Actuator is viable alternative to linear motor
A
Wittenstein product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Feb 13, 2006
The alpha actuator system is based on a combination of several innovative elements, which only have the desired effect when brought together.
The alpha actuator system - dubbed an innovative alternative - is based on a combination of several elements, which only have the desired effect when brought together.
Production and test engineering for rack-and-pinion units facilitate an unprecedented degree of precision, and this is combined with innovative servomotor and transmission technology.
The complete system is then simulated in tandem with other factors such as the type of connection between various system elements.
The actuator system consists of a high-precision rack-and-pinion unit (with positioning accuracy better than 12um) and a rotary actuator which moves the load on this unit.
The system was developed for high-end machine building applications such as machine tools.
Thanks to the outstanding system characteristics, the results are as good as - if not better than - linear motors, but at a fraction of the price.
The new actuator system is not intended as a straight substitute for linear motors.
It is rather the key to incredible boosts in performance - dynamics, precision, productivity, quality - in all applications which until now have been solved with a ball screw drive or a planetary ball screw.
Although linear motors theoretically represent an attractive alternative for this kind of application, they are generally disregarded on account of their high costs.
Compared with conventional technology based on ball screw drives, the alpha system can provide up to five times faster travel speeds and up to three times better positioning accuracy - with only marginally higher costs and no increase in machinery room volume.
Compared with linear motors, the same performance can usually be achieved at 60% lower cost (with a travel distance of 4m).
Numerous other compelling arguments become evident in practical duty: no special training is required for assembly personnel; efficiency is far superior to linear motors (energy saving); and a constant high rigidity is assured over the complete travel distance.
Furthermore, the reduction in electricity costs for a CNC milling centre can amount to as much as Eur 20 per hour of operation compared with a linear motor.
The majority of machine builders have long dreamed of controlling linear movements faster and more precisely than is possible with ballscrew drives - but until now have never had the opportunity owing to the high cost of linear motors.
The new actuator system from alpha gear drives unleashes previously inaccessible potentials for innovations throughout the high-end machinery sector.
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