Tech Briefs Magazine - June 2024 - MD10

ball screw and thrust bearings. It extends
the life of the actuator, removing shock
loading as a competitive advantage for
hydraulics in many more applications.
Manual Brake Release and
Override
When the core technology involves a
brushless motor, which is increasingly
the case in actuator designs, a standard
core technology could accommodate
manual brake releases and overrides,
which provide
and energy conservation advantages
over hydraulics.
05012024_Tech_Briefs_Motion Design_General_Ad(4.5x7.25).pdf 1 5/1/2024 9:25:52 AM
A manual brake release module allows
operators to move a machine component
manually when it is stuck, broken
or has other problems. This module enables
the machine to travel under the
safety, maintenance,
power of applied load and/or gravity,
providing regenerative current to a
power supply or battery to help control
movement (Figure 3).
These capabilities can be easily added
to an actuator that uses a brushless
motor and is designed with adaptability.
Getting such benefits from hydraulic systems
is very difficult, and often impossible.
Hydraulic systems must always be
powered on and constantly consume energy.
There is no way to shut them down
for maintenance without compromising
the productivity of the application.
PRECISION MOTION CONTROLLERS
Effortlessly synchronize up to 50 axes
of servo-hydraulic and servo-electric motion
when using an RMC Motion Controller.
C
M
Wood
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
CONNECT. CONTROL. OPTIMIZE.
When you choose Delta Motion, you choose
top-notch products with exceptional adaptability and
user-friendly operation, backed by knowledgeable
and responsive support from an employee-owned
company with a 40-year track record of never
obsoleting products.
Products
General
Manufacturing
Presses
Testing
Life in a Modular World
In a modular world, designers select
add-ons to suit their application just as
they now do for many other types of
components. They would select their
part, voltage, load, and stroke to establish
core drive system needs, and then
select additional options, such as environmental
conditions, and control and
electrical requirements as add-ons.
Useful add-ons might also include force
feedback, load dampening, and braking/override
options mentioned above,
depending on the accessories a given
manufacturer offers.
In a truly modular world, the ability
to design accessories for a common
technology platform rather than from
the ground up incentivizes the creation
of new, previously unimaginable functionality.
This approach suits electric
actuator makers well. They are consistently
pushing the envelope to deliver
new value and more powerful solutions,
and exploring new motor technologies,
alternative screw technologies, and
much more.
While physics dictates that actuators can
move heavier loads just by making the
screw and motor larger, the ultimate challenge
is to achieve maximum output
within the same or smaller envelope.
Exploiting the possibilities of modular design
is one way to address this challenge.
Using add-ons will have maximum payback,
perhaps, when replacing sprawling
hydraulic systems with electric actuators.
This article was written by Travis
360-254-8688
10
|
deltamotion.com
Gilmer, Product Line Manager - Linear
Actuators, Thomson Industries (Wood
Dale, IL). For more information, visit
www.thomsonlinear.com/en/index.
Motion Design, June 2024
http://info.hotims.com/86256-726 http://www.thomsonlinear.com/en/index
Tech Briefs Magazine - June 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Tech Briefs Magazine - June 2024
