Tech Briefs Magazine - October 2023 - MD-18

Elevating Workpiece Handling During Plasma
Surface Treatment Process
A
t nearly every trade show where
Beckhoff Automation presents the
XPlanar system, attendees stop in their
tracks to watch. They comment on how
exciting and interesting the magnetically
levitating and flying movers are.
And then they ask, " What can you actually
do with it? "
For Automate 2023 in Detroit, we provided
a real-life answer with the XPlanarequipped
system from Plasmatreat GmbH.
Plasmatreat, a Steinhagen, Germanybased
manufacturer of plasma systems
for high-efficiency surface treatment
and environmentally friendly production
processes, recently unveiled a new
plasma treatment unit. A key innovation
with this treatment unit is that it uses
XPlanar, a planar motor system from
Beckhoff, to transport workpieces with
high precision and flexibility. XPlanar
replaces prior systems used to move
often sensitive workpieces such as PCBs
and eliminates the need to install complex
six-axis robots and linear motors.
The plasma treatment unit can surface-treat
a variety of material samples in
a two-stage process, according to Jochen
Stichling, Head of Design at Plasmatreat.
" During the first stage, the substrate is
programming of tracks and travel there
was no real alternative to XPlanar. "
The XPlanar system consists of planar
tiles that can be arranged in any pattern,
combined with contactless movers that
float over them and provide exceptionally
fast, flexible, and precise positioning.
The movers operate jerk-free and
can travel at speeds of up to 2 m/s; they
can also accelerate at 1 g and be positioned
with a repeatability of 50 µm -
silently, and without wear or abrasion.
The system not only supports movement
within the x-y space, but it also provides
additional functions to allow mover positioning
with up to six degrees of freeXPlanar
eliminates the need to move the plasma jet;
instead, a floating planar mover carries the workpiece
exactly into position for precise surface treatment.
(Image: Plasmatreat)
moved under a nozzle for cleaning and
activation. During the second, a separate
nozzle applies a functional coating, " said
Stichling. This, he explained, is where
the company focused its innovation efforts:
" We wanted a fast, fully programmable,
wear-free system to transport the
workpieces. And when it came to custom
dom when necessary:
* raising and lowering by up to 5 mm
(unloaded)
* tilting by up to 5° when transporting
and handling liquids
* rotation of +/-5° while moving in XY
and 360° when stopped.
The XPlanar system in the Plasmatreat
machine consists of six 240 × 240 mm
planar tiles and a single planar mover.
A major advantage Plasmatreat gained
by implementing XPlanar is that the
plasma jets used to treat surfaces no longer
need to be moved and, as a result,
Plasmatreat's new plasma treatment unit is highly compact as it no longer requires a
six-axis robot or additional linear axes. (Image: Plasmatreat)
18
At Automate 2023, Beckhoff showcased the XPlanar-equipped Plasmatreat
system as a real-world example of how the mechatronics system can redefine
what's possible in material handling and processing. (Image: Beckhoff)
Motion Design, October 2023
Tech Briefs Magazine - October 2023

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