirements can be reviewed using non-linear differential equations when all required application and resistor information is known. DW

Scan this QR code to view an online example of how to specify a system for a rotary servo axis needing a regenerative resistor.

That’s true even for simultaneous deceleration of all axes as during a full machine stop as defined by Ppk_req(total) = Ppk_req(A1) + Ppk_ req(A2) + Ppk_req(A3) + … + Ppk_req(A#).

The selected R_regen(Ω) should be less than the maximum possible resistance for the defined application condition that will let the DC bus continuously

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DESIGN WORLD

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NCC Subminiature The new small one with 16 mm diameter

Not Connected Closed Socket parts IP54 not mated, IP67 mated Bayonet locking with 5 contacts Solder and dip solder contacts

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New applications for belt drives prove an old technology’s viability in a new world of motion.

Edited by Miles Budimir • Senior Editor

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The SMART SYSTEM lineup of belt-driven linear actuators from Rollon feature a rugged design that supports heavy loads and ensures low maintenance operation.

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Belts drive

motion innovation Linear power transmission and actuation runs the gamut from linear

motors to mechanical stalwarts such as screw drives and chain and belt drives.

Looking at belt drive actuators specifically, these systems have been used for decades in all kinds of applications from high-speed transport systems to basic positioning applications. Some of the most common designs use an aluminum extrusion housing for protection from contamination, or an openframe design to lower weight and reduce costs. The belts themselves are commonly made of steel-reinforced polyurethane and are typically paired with recirculating ball linear guides or wheel-based guide systems.

Despite their inherent versatility, belt drive actuators continue to evolve, with manufacturers introducing new designs to reduce size, weight, and cost, making them better able to compete with other types of actuators including lead screws.

Some recent examples show the diversity of belt drives and how they are being used in a variety of different applications.

Belt drives in food manufacturing Belt drives have found uses in many applications over the years, from industrial uses in dusty and dirty environments like conveying systems to applications with higher sanitation and cleanliness standards.

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The new drylin ZLW toothed belt axis from igus is based on hygienic design principles and uses FDA-compliant materials. The drives are easy to clean, lubrication- and maintenance-free. | igus® GmbH

Manufacturers are updating new belt designs by making them stronger and more durable, adding load capacity, and simplifying the integration of belt drives into machines.

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That’s what the latest belt drive from igus is designed to do. The company’s new maintenance-free toothed belt axis is specifically designed to improve sanitation in food manufacturing systems.

The new drylin ZLW toothed belt axis is based on hygienic design principles and uses FDA-compliant materials.

Cleaning complex machines and systems in food production leads to longer and therefore expensive downtime. For instance, industrial bakeries are faced with the challenge of regularly cleaning huge vats and mixers, including the moving parts — the linear axes and linear slides on which the mixers are lowered into the containers.

If traditional linear axes are used here, there is a high risk that flour and dough residues will be deposited in hard-toreach places, make cleaning much more difficult and, in the worst case, introduce contamination risks.

“In order to reduce the cleaning of systems in the food industry or even in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries, we’ve now expanded our portfolio of ZLW toothed belt axes,” said Michael Hornung, igus Product Manager www.designworldonline.com

for drylin linear and drive technology.

“The new model can be cleaned quickly and thoroughly — whether with high-pressure steam jets, chemicals, or simply running water. This also increases product safety.”

Designed using the guidelines of hygienic design during development, the new linear axis is easy to clean.

Undercuts in the entire system where food remnants could accumulate are minimized. Likewise, there are no gaps that can occur, for example, if screw heads disappeared into a recess in order to be flush with the surface.

Equally important are rounded corners, which ensure that water can flow better during high-pressure cleaning and carry dirt particles along more easily. This prevents water from collecting in these areas, reducing the likelihood of the formation of germs.

However, in cases where a dead end was unavoidable, boreholes ensure that liquid drains away completely.

The igus developers used FDAcompliant materials for the new toothed belt axis. Both the shaft end supports and linear carriages are made DESIGN WORLD

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Belt drives contrast with chain drives, which are more common in of corrosion-resistant stainless steel. The plain bearings, on which the carriage moves over the rail, are made of the food-grade triboplastic iglide A160, which enables low-friction dry operation without external lubricants, which could become a contamination hazard and pollute the environment.

The drylin ZLW toothed belt axis can now be ordered with a maximum stroke length of up to 3,000 mm and can optionally be equipped with a suitable stepper motor.

More load capacity, seamless integration Manufacturers are also updating new belt designs by making them stronger and more durable, adding load capacity, and integrating belt drives into complete linear motion systems that can be easily integrated into machines.

New belt drives from Rollon demonstrate some of these design trends. The company has updated its SMART SYSTEM lineup of belt-driven linear actuators with a rugged new

applications requiring precision timing and high torque. Among other benefits, belt drives are relatively simple and inexpensive and are also more forgiving of shaft misalignment. Belt drives also don’t require lubrication and are generally low maintenance as well. Efficiencies are relatively high as well, above 90% in most cases. Plus, belt drives can absorb shocks and vibrations, making them relatively quiet.

On the other hand, belt drives do have some disadvantages that may make them unsuitable for some applications. They are generally not compact and do experience more wear and tear than other types of drive systems such as screw-based drives. They also subject shafts to heavier loads. And because of the possibility of belt slippage and stretching, exact speed and timing can be difficult to achieve with belt drives, so they’re generally not used where constant, precise speed is an important design parameter.

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design that supports heavy loads and ensures low maintenance operation in automated manufacturing, packaging machines and food and beverage equipment.

The actuators have an anodized aluminum frame and a steel-reinforced driving belt, and are engineered to provide stiffness for greater load capacity. Symmetrical heads on both ends of the actuators allow designers to assemble the gearbox in one of four different positions.

What’s more, the SMART SYSTEM is designed to make it easy for designers to create multiaxis systems such as a two-axis Y-Z system, two parallel axis system or a three-axis X-Y-Z system using simple brackets and plates.

Rollon offers three types of SMART SYSTEM actuators to suit various motion and installation requirements. Each optimizes price-quality ratio, while their heavy-duty construction ensures high performance and keeps maintenance costs low. Designed to

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deliver speeds up to 5 m/sec with possible acceleration of 50 m/sec2, Rollon SMART SYSTEM actuators also achieve a high repeatability accuracy of ± 0.05 mm.

Other products from Rollon make integration easier. For example, the company’s Plus System combines sturdy construction, protective features and high-performance characteristics for load, moment control, speed and acceleration. The Plus System family of belt-driven linear actuators features an anodized aluminum structure and steel reinforced driving belt. All series are available with stainless steel elements for applications in harsh environments such as those subject to frequent washes. A dedicated set of accessories enables easy assembly when building high-performance multi-axis systems.

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In addition, the Plus System lineup offers high load capacities and stiffness through a combination of recirculating ball guides, aluminum profile and extrusion to complex geometries. Like the SMART SYSTEM, the Plus Systems features high repeatability accuracy of ± 0.05 mm as well as speeds of 5 m/sec and acceleration up to 50 m/ sec2.

Other mechanical design features ensure low maintenance. For instance, a built-in reservoir that continuously self-lubricates the ball raceway reduces maintenance requirements. Plus, a newly engineered drive head allows gearbox assembly on either side of the unit. DW

igus | www.igus.com Rollon | www.rollon.com

It’s not a web page, it’s an industry information site So much happens between issues of R&D World that even another issue would not be enough to keep up. That’s why it makes sense to visit rdworldonline.com and stay on Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin.

It’s updated regularly with relevant technical information and other significant news for the design engineering community.

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CAD and 3DP address a range of ills

CAD and 3D printing have come together to drive healthcare forward. Only a few short decades ago, some of these results would have been considered “science fiction.”

Jean Thilmany Senior Contributing Editor

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Twenty-five years ago, it became possible to turn a computed tomography (CT) scan or an X-ray into a three-dimensional, handheld medical model that would exactly match a patient’s anatomy. Surgeons could order one of these models from a third-party provider by sending in patient images and getting a handheld model—shaped by human hands from a variety of materials—back within a few weeks.

The widespread advent of 3D printing soon made the sending and the shaping obsolete. Now, doctors who print their individualized medical images have 3D models in their hands in hours, even in moments, depending on where the printer is located.

That’s one example of the ways engineering technology — including computer-aided modeling and 3D printing — has made helpful strides into the medical field within the past few decades.

And the use of CAD modeling software within medicine continues to evolve even as it becomes more widely adopted within varied medical and biomedical settings. Below, we take a look at the ways CAD continues to make inroads into the healthcare industry. www.designworldonline.com

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Zygote Media Group builds and sells 3-D CAD medical models, like this for a skull, that can be printed for medical training or dropped into entertainment media like video games or movies. | Zygote Media Group

Surgery guide Because every patient is different, each surgery differs too, no matter how slightly. For decades in the medical world, surgeons and their professional support teams relied on X-rays, computed tomography (CT) scans and magnetic resonant imaging (MRI) data to plan a patient’s surgery exactly.

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Doctors used these guides to study and practice the techniques necessary for that patient’s particular surgery.

But the resolution and 2D perspective of these images could make it difficult to determine the full details of an anatomical geometry.

“Subtle abnormalities or hidden geometries can go unnoticed on these www.designworldonline.com

flat films,” said Derek Steinbacher former director of craniofacial surgery at Yale New Haven Hospital.

This year, Steinbacher was named the Yale School of Medicine’s medical director for innovation and emerging technologies.

In naming the promotion, the school’s directors praised Steinbacher’s use of artificial intelligence and 3D planning for August 2022

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A 17-year-old girl received a prosthetic arm printed with the help of the Enable Community Foundation. Her arm is inscribed with the words: Ebewelleda, let’s enjoy the good side of life. | Enable Community Foundation

complex and routine facial plastic surgeries.

Today, models of specific patient’s anatomy are often printed in 3D, thanks to the linkage of CAD and 3D printers. The specialized software turns the 2D medical image of the organ, bone, or other body part into a 3D CAD model that can then be printed, notes Steinbacher.

“Thanks to virtual reality manipulation technology that 3D imaging offers, surgeons are able to plan a surgery using guides and jigs, which are later used during surgery to provide the surgeon with a precise cutting path or accurate drill angles.

In many cases, surgeons evaluate several different scenarios long before making an incision,” said Lisa Lattanza, an orthopaedic surgeon at the Yale School of Medicine.

Using this technology, Lattanza, is able to detect indicators for deformity after trauma or congenital deformities. Bilateral

3D renderings are generated from scans that reveal the patient’s skeletal anatomy. Those mirrored images are laid on top on one another, which allow Lattanza to directly compare and evaluate bone topography and deformity in three planes, allow for exact correction, and to better identify locations for drill guides, cuts, and screws that may be needed.

“This type of technology allows me to perform types of operations I would otherwise be unable to perform or at least could not perform with as much accuracy,” Lattanza said.

The technique has been shown to save time during the operation itself.

A paper in the August 2020 issue of the journal Academic Radiology found that using 3D printed anatomic models in surgical care could cut

The Radiological Society of North America started a 3D printing registry in 2019 to track information about printed parts like this small heart. The results will help define medical billing codes for 3D printed parts. | RSNA

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anywhere from 23 minutes to one hour from the operation itself and cut cost surgical costs by up to $3,720, according to lead author David Ballard, assistant professor of radiology at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

“To help hospitals realize these savings, some makers of CAD software provide services that convert anatomical data to CAD files. One example is BioCAD, from SolidWorks. The translation is done

by Biomedical Modeling Inc., which makes anatomically accurate 3D reconstructions of the heart, blood vessels, bones, and internal organs,” said Crispin Weinberg, BMI president.

Training, device development Other models aren’t taken directly from a patient’s CAT, X-ray, or MRI; rather, 3D patient anatomy models — based on general-patient CAD data — can be used to more generally guide surgery and to train physicians and other healthcare workers. “Medical device developers also use the models when they create minimally invasive medical devices,” Weinberg said.

The practice of 3D-printed medical models is so widespread that in 2019, the American Medical Association approved four initial current procedural terminally (CTP) reimbursement codes for 3D printed models. The codes are used to submit reimbursement requests for medical procedures.

“The American College of Radiology and the Radiological Society of North America had been working toward those codes for the changes for some time,” said Frank Rybicki, Vice Chair of quality and safety radiology at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine “Medical models and surgical guides have been 3D printed for well over a decade, as niche applications, without CPT codes,” Rybicki added.

“For example, craniomaxillofacial care providers generally accept that 3D

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printing is valuable and integral to patient care. However, when applying for CPT codes, it became clear that this ‘general acceptance’ lacked peer-reviewed literature to demonstrate value.”

Journal papers like Ballard’s and his colleagues are helping move 3D printing into the mainstream, Rybicki notes.

“The temporary codes are used to define 3D printing’s use in the medical field. Defining the role had been difficult because the technology had traditionally been used for a range of techniques and the uses weren’t well documented,” Rybicki said.

Rybicki founded a RSNA special interest group on 3D printing. In 2019, the society helped establish a registry to gather clinical data on medical 3D printing.

The 3D printing information within the hospital setting collected by the RSNA and ACR will help set formal CPT code nomenclature.

That’s entertainment Some medical CAD models aren’t actually used for medical purposes. If you’ve seen the movie Hollow Man, for example, you’ve seen digital CAD models from Zygote Media Group, which builds and sells detailed 3D models of the human body based on MRI and CT data.

“Their models include the human skeleton, heart, arteries, nerves, and muscle tissue,” said David Dunston, Zygote executive partner.

“Some Zygote’s customers do use the CAD models to develop biomedicine products. A biomedical company may use 3D heart models to develop stents or a skeletal model to design a brace to straighten a crooked spine,” Dunston said.

“But the models are also used to drop realistic human-looking body parts into video games, commercials, and movies,” Dunston said.

The company’s CAD models have appeared in movies like Hollow Man, in television commercials, and on The Discovery Channel. They’ve also made

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appearances in a host of university classrooms and corporate training videos, he adds.

Creating body parts In 2017, Chris Cahill, a New Jersey resident, woke up from a two-monthslong coma caused by a brain injury.

His brain swelling from the unknown trauma had been life threatening and the patient’s skull itself was infected, says Gaurav Gupta, assistant professor of neurosurgery at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

“The infected frontal lobe of Cahill’s skull would need to be replaced,” Gupta said.

The surgical team had to custommake the part to exactly fit Cahill’s skull, he added. Using Cahill’s CT scans, Gupta’s team 3D printed a model of the skull and a custom-fit implant that would replace the missing piece.

Cahill was nervous about the surgery, but he woke up looking like his old self again.

Gupta pointed out the similarities between the way 3D CAD files and CT scans work. “For 3D printing, 3D CAD models are sliced into two-dimensional graphics files and each layer is then printed one atop the other until the final part is done. CT scans also break 3D images into 2D images each of which is one-slice thick,” Gupta said.

Cahill has been pleased with the results, according to news articles in which he’s quoted as saying he looks “as good as new.”

Printed prosthetics The democratization of prosthetic design and creation through 3D printing enables millions of people around the world to reap the benefits of the newly popularized manufacturing technology.

The recent ubiquity of 3D printers and innovations in prosthetic design, manufacturing, and distribution offer a viable solution for the millions of people living with limb loss around the world.

In the United States alone, close to

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200,000 amputations are performed each year, yet, with prosthetics priced from $5,000-$50,000, having one can almost be considered a luxury, according to The Enable Community Foundation, a global network of volunteers who print prosthetic limbs for around $50.

Traditionally, the process of getting a prosthetic limb can take anywhere from weeks to months. Because prosthetics are such personal items, each one has to (or should) be custommade or fit to the needs of the wearer.

However, as 3D printers become more affordable, with some available for less than $200, the possibility of anyone being able to design and print a prosthetic limb in their home or local community could become a reality, according to Jon Schull, Enable board chair president.

In the near future, prosthetics will be seamlessly integrated into people’s everyday lives with minimal effort.

New 3D scanning and body modeling technologies from companies such as Body Labs enable people to 3D scan their limbs and have prosthetics modeled after them, making for a more natural fit and appearance.

Technological developments from innovators such as Hugh Herr — a rock climber an MIT biophysicist — have introduced new abilities, including propulsion sensors and sophisticated algorithms that work together to automate more natural joint movement.

“The development of predictive movement for prosthetics will make it so people won’t have to think hard about controlling the device. Soon, prosthetics will move with more fluidity to mimic natural movement, and people will be able to control them in part with their brains and bodies through direct natural touch input systems,” Herr said.

In recent years, 3D bioprinting has made huge strides toward the goal of printing organs that can be successfully transplanted into humans. “While that’s still far in the future, the method continues to be studied and advances can lead to new and improved treatments for conditions such as spinal cord injury, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, brain cancer, and more,” said Steinbacher of the Yale School of Medicine.

The 3D printing of living cells follows standard 3D printing methods with a few twists. The printer, following a CAD file, lays down layer upon layer of material to build a shape. Instead of metals or plastics, bioprinters use bioinks as their materials. These contain living cells amid viscous materials like alginate or gelatin. “The cells are often built upon scaffolding to support and protect the cells,” Steinbacher said.

As these examples show, the intersection of healthcare and 3D printing is only in its first stages. It’s not the stuff of science fiction. 3D printing, CAD, and medicine have come together to bring us a better quality of life.

Even 20 years ago, these results were unthinkable.

Cahill, as he goes about his days, is thankful times have changed and 3D printing has made the inroads it has into medicine. DW

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A Supplement to Design World - AUGUST 2022 www.therobotreport.com

How a new

joint design

powers the UR20 cobot INSIDE: • What’s the difference between a servo drive and motion controller? ................................................................. 74 • How precise motion systems drive AMRs .......................... 78 • How the mini cheetah robot learns to run ........................ 86

Redesigned from the ground up, the UR20 is the fastest and strongest collaborative robot arm ever built by Universal Robots. page 68

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The Robot Report

How a new joint design powers the UR20 cobot

Redesigned from the ground up, the UR20 is the fastest and strongest collaborative robot arm ever built by Universal Robots.

By Steve Crowe • Editorial Director, The Robot Report

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THE ROBOT REPORT

7/29/22 9:53 AM

Universal Robots (UR) finally unveiled at Automatica 2022 what it’s been teasing the last few months. It introduced the UR20, the Danish company’s fastest and strongest collaborative robot arm ever. The UR20 is expected to be available for pre-order in late Q4 2022 and will begin shipping in Q2 2023 for an undisclosed price.

The UR20, which has been redesigned om the ground up, is the first model in a new series of next-generation cobots that will complement the e-Series. The UR20 features a 20 kg payload, 1750 mm reach, ± 0.05 mm repeatability and up to 30% more speed and torque when compared to other UR cobots. According to the company, the UR20 is well suited for applications such as machine loading, machine tending, materials handling, palletizing and welding.

UR told The Robot Report additional new cobots will be introduced in late 2023 or early 2024. The last time UR introduced a new cobot was 2019 when it added the UR16e.

It offers a 16 kg payload and is designed for heavy-duty applications. UR’s cobot portfolio also includes the UR3e (3 kg payload), UR5e (5 kg) and UR10e (12.5 kg).

At Automatica in Munich, Germany, the UR20’s palletizing capabilities were demonstrated with UR+ partner A close-up of the Robotiq. The new extended reach was new joint on the demonstrated stacking to the height UR20 cobot. of 1800mm, covering two standard European (40in x 48in / 1200mm x | Credit: Universal Robots 800mm)) pallets. The demo showed how the kinematics can cover both the pallets and an infeed at the same time.

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The Robot Report

the UR20; although it is compatible with the latest version of PolyScope.

Some of the major improvements, Povlsen said, include how to develop UR caps and have multiple UR caps working together at the same time.

“Anything we can do to simplify the path for customers to be more innovative, that’s something we’re investing in.”

Universal Robots unveiled the UR20 at Automatica in Munich, Germany. The new extended reach was demonstrated stacking to the height of 1800mm, covering two standard European pallets. | Universal Robots

Inside the new joint design UR president Kim Povlsen said a new joint design is the key to the increased speed and torque. “We needed a new mechanical joint design to have more torque. We’ve been working on this for a while, and it’s hard to do. But it won’t take long for people to take apart the joint and see that it’s completely different inside.”

On the UR20, the base and shoulder have a maximum speed of 120˚/s, while the elbow can move up to 150˚/s. The three wrist joints can move up to ± 210˚/s. On the UR16e cobot, for comparison, the base and shoulder offer a maximum speed of ± 120°/s, while the elbow and three wrist joints each have a top speed of ± 180°/s.

“We reduced the number of loose parts going into a robot joint by almost half,” said Anders Beck, vice president of innovation and strategy, Universal Robots.

“From a quality engineering standpoint, just reducing part count leads to intrinsic quality improvements.”

Beck said UR also moved to a new encoder type on the UR20. “We even made encoder structures that grow with the joints. As the joints become larger, they often get placed further away from the tool flange. And that’s where accuracy matters the most in terms of repeatability. So this allows us to maintain good accuracy; the UR20 has similar accuracy to the UR10, and we might be able to supersede that when we’re ready to ship.

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“Because we made this decision, it takes away concerns from customers that if they move into a different robot size it will behave differently or require different things to get the job done. We were quite deliberate in the engineering to make sure none of the design decisions we made came in the way of building robot applications that just work.”

All of UR’s cobots are power and force limited (PFL) robots. Just like the e-Series, the UR20 will be certified to both EN ISO 13849-1, Cat. 3 PLd and ISO 10218-1

by TÜV Nord. UR also said that like the e-Series, the UR20 has 17 customizable safety functions so far, including having stopping time limiting and stopping distance limiting.

“Innovation had to happen across the board,” Povlsen said. “Joints and gears aren’t our core competency. We collaborated with vendors on different parts in the joints to iterate our way here.

We needed more reach, more payload, and more speed. We have smart engineers who cracked the code to still make sure it’s a safe cobot to be around.”

The UR20’s base offers the traditional flange design that gets bolted down. But in a change of appearance for UR, none of the joints have external screws. So it could be easier for UR to do a scrubbable version of this cobot than with the current e-Series.

Povlsen told The Robot Report the entire control software has been rethought on

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Why the UR20?

UR certainly is not the first company to offer a 20 kg cobot. There are at least several others, including Fanuc and Yaskawa; Fanuc also has the CRX-25iA with a 25 kg payload. Povlsen said UR learned from its customers that there was a gap in its product portfolio.

“There were a number of applications that our portfolio didn’t cover [before the UR20],” said Povlsen. “But specifically packaging and palletizing. Moving 40-lb boxes onto a pallet over and over again, day after day, is a task that you should not be doing. We had lots of conversations with customers about how we can help them deal with these challenges.”

UR was acquired by Teradyne for $285 million in 2015. Teradyne president Greg Smith, who runs the company’s industrial automation group, said UR’s cobot sales have been trending towards heavier payloads. “Over the last three years, the UR10e and above have accounted for about half of our unit volume,” he said. “So it made sense to augment the product line at the high end.”

Smith said the primary purpose of cobots is to help manufacturers solve labor shortages. “They have trouble hiring people. If you look at what people can practically lift, it’s 15-20 kilograms,” he said. “So we had a gap above 16 kg in tasks that people want to do, in particular machine tending and palletizing.”

THE ROBOT REPORT

7/29/22 9:55 AM

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The Robot Report What’s next a er the UR20?

UR is facing increasing competition with each passing year. But the company is also performing better than ever. A er increasing sales 41% in 2021 to $311 million, UR generated $85 million in Q1 2022, kicking off the year by setting a quarterly record. Smith hinted at what could be next, and it sounds like upgrading the e-Series models with the new joint design.

“Now that we have the next-generation joint, one can imagine we’d put it to work to deliver a better product for our customers,” Smith said. “In terms of higher payloads, I wouldn’t put it out of the realm of possibility, but we’re almost outside of what a person can li . Once you build something significantly more powerful than a person, you’re not solving the labor scarcity problem, now you’re competing with traditional industrial robots.”

UR also showcased a “concept cobot” at Automate 2022 in Detroit. Right away

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The UR20 collaborative robot arm has a 20 kg payload, 1750 mm reach, and 30% more speed and torque when compared to other UR cobots. | Universal Robots

I noticed the white casing, not the silver. It’s a different material and finish. The cobot is also completely enclosed, so it can be used in certain food applications (and others) that UR hasn’t played in. This “concept cobot” wasn’t a product, but it could be one day – or perhaps certain aspects of it could be incorporated into UR cobots.

Smith said UR is evaluating releasing a cobot that can be used in food and pharmaceutical applications. “Our intent is to move pretty quickly in this space,” he said.

www.therobotreport.com

There has long been talk about the blurring of the lines between cobots and traditional industrial robot arms.

That talk has increased a bit with the introduction of robot arms that can operate in dual modes – industrial or collaborative. UR seems dedicated to its approach.

“We are staying in the cobot lane,” Povlsen said. “We dare to say what a cobot is – we invented it.” RR

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The Robot Report

What’s the difference between a servo drive and motion controller?

There can be a fine line between what is considered a motion controller and what represents a basic servo drive. It is critical to understand the functionality and intelligence of both.

The Robot Report Staff

In the automation world, there can be a fine line between what is considered a motion controller and what represents a basic servo drive.

It is critical to understand the functionality and intelligence of each device since, in many applications, both a motion controller and a servo drive are required to complete the system.

The servo system A servo motor is powered by a servo drive that supplies voltage and current to the motor coils and then monitors feedback to close the servo loop. In most cases, the servo drive consists of three embedded servo loops - the current (or torque) loop, velocity loop, and position loop - that interact with each other to create precision motion. The expected motor operation will determine which loops are required.

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Kollmorgen’s 2G Motion Systems consists of the AKD2G servo drive (left) and AKM2G servo motors. | Kollmorgen

•

In a torque control application, which requires a specific torque, only a current loop is needed. Since torque is directly proportional to current, torque is regulated by a sensor that provides current feedback to the servo drive.

With velocity control applications, it is common to find both current and velocity loops. The velocity loop monitors a sensor that provides velocity information to the servo drive and then uses this data to adjust the current loop to increase or decrease torque.

Finally, a position loop application employs a feedback sensor coupled to the motor that sends position information to the servo drive or motion controller, which in turn signals the velocity loop to increase or decrease velocity, which then relays the information to the current loop to regulate torque.

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Defining the drive and controller roles In a torque control application of a brushless dc servo motor, a “device” supplies current and voltage to a motor based on a commanded input measured against the current feedback. The apparatus that provides the power to the motor is called, in proper terms, a servo amplifier or servo drive. A current or torque drive is useless unless it receives a specific command to tell it what torque to produce. The command can come from a variety of sources that essentially act as the “controller”. The command may be as simple as a person, functioning as a controller,

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In a typical brushless dc servo system, three embedded loops with various compensation and filtering elements are present. | Kollmorgen

manually adjusting a potentiometer to apply a +/- 10 Vdc signal to the drive based on the desired output torque.

In a typical brushless dc servo system, three embedded loops with various compensation and filtering elements are present. The inner loop (the current loop) is controlled by the velocity loop, which in turn is controlled by the position loop.

The current loop always resides in the drive, while the velocity and position loops reside in either the drive or controller. The current loop uses a motor current sensor to measure current in the motor windings, while the velocity loop uses a speed sensor (typically an encoder) to measure motor velocity, which also provides position information to close the position loop.

Motion controllers are microprocessorbased devices with complex algorithms that generate Pulse Width Modulated (PWM) waveforms. Power transistors within the servo drive transfer the current and voltage waveforms to energize the

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motor. The motion controller typically processes the feedback information from the various servo loops. Controllers use feedback information to commutate the motor to behave precisely as commanded by the microprocessor. In essence, the intelligence provided by the microprocessor acts as the controller, while the electronics associated with the power devices acts as the drive. Basically, a controller is the element that applies a specific command to a position, velocity, or current loop, while a drive provides the voltage and current to the motors as demanded by the controller.

The controller is typically a programmable device that stores and runs code provided by the programmer.

Programming is developed in a variety of languages, such as BASIC, C+/C++, VB, and languages specified in IEC 61131-3 standards. Controllers have numerous safety elements to prevent overloads or stop motion in the event of component www.therobotreport.com

failures. Drives, on the other hand, tend to focus on receiving the input commands of the controller and switching the power transistors on and off. This creates the current and voltage required to meet the commanded torque and speed.

With advances in microprocessors and new switching devices, controllers and drives are becoming more and more intertwined - mostly in centralized systems where all electronics are colocated in a single control cabinet. In decentralized solutions, the motion controller resides in the cabinet while the drives are collocated near the motors and communicate with the centralized motion controller through a motion field bus. RR

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How precise motion systems drive AMRs

Selecting the correct motor is critical to overall performance for autonomous mobile robots.

Pradeep Deshmane and Manoj Pujari | Portescap

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THE ROBOT REPORT

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environments, handling hazardous materials like medical waste or simply helping out around a warehouse, there is a tremendous demand for autonomous mobile robots (AMRs). Not only do they perform tasks that are difficult, repetitive or inconvenient for human labor, they carry them out correctly and are especially effective where precision is required.

This article provides an overview of AMRs, describing their operation, market need and demand, application requirements, selection criteria, design optimization and future advancements.

Autonomous mobile robot applications AMRs navigate on the ground using motorized wheels to propel themselves.

Unlike robots that use treads or legs, AMRs are easier to design, build and THE ROBOT REPORT

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program for movement in flat, not-so-rugged terrain.

They are particularly popular in the logistics market.

The motion system consists of motors coupled with gearboxes driving the wheels, which increases the torque capacity for better drivability.

AMRs can also be found in hospitals performing infection control, medical services, medical waste delivery, biochemical specimen delivery and general medical tasks. They’re also being deployed in the worldwide fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Another growing market is in the aerospace and defense (A&D) industry where robots play a crucial role in surveillance and military operations. In the oil and

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| Shutterstock.com

Whether moving or positioning objects, accessing dangerous

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The Robot Report Torque and Speed Reliability and Noise

Precision/ Accuracy/ Efficiency

Packaging space

Motor+Gbx selection criteria

Voltage

Operating temp

Cost Weight

Important aspects to consider when selecting a motor and gearbox for an autonomous mobile robot design. | Portescap gas (O&G) industry, they are expected to be invaluable tools in pipeline inspections thanks to their ability to photograph the interior of the structures to help identify cracks or faults.

• Gearbox configuration: planetary;

Application requirements In most applications, the motion systems typically must satisfy the following: • Compact size and lightweight • High torque • Durability and long life • Low noise, especially when used in medical and A&D equipment • High efficiency and low current.

Selection criteria The first step in selecting a motor and gearbox is to determine both the product’s operating and maximum conditions.

Therefore, you will need to confirm the required speed and torque experienced at the wheel output.

Motion systems in AMRs usually consist of brushed or brushless DC motors coupled with compact planetary gearboxes. This requirement may differ slightly from application to application, but the motion systems typically have the following specifications: • Motor: coreless brushed DC or brushless DC motor

THE ROBOT REPORT

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⅔ stage, 30:1 to 120:1 ratio

• Packaging size: <40 mm2 • Gearbox output torque: 4 to 8 Nm • Gearbox output speed: 50 to 150 rpm

Torque: First, determine the output torque required and then work backwards to find your motor and gearing. The torque on the wheel should be based on robot acceleration, wheel diameter and carrying capacity.

Be sure the carrying capacity accounts for pulling the entire robot in case some actuators fail or wheels slip, as well as the minimum slope and potential obstacles to overcome. Friction and efficiency also should factor into the final torque calculation. www.therobotreport.com

Speed: To calculate the speed at which the wheel needs to rotate, you must define your desired speed - or final output - for the wheel. Based on that information, you can choose the motors and gearing. The robot manufacturer generally finalizes the robot’s drive speed, and the wheel diameter determines the required speed at the wheel output.

Packaging space: Make sure the motor stack, which consists of the encoder, brake, motor and gearing, fits into the robot and can be packaged cleanly. The encoder allows you to measure how much the motor shaft turns, and the brake system helps to hold the torque and provide dynamic stopping in case of an emergency.

Voltage: The operating voltage is used to power the motor. Typically, the higher the voltage, the higher the speed capability of the motor. The motor’s datasheet will provide the voltage constant - also known as back EMF constant - so you can calculate how fast the motor will rotate per volt.

Operating temperature: Although temperature often is not an issue, it is still important to make sure your motor stack does not overheat — particularly if it is enclosed.

The gearbox is another area of concern since temperature can affect its lubrication life and performance over time.

Weight: The mass of the load also determines the torque for motor selection. Therefore, you will need to estimate the mass, or know the actual mass, to choose a motor. If you base your design on a mass estimate, we recommend applying a 25 percent safety margin. Refer to the torque constant provided on the motor datasheet to calculate how much torque output you will achieve per amp.

Cost: While building a gearbox from scratch may be less expensive, the time and effort required to design, assemble and test the new gear can make a standard gearbox the more economical option.

Precision, accuracy and efficiency: How much lag can you afford in your gearing?

Often, wheel motor robot applications can allow a little less precision and accuracy depending on the terrains and torque profiles involved. And, since not all applications August 2022

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Meeting Customer Needs with Diverse Product Categories and Customized Products

Linear Piezo Motor

DC Brushless Servo Motor

Canon Precision proprietary technology and internal production systems provide our partners with micro-motor design flexibility, quality control and rapid delivery.

Canon Precision motors can also be equipped with optional gear units and encoders and can be optimized to meet your size, speed, gear ratio and reliability requirements.

CANON U.S.A., INC. Motion Control Products 3300 North 1st Street • San Jose, CA 95134 TEL: 1-408-468-2320 • Email: motors@cusa.canon.com www.usa.canon.com/ Canon is registered trademark of Canon Inc. in the United States, and may also be registered trademarks or trademarks in other countries. All other referenced product names and marks are trademarks of their respective owners. Specifications and availability subject to change. Not responsible for typographical errors. ©2021 Canon U.S.A., Inc. All rights reserved.

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The Robot Report

RI SERIES FRAMELESS INRUNNER: Hall Sensor Option High Torque Density Low Cogging Torque Adapted for Robot Joints

demand high performance characteristics like low noise or vibration, lower precision can be tolerated. However, robotic arms or instruments often need low backlash systems that are more precise and accurate.

Reliability and noise: Most applications require higher reliability, so the motor stack must survive the required working points. Some critical applications like surveillance robots demand both low noise and higher reliability, and the motor and gearbox have to satisfy both criteria.

Choose an optimal design Here’s an example of an AMR application using a motion system designed by Portescap: • Motor: brushed DC 35 GLT • Main gearbox: planetary gearbox, 3 stage, spur, 99.8 total gearbox ratio Many AMRs employ differential steering, which relies on separately driven wheels for movement. Another design, a four-wheel drive robot with two pairs of powered wheels, offers more balance since each pair can turn in the same direction. However, if the pairs do not run at the same speed, the robot will move slowly and cannot drive in a straight line.

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AK SERIES ACTUATORS: Built-in reducer Input & Output Encoders Small Size & Large Torque Support Servo & MIT modes Multi Reduction Ratios (Up to 64:1)

A needle roller bearings can avoid scuffing failures and ensure smooth rotation of planet gears on planet pins. | Portescap

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TOOL-LESS ADJUSTMENT COMPONENTS • Adjustable handles and knobs replace standard hardware and can be used to torque components without tools.

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Ruland Manufacturing is proud to support the FIRST Robotics Competition as a Gold Supplier of precision shaft collars & couplings.

• Slit couplings are available in short and long styles giving designers a variety of body sizes to choose from to fit application envelope and performance requirements.

• Controlflex is a highly flexible encoder coupling designed for applications with high speed, low torque, and wide differences in shaft sizes (up to a 4:1 small to large ratio).

• Slit couplings are available in bore sizes from 1.5mm to 12mm (1/8” to 1/2”) and controlflex couplings are available in sizes from 6mm to 40mm (1/4” to 1-1/2”).

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MOUNTABLE SHAFT COLLARS • Available with OD flats and holes for direct mounting of the collar to other components.

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MODULAR MOUNTING SYSTEMS • Assortment of components that allow users to build small assemblies for mounting sensors, conveyor rails, machine guards, and more.

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• Yokes, pins, and blocks are precision machined, ground, and selectively heat treated for smooth operation at high operating angles.

www.ruland.com | sales@ruland.com 7/27/22 3:13 PM

The Robot Report An optimum design has a differential steering mechanism similar to those used in a car, which allows the robot to turn left or right, requiring only one motor. Another common configuration of robots uses motors that drive wheels independently instead of differential steering. In this case, separate motors are required to drive each wheel. The overall system specifications are: • Packaging: 32 -mm2 x 115 mm length • Gearbox output torque capacity: 8 Nm • Gearbox output speed: 80 rpm • Life expectancy: 1,000 hours • Maximum temperature: 125°C Future AMR advancements AMRs are not without drawbacks. For example, they do not navigate well over rocky terrain, sharp declines or areas with low friction. For AMRs to overcome these limitations, driving architectures must be modified to include mechanisms like a differential drive system with tracks, a skid steer four-wheel drive system or two wheels plus passive casters differential drive system. However, these architectures add more complexity and require detailed studies about their cost impacts.

Without a major change in the overall architecture, robot designers must focus their efforts on optimizing the motion system. The following advancements can help improve autonomous mobile robot performance with respect to durability, efficiency and noise reduction:

Innovate today for a new tomorrow Realize your vision with Festo‘s approach to smart automation for electronics manufacturing.

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Advanced components: Needle roller bearings avoid scuffing failures and ensure smooth rotation of planet gears on planet pins. In addition, certain gearboxes feature gear teeth arranged to lower torsional forces for reduced noise.

Advanced FEA-based analyses: A structural analysis helps to identify potential failures and eliminate them early in the design process.

Advanced acoustic simulation: Using software to predict noise, helps optimize the design for critical applications requiring low noise. RR

Industry Leadership Superior Quality Products Global Training & Support

www.festo.us THE ROBOT REPORT

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The Robot Report

How

the mini cheetah robot learns to run

MIT’s mini cheetah, using a model-free reinforcement learning system, broke the record for the fastest run recorded. | MIT

MIT developed a learning pipeline for the four-legged robot that learns to run entirely by trial and error in simulation.

It’s been roughly 23 years since one of the first robotic animals trotted on The Robot Report Staff

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the scene, defying classical notions of our cuddly four-legged friends. Since then, a barrage of the walking, dancing, and door-opening machines have commanded their presence, a sleek mixture of batteries, sensors, metal, and motors. Missing from the list of cardio activities was one both loved and loathed by humans (depending on whom you ask), and which proved slightly trickier for the bots: learning to run.

Researchers from MIT’s Improbable AI Lab, part of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) and directed by MIT Assistant Professor Pulkit Agrawal, as well as the Institute of AI and Fundamental Interactions (IAIFI) have been working on fast-paced strides for a robotic mini cheetah — and their modelfree reinforcement learning system broke the record for the fastest run recorded. It bumped its peak indoor velocity from 12 feet per second before training to 13 feet per second after. www.therobotreport.com

THE ROBOT REPORT

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MANUFACTURING Quality Linear Motion Solutions from THK THK is committed to meeting the worldwide demand for linear motion products.

At THK Manufacturing of America, Inc (TMA), we manufacture, assemble, and ship all over North America from our location in Hebron, Ohio. We’ve also ramped up our automating processes at existing facilities including our U.S. manufacturing plant where over 70% of THK Robotics Components are manufactured. Automated processes at this state-of-the-art facility enable increased production while maintaining the high standard of precision associated with our products.

To learn more, call us at 1-800-763-5459 or visit www.thk.com.

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8/2/22 8:45 AM

The Robot Report Reinforcement learning is a goal-driven form of machine learning where an agent, in this case mini cheetah, learns by interacting with its environment, observing the results of these interactions and receiving a reward (positive or negative) accordingly.

Reinforcement learning mimics the fundamental way in which humans learn.

Here, MIT PhD student Gabriel Margolis and IAIFI postdoc Ge Yang discuss just how fast the cheetah can run.

We’ve seen videos of robots running before. Why is running harder than walking?

Achieving fast running requires pushing the hardware to its limits, for example, by operating near the maximum torque output of motors. In such conditions, the robot dynamics are hard to analytically model.

The robot needs to respond quickly to changes in the environment, such as the moment it encounters ice while running on grass. If the robot is walking, it is moving slowly and the presence of snow is not typically an issue. Imagine if you were walking slowly, but carefully: you can traverse almost any terrain.

Today’s robots face an analogous problem. The problem is that moving on all terrains as if you were walking on ice is very inefficient, but is common among today’s robots. Humans run fast on grass and slow down on ice — we adapt. Giving robots a similar capability to adapt requires quick identification of terrain changes and quickly adapting to prevent the robot from falling over. In summary, because it’s impractical to build analytical (human-designed) models of all possible terrains in advance, and the robot’s dynamics become more complex at highvelocities, high-speed running is more challenging than walking.

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Previous agile running controllers for the MIT Cheetah 3 and mini cheetah, as well as for Boston Dynamics’ robots, are “analytically designed,” relying on human engineers to analyze the physics of locomotion, formulate efficient abstractions, and implement a specialized hierarchy of controllers to make the robot balance and run. You use a “learn-by-experience model” for running instead of programming it. Why? Programming how a robot should act in every possible situation is simply very hard. The process is tedious, because if a robot were to fail on a particular terrain, a human engineer would need to identify the cause of failure and manually adapt the robot controller, and this process can require substantial human time. Learning by trial and error removes the need for a human to specify precisely how the robot should behave in every situation. This would work if: 1. The robot can experience an extremely wide range of terrains 2. The robot can automatically improve its behavior with experience Thanks to modern simulation tools, our robot can accumulate 100 days’ worth of experience on diverse terrains in just three hours of actual time. We developed an approach by which the robot’s behavior improves from simulated experience, and our approach critically also enables successful deployment of those learned behaviors in the real world. The intuition behind why the robot’s running skills work well in the real world is: Of all the environments it sees in this simulator, some will teach the robot skills that are useful in the real world.

When operating in the real world, our controller identifies and executes the relevant skills in real-time.

Can this approach be scaled beyond the mini cheetah?

What excites you about its future applications?

At the heart of artificial intelligence research is the trade-off between what the human needs to build in (nature) and what the machine can learn on its own (nurture). The traditional paradigm in robotics is that humans tell the robot both what task to do and how to do it. The problem is that such a framework is not scalable, because it would take immense human engineering effort to manually program a robot with the skills to operate in many diverse environments.

A more practical way to build a robot with many diverse skills is to tell the robot what to do and let it figure out the how. Our system is an example of this. In our lab, we’ve begun to apply this paradigm to other robotic systems, including hands that can pick up and manipulate many different objects.

This work was supported by the DARPA Machine Common Sense Program, the MIT Biomimetic Robotics Lab, NAVER LABS, and in part by the National Science Foundation AI Institute for Artificial Intelligence Fundamental Interactions, United States Air Force-MIT AI Accelerator, and MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab. The research was conducted by the Improbable AI Lab. RR

www.therobotreport.com

THE ROBOT REPORT

7/29/22 10:14 AM

Robotics Robotics

Canon U.S.A., Inc.

DC brushless Servo Motors Today’s increasing demands of automation and robotics in various industries, engineers are challenged to design unique and innovative machines to differentiate from their competitors. Within motion control systems, flexible integration, space saving, and light weight are the key requirements to design a successful mechanism.

Canon’s new high torque density, compact and lightweight DC brushless servo motors are superior to enhance innovative design. Our custom capabilities engage optimizing your next innovative designs.

Canon U.S.A., Inc. Motion Control Products

We are committed in proving technological advantages for your success.

408-468-2320 www.usa.canon.com

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3300 North First Street San Jose, CA, 95134

CGI Inc. Advanced Products for Robotics and Automation At CGI we serve a wide array of industries including medical, robotics, aerospace, defense, semiconductor, industrial automation, motion control, and many others. Our core business is manufacturing precision motion control solutions.

CGI’s diverse customer base and wide range of applications have earned us a reputation for quality, reliability, and flexibility. One of the distinct competitive advantages we are able to provide our customers is an engineering team that is knowledgeable and easy to work with. CGI is certified to ISO9001 and ISO13485 quality management systems. In addition, we are FDA and AS9100 compliant. Our unique quality control environment is weaved into the fabric of our manufacturing facility. We work daily with customers who demand both precision and rapid turnarounds.

ISO QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS: ISO 9001• ISO 13485 • AS9100 • ITAR SIX SIGMA AND LEAN PRACTICES

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ARE EMBRACED DAILY WITHIN THE CULTURE

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Robotics Robotics

FESTO Corporation Discover a New Vision Software!

Machine Vision Systems from Festo From inspection to identification, barcode reading to robotic guidance, measurement to color analysis, Festo provides machine vision solutions to suit your needs. With higher resolutions, more powerful software tools, easier integration and more flexibility, the latest generation of SBS vision sensors provide the right features and tools to meet your demanding machine vision requirements.

Machine Vision Software The SBS Vision sensor software is used to configure and program all aspects of the SBA and SBSX vision sensors.

Festo Corporation 1377 Motor Pkwy.

Islandia, NY 11749 www.festo.us

Harmonic Drive Servo Grade AMR Propulsion Drive Trains The drive wheels on Autonomous Mobile Robot platforms benefit from the inherent characteristics of harmonic planetary technology; primarily, smoothness of travel, backdrivability, and an efficiency curve that does not degrade over time.

The integral cross roller bearing construction contributes to an excellent balance of torque density, stiffness, and radial load support in a compact and reliable package. Available in dozens of standard reduction ratios, these low backlash drive trains include motor adaptation as required.

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42 Dunham Ridge Beverly, MA 01915 United States www.harmonicdrive.net

Harmonic Drive is a registered trademark of Harmonic Drive Systems

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THE ROBOT REPORT

7/29/22 9:48 AM

Robotics Robotics

Motorizing an AGV Today’s AGVs must be compact and functional robots which are able to move vertically and carry heavy loads. These AGVs cannot fail, and so the choice of their motorization is crucial. There are 5 key points to consider when motorizing an AGV. 1. Choose compact motorization where possible - Drives must fit into restricted spaces, as they are sometimes integrated into existing trucks. A small footprint is critical for applications in logistics.

2. Focus on ease of use – select a plug-and-play solution.

3. Opt for fast delivery of your motor solution 4. Base the design on modularity - Not all AGVs do the same job and therefore having the flexibility to select a solution to match needed specifications is essential.

5. Prioritize safety – select motor options with integrated sensors.

maxon’s IDX motor has a diameter of only 56 mm, its performance is equivalent to that of a motor with a footprint 25% larger. The IDX motorization thus combines performance in a compact size and ideal for AGVs.

maxon precision motors, inc.

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Go to Drive.tech for more details.

Visit www.maxongroup.us for more maxon solutions.

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New England Wire Technologies Advancing innovation for over 100 years Why accept a standard product for your custom application?

NEWT is committed to being the premier manufacturer of choice for customers requiring specialty wire, cable and extruded tubing to meet existing and emerging worldwide markets. Our custom products and solutions are not only engineered to the exacting specifications of our customers, but designed to perform under the harsh conditions of today’s advanced manufacturing processes.

Cables we specialize in are LITZ, multi-conductor cables, hybrid configurations, coaxial, twin axial, miniature and micro-miniature coaxial cables, ultra flexible, high flex life, low/high temperature cables, braids, and a variety of proprietary cable designs. Contact us today and let us help you dream beyond today’s technology and achieve the impossible.

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Ruland Manufacturing Zero-Backlash Couplings for Robotic Systems Ruland Manufacturing offers a variety of zero-backlash servo couplings designed for use in high precision applications like automation and robotics. Ruland offers beam, bellows, disc, oldham, jaw, and newly-released Controlflex couplings in thousands of off-the-shelf combinations and sizes to help designers optimize their systems.

Robotic vision systems, material handling robots, and automated guided vehicles have infamously strict requirements that require engineers to balance torque, weight, dampening, and more, all while retaining extremely precise power transmission. Ruland servo couplings excel in demanding applications and can be selected based on a wide variety of performance characteristics.

Visit Ruland.com for access to everything you need to make a coupling design decision including: full technical product data, 3D CAD models, installation videos, and eCommerce to make prototyping easy.

508-485-1000 www.ruland.com email: sales@ruland.com

THK Micro Cross-Roller Ring Series RAU The THK micro-size Cross-Roller Ring RAU features a 10mm inner diameter and a 21mm outer diameter. It is more compact, lightweight and rigid than a double row angular contact ball bearing type. RAU rollers travel on V-shaped raceways ground into the inner and outer rings. Alternating rollers are arrayed orthogonally so that one bearing can support loads and moments in any direction. Spacer retainers enable smooth movement and high rotation accuracy. https://www.thkstore.com/products/rotation/cross-roller-rings/rau.html

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Ruland Manufacturing 6 Hayes Memorial Dr. Marlborough, MA 01752

THK America, Inc. 200 East Commerce Drive Schaumburg, IL 60173 Phone: 847-310-1111 www.THK.com

www.therobotreport.com

THE ROBOT REPORT

7/29/22 9:50 AM

IMTS 2022

International Manufacturing Technology Show September 12-17, 2022 IMTS ready for its Chicago comeback .... p.94

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IMTS ready

for its Chicago comeback

By Paul J. Heney /VP, Editorial Director

Mike Santora • Associate Editor Grand Concourse on opening day for IMTS 2016.

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www.designworldonline.com

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As recent months have shown, engineers are ready to get back to

in-person meetings and conferences, from the Automate Show in Detroit to the Robotics Summit and Expo in Boston. And few are larger or more important to OEM design engineers than the biennial IMTS that’s held in Chicago’s vast McCormick Place complex. IMTS, or the International Manufacturing Technology Show, is held in even-numbered years, and the 2022 edition is scheduled for September 12-17.

IMTS 2022 will be the 33rd edition of the show. The 2018 IMTS was impressive in scope — it hosted the highest number of exhibiting companies ever (2,563) and was the largest event as far as the number of registrations (129,415) as well as net square feet of exhibit space (1,424,232) at the McCormick Place complex. According to The Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT), which runs the tradeshow, IMTS attracts buyers and sellers from 117 countries. While the 2020 event was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, as so many other trade shows were, the 2022 edition is moving full-steam ahead.

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2 0 2 2 This Fall’s show will feature multiple pavilions to help guide attendees throughout the massive amount of floorspace. The pavilions are divided into: • • • • • •

Abrasive machining / sawing / finishing Additive manufacturing Controls and CAD-CAM Fabricating and lasers Gear generation Machine components / cleaning / environmental • Metal removal • Quality assurance, and • Tooling and workholding systems.

A busy conference schedule Education is always an important part of the IMTS show, and this year’s event will be no exception. A total of 12 different conferences will be co-located at the show, all within Chicago’s McCormick Place.

“Content is key in the information era, and we have organized the widest array of conference topics ever at IMTS 2022 to help visitors move their people, business, and technology forward,” said Bonnie Gurney, VP — Strategic Partnerships for AMT. New events include the IMTS Women Make Manufacturing Move program to inspire women, the IMTS Investor Forum, and The Smarter Sourcing Symposium.

After an impressive 2018 debut, the Job Shops Specialty Program returns this year with a focus on ready-to-implement digital technologies that will help job shops address their most pressing issues.

The IMTS 2022 Conference is composed of multiple sessions throughout the week. Topics include process innovation, plant operations, quality/inspection, automation, improving

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productivity, improving part quality, and developing a competent workforce to improve the competitiveness of manufacturing in the United States.

Additional partner conferences cover subjects such as additive manufacturing, 3D printing for job shops, lasers, parts cleaning, industrial interoperability standards, and technology leadership.

“Conferences at IMTS 2022 offer a deeper dive into the technologies exhibited on the show floor, the chance to network with subject matter experts and like-minded peers, and the opportunity for professional growth,” said Gurney. “Plan to take advantage of these learning opportunities for a few days, then add another day to your itinerary to walk the show floor. There is no more efficient way to gather more information in one location, plus it gives you a chance to rest your feet while stretching your mind.”

IMTS 2022 Conference: With a slate of product experts selected entirely from IMTS exhibiting companies, the IMTS Conference will equip attendees with tangible solutions that they can put into practice immediately.

IMTS Specialty Program: Job Shops Workshop Day 1: Designed exclusively for job shops stakeholders, this event features an industry roundtable and

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panel discussions with job shops implementing digital manufacturing technologies and other best practices that improve their efficiencies. This features a session from the Technology & Manufacturing Association.

IMTS Specialty Program: Job Shops Workshop Day 2 featuring Modern Machine Shop’s Top Shops: This half-day program offers visitors a look into this year’s annual Top Shops benchmarking survey. Attendees will learn from industry experts and current and past Top Shop award winners to find out what makes a shop rise to the top.

IMTS Specialty Program: Women Make Manufacturing Move: The IMTS Women Make Manufacturing Move program will inspire women in the manufacturing technology community through curated sessions, networking, and business.

Monday night reception, Wednesday luncheon, and a Friday Take 5.

IMTS Investor Forum: The IMTS Investor Forum connects visitors with advanced manufacturing experts who will demystify the estimated $65 billion manufacturing technology industry.

Guided tours of the trade show floor afford an inside experience with the industry, firsthand from startups and industry insiders.

August 2022 www.designworldonline.com

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The IMTS 2022 Conference is composed of multiple sessions throughout the week. Topics include process innovation, plant operations, quality/inspection, automation, improving productivity, improving part quality, and developing a competent workforce to improve the competitiveness of manufacturing in the United States.

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Applied Cobotics Automated Storage and Retrieval System Running 24/7 on the Strength of PBC Linear Parts

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The biggest issue that this machine is solving is cobot downtime. Without some sort of automated loading and unloading system, cobots will inevitably sit idle, falling far short of their desired potential. The Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS) is built to continuously feed parts to the cobot.

MTB Series Actuator

PBC Linear has implemented the ASRS and cobots on their CNC mills and lathes that produce their signature bearings. With roughly 80 CNC machines in their shop and 15 cobot stations in operation, the ASRS has boosted cobot production up to 1600%, and created a more flexible manufacturing model while elevating profits.

The Automated Storage and Retrieval System is easy to install, operate, and can be purchased by itself or with a cobot. In addition, PBC Linear offers production of custom dunnage trays for your specific parts.

Find out more at appliedcobotics.com and pbclinear.com.

PBC Linear 8-22_DW.indd 99

6402 E. Rockton Road Roscoe, Illinois 61073 USA +1.800.962.8979 • pbclinear.com

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The Smarter Sourcing Symposium at IMTS 2022: The inaugural Smarter Sourcing Symposium at IMTS 2022, presented by IMTS and The Onshoring Project, will deliver direct strategies for sounder and more financially beneficial North American part production.

Additive Manufacturing Conference: Focused exclusively on additive technologies for industrial part production, the AM Conference will take a practical, applications-based look at the machines, materials, and methodologies being used to create end-use tools and components.

3D Printing Workshop for Job Shops: 3D printing’s biggest potential lies in the hands of manufacturers — those that can see the intersections between CNC machining and additive manufacturing and innovate ways to evolve part production. This event will help job shops learn how 3D printing can help them with prototyping, tooling, production, and more.

OPC Foundation Conference: The OPC UA Seminar is about industrial interoperability scaling from sensor to IT and Cloud and back. Learn about the one harmonized solution OPC UA FX for process and factory automation. Learn why MQTT-only is not enough and why the biggest six big IT companies support OPC UA over MQTT. Technology Leadership Summit: Powered by ASME, this conference focuses on digital transformation.

Leaders will discuss big data, digital twin, robotics, additive manufacturing, and tour the show floor with an industry expert.

To register for this year’s IMTS, please visit www.imts.com/show/reg.cfm.

Industrial Laser Conference: This conference, presented by the Laser Institute of America, focuses on laser processing for manufacturing, including marking, cutting, welding, heat treating, remote welding, cleaning, additive manufacturing, and more.

Parts Cleaning Conference: Environmental limitations are becoming stricter, and manufacturers demand high-quality clean parts. The Parts Cleaning Conference will detail how to make it all happen while staying within compliance and on budget.

Hannover Messe USA 2022 Conference: The 2022 Hannover Messe USA Conference will offer five topic tracks, including Motion & Drives, Cybersecurity, Industry 4.0, Automation, and Supply Chain. This comprehensive conference will provide solutions to current manufacturing concerns.

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NEW COMPACT CONTROLLER 100

COD ESYS

Max performance in minimum space • Powerful controller • Built in digital and analog I/O • Dual Ethernet ports • Ideal for small machine control and IIOT applications www.wago.us/ discover-PLCs

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P r o d u c t s Smart automation for whole factory connectivity An Industry 4.0 factory wide integration, AIMS is a solution for considering the factory as a single machine. Rather than separating workflow into elements of design, blank preparation, grinding, laser marking, washing, etc., it streamlines the entire tool manufacturing process and complementary technologies. An interactive and fully operating AIMS cell at IMTS will showcase main modules of the AIMS system: an AutoSet job preparation station, AutoLine for pallet and tool transfer, and AutoFetch: a robot responsible for material transfer between processes. The AIMS system principles are flexibility and modularity. Each system can be tailored to an individual customer’s needs using the right building blocks or modules. It can scale from a purely software-based monitoring solution to a fully automated manufacturing cell. AIMS is not a single product but rather a suite or ecosystem of interconnected building blocks that can be configured for individual requirements.

ANCA Booth 237406, North Building, Level 3 anca.com

Torque motor rotary tables Designed for machine tool OEMs and retrofitters, the TMRT series enables 3-axis machine tools to be readily upgraded to 3+1, 3+2, 4+1 or even 5-axis capability. High speed, high torque, built-in high-rigidity high-precision bearings, absolute encoders and a powerful brake system ensure excellent acceleration capabilities and high precision when machining complex part geometries. TMRT series rotary tables incorporate direct-drive torque motors, to eliminate gear reducers, resulting in highest dynamic performance and multi-axis path accuracy. Directly coupled encoders and zero backlash enables tighter part tolerance. Direct drives provide smooth motion, resulting in improved part surface finish. TMRT series incorporates integral liquid cooling in the table, ensuring thermal stability even during high duty cycle, high load conditions, yielding consistent part quality.

Compatible with most major CNC brands, making control integration straightforward.

HIWIN Corp.

Booth 134514, East Building, Level 3 hiwin.us 102

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Quality. Innovation. Value.

Together, We Shape the Digital Transformation of Industrial Connectivity As experienced experts we support our customers and partners around the world with products, solutions and services in the industrial environment of power, signal and data.

Pioneering Industrial Connectivity solutions to face tomorrow’s technical challenges, today.

www.weidmuller.com

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P r o d u c t s Cobot automation KUKA Robotics will feature its new LBR iisy cobot.

As ready-to-use automation, the LBR iisy quickly and easily integrates into any manufacturing application from pre-defined production processes to open, unstructured work environments with unpredictable conditions from one job to the next. For users in automotive, e-mobility, aerospace, electronics and related industries, the company will demonstrate advanced automated friction stir welding, a process that fulfills the growing need for fast, clean, reliable, and cost-effective joining for non-ferrous metals and mixed metal combinations frequently encountered in fabricating such components as electric vehicle battery housings and trays. With six axes, a 3-kg payload, 600-mm maximum reach and 18.8-kg overall weight, the LBR iisy is well suited for overcoming the challenges posed by confined workspaces. Whether loading/unloading machines, assembling components or packaging, the cobot provides increased versatility and can be immediately operated by anyone from an automation expert to a cobotics newcomer.

Featuring various operator levels, the user-friendly system adapts to the corresponding level of user knowledge.

KUKA Robotics Booth 236807, North Building, Level 3 kuka.com

Advanced metrology software Four different CMMs will be displayed and demonstrated including: the Altera M Scantek 5 equipped with a Renishaw REVO-2 5-axis scanning system; the Multi-Sensor Altera, equipped with LK’s new blue line laser scanner and a new surface roughness probe; the new ALTO 6x5 Bench Top CMM; and COORD 3 Universal CMM with a TP200 touch probe. CMMs with PH20 and PH10 probes will also be on display. LK will be launching an advanced version of its TouchDMIS software and will be demonstrating its CAMIO programming and measuring software. The new Industry 4 Metrology Gate will also be shown and demonstrated. Other CMM software such as Renishaw Modus, Polyworks, and CMM Manager will also be available for demonstration. Related accessory products to be seen include the new SLK20 blue light line laser scanner; a new surface roughness probe; and a new Freedom V2 measuring arm with rotary indexing table.

LK Metrology Booth 135230, East Building, Level 3 lkmetrology.com 104

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7/28/22 3:42 PM

SmartAd

Gearmaking machines Nidec Machine Tool is debuting the new GE15HS gear hobbing machine.

Emphasizing high speed, precision, and efficiency, it produces gears for electric and hybrid cars, as well as for robotic and automation applications. The GE15HS model is designed for gears with a maximum diameter of 150mm. The high-speed, high-torque direct-drive motor for the main cutting spindle provides a maximum spindle speed of 6,000 min — three times faster than previous models. The high efficiency spindle holding the workpiece uses a special table that provides high rigidity and high-speed rotation to handle the necessary thrust load for high efficiency machining. Cutting gears with Nidec super-hard cutting tools yields a surface roughness of less than Ra0.4, on par with gear grinding. A larger machine, the GE25HS, is also available. The booth will also feature the ZI20A-G Generating Internal Gear Grinder.

Nidec Machine Tool America LLC Booth 237036, North Building, Level 3 nidec-machinetoolamerica.com

Your partner for innovative manufacturing See us at: IMTS 2022 #135509 – Industrial metrology solutions #433239 – Additive manufacturing systems

The factory of the future, today Smart. Connected. Data-driven. 4.0—whatever mission you choose, Renishaw is your source for achieving the highest level of precision and productivity in your manufacturing environment.

From industrial metrology hardware to smartphone apps and interfaces, our automated and intelligent process control technologies collect data and respond in real time to keep your factory at its peak.

The day to optimize your process, reduce costs, and increase throughput, is today!

www.renishaw.com Renishaw Inc., West Dundee, IL 60118

usa@renishaw.com

© 2022 Renishaw Inc. All rights reserved.

SmartAd DesignWorldHalfPage8_22.indd 1 IMTS - Products 8-22_Vs4 MS.indd 105

7/20/22 4:36 PM 7/28/22 3:43 PM

IMTS 2022 IMTS 2022

PBC Linear Advancing Automation Solutions

At PBC Linear, we have been addressing the demands for shorter part runs, cheaper products, and increased flexibility on the shop floor—all while dealing with a manufacturing labor crisis. Through our new brand, Applied Cobotics we provide our customers with new automation tools designed to increase safety and productivity, and sharpen their manufacturing competitive edge. Most importantly, these upgrades can be implemented with a high return on investment, making even the smallest shops fully eligible for this Industry 4.0 technology.

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PBC Linear 6402 E. Rockton Rd. Roscoe, Illinois 61073 USA +1.800.962.8979 pbclinear.com

RENISHAW An encoder series designed for use in harsh environments Renishaw’s FORTiS™ delivers superior repeatability, reduced hysteresis, and improved measurement performance due to an innovative non-contact mechanical design that does not require a mechanical guidance carriage. It provides high resistance to the ingress of liquids and solid debris contaminants. It features an extruded enclosure with longitudinally attached interlocking lip seals and sealed end caps. The readhead body is joined to a sealed optical unit by a blade, which travels through the lip seals along the length of the encoder. Linear axis movement causes the readhead and optics to traverse the encoder’s absolute scale (which is fixed to the inside of the enclosure), without mechanical contact.

August 2022

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Renishaw, Inc. 1001 Wesemann Dr. West Dundee, IL 60118 Phone: +1 (847) 286-9953 email: usa@renishaw.com website: www.renishaw.com

www.designworldonline.com

DESIGN WORLD

7/28/22 4:07 PM

IMTS 2022 IMTS 2022

SMALLEY As the inventor of the edgewound wave spring and with over 100 years of manufacturing excellence, Smalley is the Engineer’s Choice® in providing wave springs, retaining rings, and constant section rings for all of your application needs.

Smalley stocks over 10,000 standard parts across 30 configurations and 400 sizes, ready for delivery. If a standard part doesn’t meet your requirements, you’ll work with our innovative team of over 30 industryspecialized engineers to quickly create an economical custom part in the material of your choice, all without new tooling. Prototype or production volume, our No-ToolingCharges™ manufacturing process meets the design flexibility your application, budget, and timeline requires.

Smalley 555 Oakwood Rd. Lake Zurich, IL, USA 60047

smalley.com

+1 (847) 719-5900 www.smalley.com

New Compact Controller 100 Max Performance in minimum space

• Powerful controller • Built-in digital analog I/O • Dual Ethernet ports • Ideal for small machine control and IIoT applications

DESIGN WORLD

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WAGO Corporation N120W19129 Freistadt Rd Germantown, WI 53022 (262) 255-6222 www.wago.us/discover-PLCs

www.designworldonline.com

August 2022

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IMTS 2022

Weidmüller – Your Solution Partner in Industrial Connectivity Did you know that Weidmuller has stood for Service, Competence and Reliability since 1850? Or that we are represented in 80 countries around the world? Be it automotive manufacturing, electricity generation or water management – there’s hardly an industry that can do without electronics and electrical connectivity today. As experienced experts we support our customers and partners with products, solutions, and services in the industrial environment of power, signal, and data.

We are continuously developing innovative, sustainable, and useful products and solutions for our customer’s individual needs. We are a true partner with extensive knowledge and understanding of your application. Together we set standards in Industrial Connectivity.

Experience how Weidmüller solutions increase efficiency, reliability, and quality in various industries.

Let’s connect at Booth 134138!

Weidmuller Inc. 821 Southlake Blvd.

Richmond, VA 23236 Phone: (800) 849-9343 website: www.weidmuller.com

Santa Clara Convention Center

2022 CO-LOCATED EVENT

robobusiness.com

Sponsorship opportunities are available for future ROBOBusinessDirect programs.

For more information, contact

COURTNEY NAGLE

cseel@wtwhmedia.com | 440.523.1685

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Product World Latest firmware Opto 22 opto22.com The latest firmware version 3.4 for the groov EPIC edge programmable industrial controller, along with firmware version 3.4 for the groov RIO edge I/O module are now available. Both can be downloaded free for all existing groov EPIC and groov RIO users, adding more capabilities for sharing OT data with SCADA systems, databases, HMIs and historians, and with other functions like Quality and Process.

New data democratization capabilities include an additional, embedded OPC UA server and much more flexibility in MQTT services. The release also adds support for SNMP and the Scratch Pad memory map area.

System redundancy communications card Emerson emerson.com Many control schemes call for redundancy, but this traditionally requires intermediary equipment to integrate final control devices like variable frequency drives (VFDs). To simplify this common architecture, Emerson announces a new PROFINET System Redundancy (PNSR) communications card that plugs into PACMotion VFDs, simplifying high availability communications between VFDs and Emerson’s PACSystems RX3i programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and edge controllers.

PACMotion VFDs already offer plug-and-play startup, autotuning, and simplified programming via configuration tools incorporated directly within PAC Machine Edition software.

Addition of the optional PNSR communications card enables direct connection and control of PACMotion VFDs in hot standby PACSystems redundant architectures, improving availability of the VFD in the event of a single controller or communications link loss. The new communications card provides high availability control functionality, maximized uptime, and improved availability.

DESIGN WORLD

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Product World Compact Controller WAGO wago.com The new Compact Controller 100 is a smallscale PLC with a wide variety of remote I/O for use in smaller applications. Engineered for OEMs, IIOT digitization projects, and building automation applications, this easy-to-use device is cost effective for small, but demanding applications.

This PLC can interface with industrial devices using protocols such as MODBUS TCP/UDP, EtherNet/IP or EtherCAT with the two on board EtherNet ports.

The flexibility of the two Ethernet ports allows for the use of a switch or two unique IP addresses, with one port for field devices and the other for SCADA or Cloud services.

The CC100 uses Codesys 3.5, allowing users to program in one or more of the IEC 61131-3 compatible languages and utilize the controller’s built-in Web Server to develop HTML 5 visualizations at no additional charge.

Control cables igus igus.com Two new UL-MTW/TC-ER-certified control cable series have been UL tested and certified for use in North American markets.

From the energy chain directly to the cable tray: in Europe the standard certifications and practices for install are different than for companies in the USA and companies that supply to the USA. However, this is no longer a problem with the new UL-MTW/TC-ER-certified control cable series CF150.UL and CF160.UL. Machine Tool Wire (MTW) cables are specified for use in industrial plants and can be installed directly on the cable tray thanks to the Tray cable for Exposed Runs (TC-ER) approval, which places requirements on materials and design.

With the “UL listed” seal, the two chainflex series are the only control cables approved for the e-chain and cable tray. This way, users receive cables that function safely and are designed for continuous motion - with a service life guarantee of 36 months or 10 million strokes.

Whether permanently installed in a cable tray or used in the energy chain - a control cable must withstand a wide variety of loads. If a cable fails, production often comes to a standstill. For a failsafe supply, the motion plastics specialist igus has developed two control cable series that withstand continuous movements and can be used in the e-chain and the cable tray. Both feature an outer jacket specially approved for use as MTW/TC-ER cables, which has been optimized for movement based on a long series of tests involving over 26 million cycles.

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For further information about products on these pages visit the Design World website @ www.designworldonline.com

Snap-action switches CIT Relay & Switch citrelay.com Miniature in size, the VM3S Series snap-action switches are UL/cUL certified and offer multiple actuator style options and the choice of .187-in. quick connect terminals or 300mm UL 1015 20AWG wire. Available with two standard options of operating force, the CIT can work with you to create other force options as needed. Contact their engineers to determine the best options for your application needs.

Miniature IP68 sealed enclosure Hammond hammond.com Hammond Manufacturing introduces the 1551W Series, IP68 sealed versions of its popular 1551 miniature enclosure family. Launched in an initial five sizes, all available with a plain or flanged lid, the UL94-V0 polycarbonate enclosures are suitable for use inside or outside. They are available in black and grey with a soft texture finish, all are fitted with PCB stand-offs in the base and the preformed silicone sealing gasket provides excellent protection against the ingress of dust or water, protecting the housed electronics. The initial five sizes range from 2.36 x 1.38 x 0.87 in. to 3.94 x 1.97 x 0.94 in. (60 x 35 x 22 mm to 100 x 59 x 25 mm). The flanged lid versions make mounting to any surface a simple and easy process and provide a degree of tamper resistance by preventing access to the lid and base securing screws.

The 1551W is the latest extension to the extensive 1551 family. The general-purpose IP54 ABS 1551 family is available in 18 sizes with plain or flanged lids. Plain lid versions are available in black, grey, or translucent blue, flanged list version in black or grey. Three sizes are available fitted with key rings.

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Ad Index AllMotion .......................................................................... 4 Altech Corporation ...................................................... 1,10,11 AutomationDirect ......................................................... IFC binder USA....................................................................... 53 Boker’s, Inc. ...................................................................... 9 Canfield Connector ...................................................... 9 CS Hyde Company ....................................................... 14 Del-tron ............................................................................ 49 Diamond Wire Springs ................................................ 35 Digi-Key Electronics ..................................................... 13 ebm-papst........................................................................ 5 HAWE ................................................................................ 66 Hunger Hydraulics ....................................................... BC IDS Imaging Development Systems GmbH ........ 25 Interpower ....................................................................... 15,65 NB Corp ............................................................................ 3 OKW Enclosures, Inc. .................................................. 27 PBC Linear ...................................................................... 7 Permco ............................................................................. 44,IBC Pyramid Inc ..................................................................... 35 Rotor Clip ......................................................................... 2 SIKO ................................................................................... 33 Smart Products ............................................................. 57 Sorbothane .................................................................... 17 Trim-Lok ........................................................................... 23 Whittet-Higgins ............................................................. 19

A Supplement to Design World - AUGUST 2022 www.therobotreport.com

How a new

joint design

powers the UR20 cobot INSIDE: • What’s the difference between a servo drive and motion controller? ................................................................. 74 • How precise motion systems drive AMRs .......................... 78 • How the mini cheetah robot learns to run ........................ 86

Redesigned from the ground up, the UR20 is the fastest and strongest collaborative robot arm ever built by Universal Robots. page 68

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7/26/22 12:10 PM

International Manufacturing Technology Show September 12-17, 2022 IMTS ready for its Chicago comeback .... p.94

IMTS Cover 8-22.indd 93

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LEADERSHIP TEAM

Ryan Ashdown

Publisher Mike Emich

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mcooke@wtwhmedia.com 781.710.4659

Jim Dempsey

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Mike Francesconi

memich@wtwhmedia.com 508.446.1823 @wtwh_memich

Managing Director Scott McCafferty

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jpowers@wtwhmedia.com 312.925.7793 @jpowers_media

Courtney Nagle

cseel@wtwhmedia.com 440.523.1685 @wtwh_CSeel

The Robot Report Canon U.S.A., Inc. ................................... 82 CGI Inc. ....................................................... 77 Chieftek Precision .................................. 72 CubeMars .................................................. 83 FESTO ......................................................... 85 Harmonic Drive ........................................ 71 maxon ......................................................... 73 New England Wire & Tubing Technologies ....................... 80 Ruland Manufacturing .......................... 84 THK America Inc ...................................... 87

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IMTS Supplement

IMTS 2022

SALES

PBC .............................................................. 99 Smalley ....................................................... 97 Renishaw ................................................... 105 Wago Corporation .................................. 101 Weidmüller ................................................ 103

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DESIGN WORLD

8/2/22 11:07 AM

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Permco 8-22_DW.indd 1

7/27/22 3:19 PM

OVER

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8/4/22 3:02 PM