Why linear drives have come to the mainstream

An Aerotech product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Jun 19, 2000

The brushless linear motor is quite mature but only recently have the high power amplifiers and motion controllers become cost effective enough to bring the technology to the mainstream

The mobile telephone is a perfect example of the way that electronic based devices have evolved over the last decade or so.

From highly expensive contraptions, which required Schwartzenegger-like muscles to lift, to tiny, almost invisible, compacts carried by every self-respecting teenager, mobile phones, like their electronic counterparts have become smaller, cheaper and mass produced.

The electronic test and assembly industry must continue to boom, with the drive to reduce manufacturing costs only exceeded by a need to decrease size.

To increase throughput and yield, and yet decrease downtime, the next generation of manufacturing equipment will be expected to consistently produce flawless parts and require less maintenance.

To meet the requirement for higher speeds, greater accuracies and improved reliability, engineers are increasingly employing a technology which was initially researched in the late nineteenth century, that of linear motors.

In the past, manufacturers of pick-and-place machines have had to compromise between the speed of a belt drive and the accuracy of ballscrew driven mechanisms.

Linear motors offer higher speeds than belt-driven mechanisms and accuracies above those achieved by ballscrews.

Greater speeds and accelerations result in a system with much higher throughput and thus improved productivity.

There is no wear associated with linear drives because they are a non-contact device and so require no maintenance.

Improved reliability results in reduced downtime over the life of the machine.

The technology behind the brushless linear motor is quite mature but only recently have the supporting electronics - high power amplifiers and advanced motion controllers - become cost effective enough to bring the technology to the mainstream.

The rare-earth magnets required for today's demanding applications have also only become readily available in recent years.

For linear motor drive mechanisms to really make an impact, the practice of mix-and-matching devices has to be reconsidered; drive systems need to be supplied as complete sub-assemblies ready for fitting to the machine.

Turnkey, linear motion gantry systems will be provided which allow manufacturers to focus on the true value-added portion of their machine.

It is true that the initial cost of linear motor based systems tends to be slightly higher than comparable belt or ballscrew drives but the return on investment can be significantly shorter.

Greater throughput increases production and can improve capacity, as fewer machines are needed for a given output.

Higher accuracy allows the next generation of miniature products to be made.

Just as the cost of a mobile phone has become insignificant compared to the increases in functionality, the implementation of direct drive devices will have far reaching implications on the entire assembly process.

Find out more about this article. Request a brochure, download technical specifications and request samples here.
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