Actuator features Xenus indexer.
Press Release Summary:
ServoTube actuator makes positioning subsystem for stacking, cutting, pressing, coating, filling, picking, and placing. It requires 50/60 Hz AC power, eliminating need for pneumatic or hydraulic lines. External multi-position thumbwheel switch can call up Xenus' stored motion profile. Continuous force ranges from 51-104 N and peak force is 662 N. Actuator attains 527 m/s² acceleration and 6 m/s velocity.
Original Press Release:
Copley's ServoTube Actuator Upsets Status Quo
Direct drive ServoTube actuator delivers the speed and ruggedness of pneumatics, the controllability of ballscrews, and the inherent reliability of direct drive linear motors, all at a price unprecedented in the industry. ServoTube is the first three phase linear motor designed specifically as an actuator. It is fast, clean, simple, rugged, inexpensive and smart
Canton, MA April 12, 2004-Copley Motion Systems announces the ServoTube actuator-a linear motor "reincarnated" as a powerful industrial pusher/puller. Heir to the speed and acceleration of linear motor technology, but redesigned to apply brain and brawn to factory floor actuation, ServoTube sheds the mechanical limitations of ballscrew and belt actuators and far outperforms any pneumatic actuator's attempt at programming versatility.
Paired with a matching Xenus indexer, ServoTube actuators makes a complete low cost positioning subsystem for stacking, cutting, pressing, coating, filling, picking and placing. No pneumatic nor hydraulic lines are needed, just 50/60 Hz AC power. For maximum simplicity, an external multi-position thumbwheel switch can call up Xenus' stored motion profile. At the opposite performance extreme, ServoTube will execute CANopen positioning profiles transmitted to Xenus via a two wire CAN bus.
Specifications-A ServoTube motor and a line powered Xenus indexer make a complete digitally programmable actuator. Xenus indexers plug in to 50/60 Hz at 120 or 240VAC, dispensing with the bulk and cost of a separate DC power supply.
ServoTube continuous force ranges from 51N to 104N (11.2 to 23 LB) and a peak force is 662N (146 LB). The actuator attains maximum 527 m/s2 acceleration, and 6m/s velocity, all at resolution down to 12 microns.
Slow To Evolve-Why have actuators based on linear motor technology been so slow to evolve and demonstrate their superiority over pneumatic, ballscrew and belt technologies? The simple answer is that most linear motor configurations are ill suited to actuator operation. Conventional linear motor designs are flat, with dirt-collecting channels and grooves. The channels and grooves would become clogged in factory floor use, with accumulated grime causing malfunction. The need for an external position encoder is another barrier to such motors' transformation into low cost actuators.
Tubular Motor Compatibility-In contrast, Copley Controls' linear motors are distinguished by their hermetically sealed tubular construction, which is inherently compatible with actuator operation. Magnetic drive coils are contained within the metal enclosed forcer, while the motor's permanent magnets are hermetically sealed in the cylindrical thrust rod.
Simple Construction-The ServoTube actuator's two basic parts: forcer and thruster, are roughly analogous to the pneumatic actuator's cylinder and piston. The analogy ceases when programmable operation is involved. Pneumatic actuators become very complicated, requiring elaborate control valves, and a complex electro-pneumatic control system to choreograph the positioning function. (Owing to the inherent difficulty of pneumatic control, some pneumatic actuators even add hydraulics to augment position control). Pneumatic actuators typically depend on a linear potentiometer for position sensing, which exhibit electrical noise and contact problems, and are lamentably unreliable compared with the ServoTube's solid state non-contact Hall sensors. ServoTube actuators, deriving from Copley Controls' linear motor technology, are inherently capable of sophisticated programmability. Ballscrews and belt drives are also programmable, except that ballscrews are noisy, and ballscrew wear degrades positioning accuracy. Belt drives are complex and require repeated adjustment, which undermines their long term dependability.
Drive Principles-The ServoTube motor's forcer contains the motor's electrically powered drive coils while the thruster is a 25mm diameter stainless steel actuation tube enclosing rare-earth permanent magnets. Interaction between the forcer's traveling magnetic field and the thruster's fixed magnet field sets up a magnetic force that drives the thruster. The ServoTube forcer is a rugged IP67 rated enclosure that houses the position sensing Hall devices as well as the drive coils.
Eliminate Encoder-Copley has achieved dramatic ServoTube economy and application ease by replacing the normal external position encoder with integral Hall position sensing. Key to the actuator's notable 12 micron's repeatability is the patented configuration of the thrust rod's permanent magnets. The actuator's Hall position sensors develop high accuracy positioning signals in response to the precise field patterns.
A precision external encoder costs roughly as much as the linear motor itself. Replacing the position encoder with Hall sensors not only brings an immediate cost reduction, but also creates a wholesale change in what might be termed the linear motor's engineering "infrastructure." An external encoder requires the linear motor to use precision (and costly) bearings. It also demands tight and costly motor manufacturing tolerances. Further, motor installation incurs time- consuming setup and alignment effort.
Installation, Application Ease-Redesigned as the ServoTube actuator, linear motors not only shed their encoder, but work with low cost full length industrial bearings. Freed from the need to align a precision encoder, ServoTube actuators install as easily as pneumatic actuators. Compatibility with pneumatic actuator fittings adds application diversity. Eliminating these complexities, and substituting simple bearings for precision linear motor bearings enables ServoTube to compete not only on performance, but on price as well. The ServoTube integral bearings also wipe the thrust rod clean with each stroke, further improving robustness and prolonging operational life. The actuator's embedded Hall position sensor provides a clear operational advantages by eliminating the possibility of degradation from tarnishing or soiling, or damage by physical contact - a real consideration in factory floor environments.
Meets Short Run Needs-The ServoTube motor's cost and performance superiority is most pronounced in modern short run production, where product specifications vary from batch to batch. Programmable position control- at which the ServoTube excels-rather than the unvarying fixed or "bang-bang" actuation of pneumatic actuators, is key to production efficiency.
Applications-ServoTube actuators provide the speed, programmability and precision needed for today's short production runs, variable duty cycles, and harsh factory floor environments. Solid state control plus minimal parts count provides a distinct advantage over traditional pneumatic, lead screw and belt drive mechanisms. Typically uses occur in stacking, cutting, pressing, coating, filling, picking, placing and related automated functions.
Delivery o Price o Contact
Delivery: Stock - 4 weeks ARO
Contact: Jim Woodward, Extension 261
Copley Controls Corp,
20 Dan Road, Canton, MA 02021
Tel: 781-828-8090 o Fax: 781-828-1740
Internet: www.copleycontrols.com
jwoodward@copleycontrols.com
ServoTube: From $995 (1 - 9)
Xenus Amp: From $766 (1 - 9)
