Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

servo

Yaskawa launches direct drive servo motor for ‘backlash-free’ automation applications

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yaskawa sgm7f servo motor

Yaskawa has introduced a direct drive servo motor that the company says packs a new level of performance into a more compact size than anything offered before. 

The new Yaskawa SGM7F line of direct drive servo motors delivers from 4 to 35 Nm of torque in a device as small as 2.1” high and 5.3” in diameter (53x135mm).

This size advantage makes it possible to apply the mechanical benefits of a direct coupling between a servo motor and a load in tighter spaces than ever before.  [Read more…] about Yaskawa launches direct drive servo motor for ‘backlash-free’ automation applications

Got milk? How a Swiss company builds filling and packaging systems for milk, coffee and other products

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A piece of equipment manufactured by Swiss Can Machinery

Scaled technology and functioning interfaces are essential for Swiss Can Machinery, which is why the company’s filling and packaging systems have a modular design throughout, and why it uses a product program with a scaled structure for the drive technology. 

The filling and packaging systems at Swiss Can Machinery – which was established by brothers Marc and Michael Grabher – shows how this objective can be achieved.

The company turns to stainless steel motors for the actuators; for example, when these systems are used for filling and packaging pharmaceutical products.  [Read more…] about Got milk? How a Swiss company builds filling and packaging systems for milk, coffee and other products

Spinea launches new servo actuator for precision motion

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Spinea has launched its new DS 095 DriveSpin servo actuator motor for precision control.

Recently announced by Spinea and available in the UK from Heason Technology, the DriveSpin DS 095 series integrates the industry leading TwinSpin high-load capacity trochoidal gear unit and a powerful AC servomotor with servo feedback for a cutting-edge rotary actuator solution for precision motion applications.

The inline (non-hollowshaft) design of the DS 095 fulfils the gap between the DS 70 and DS 100 models to provide a rated torque of up to 85 Nm and maximum lost motion and hysteresis values of less than one arc-min.  [Read more…] about Spinea launches new servo actuator for precision motion

Yaskawa introduces gear motor capabilities for its full Sigma-7 servo line

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The Drives & Motion Division of Yaskawa America has released what it says is “a full line of gear motors” based on its Sigma-7 servo motors.

The new line brings “precise Yaskawa servo motion to a wider variety of automation applications than ever before, especially to uses which require high torque at low
output speeds”, says the company.

A new set of gearheads have been designed to pair precisely with every servo motor in the full Sigma-7 range, creating complete gear motor solutions rated from a low of 50W to as high as 7.5 kW.  [Read more…] about Yaskawa introduces gear motor capabilities for its full Sigma-7 servo line

Delta presents its latest innovations in industrial automation at SPS IPC Drives Italia

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delta electronics 1

Delta, a provider of power and thermal management solutions and industrial automation solutions, is showcasing its complete portfolio of next-generation industrial automation products and solutions at SPS IPC Drives Italia 2017.

The company says its solutions are designed to augment the productivity of manufacturing and industrial processes in a broad spectrum of applications.

These include the new compact modular mid-range PLC AS series, featuring slim and modular design with max. 1,024 I/O and remarkable program capacity of 128K steps for multi-axis control to support advance automation machinery, as well as the new ASDA-A3 servo system, boasting a high performance motor with 6,000rpm and a vibration suppression function to enhance the operation integrity of advanced machines.  [Read more…] about Delta presents its latest innovations in industrial automation at SPS IPC Drives Italia

Miniature 700-watt servo motor drive with integrated motion controller

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Granite Devices, a Finnish servo drive manufacturer, has released a new industrial servo motor drive contributing high degree of time and cost saving features to the machine automation market.

A “Swiss-army knife of motion control”, Ioni starts a new era of servo drives by bringing snap-on installation, built-in SIL2 safety functions and unforeseen compactness in 700 W class in just 70 x 37 x 7 mm form factor.

Ioni implements industry standard, torque, velocity and position controls for AC, brushless DC, brushed DC, linear servo motors and stepping motors between 2 W and 700 W power.  [Read more…] about Miniature 700-watt servo motor drive with integrated motion controller

Kollmorgen expands its AKM servo motor series

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Kollmorgen Motor AKM1

Kollmorgen says its new servo motor has energy efficiency, durability, power density, overload capability, and – crucially – is extra low voltage.

The new AKM DC servo motor low voltage with its 48-volt design was originally intended as a customer-specific solution for special areas of use.

Kollmorgen, a specialist in servo-drive technology and motion control will now offer this as a standard add-on to the AKM series, and thus as a new series product.  [Read more…] about Kollmorgen expands its AKM servo motor series

Milacron launches new RoboShot SI-20A injection molding unit

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fanuc roboshot

Milacron, an industrial technology company serving the plastics processing industry, has launched the Milacron-Fanuc RoboShot SI-20A, a vertically mounted secondary injection unit for RoboShot machines.

The new Fanuc RoboShot SI-20A secondary injection unit was designed and developed by Fanuc in Japan. The SI-20A continues to offer the same high quality, high technology and precision synonymous with the RoboShot name.

The RoboShot SI-20A is a high precision, compact, all electric vertically mounted secondary injection unit equipped with Fanuc’s latest HMI Control and provides high molding performance, high sustainability, and ease of use. [Read more…] about Milacron launches new RoboShot SI-20A injection molding unit

Reassuringly expensive gear: Overcoming the challenges of the packaging industry

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Graham Mackrell, managing director of precision gearing specialist Harmonic Drive UK, explains actuators, boots and socioeconomic unfairness 

As a famous fictional policeman once said, “The reason that the rich were so rich… was because they managed to spend less money”. 

What he meant was that although the rich may buy more expensive things, they buy products that will last longer and are therefore a better investment.

Although the policeman in question was referring to boots at the time, the same is true of cars, phones, and even servo actuators used in packaging machines.  [Read more…] about Reassuringly expensive gear: Overcoming the challenges of the packaging industry

Foxconn reaches 40,000 industrial robot installations

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Foxconn, the Taiwan-headquartered industrial robotics and automation company which makes a lot of Apple’s devices including the iPhone and iPad, says it has now installed 40,000 industrial robots in mainland China.

This is according to a report on the Next Big Future website, which adds that company plans to increase that figure ten-fold.

The robots are built almost entirely in-house with the exception of some components like servo motors and speed reducers, said Foxconn’s Dai Chia-peng to Taiwan’s Central News Agency, as quoted by DigiTimes.  [Read more…] about Foxconn reaches 40,000 industrial robot installations