February 2020

38 n SPS REPORT February 2020 www.drivesncontrols.com Mayr presented new designs for its Roba-brake-checker module which monitors and supplies safety brakes without needing sensors. The new versions can be used to monitor brakes with torque levels as low as 2Nm. Mayr says this will open up new possibilities for monitoring safety brakes in servomotors and for applications in robotics and automation. The device detects the movements of a brake’s armature disk by analysing the current and voltage it is drawing, and can determine the brake’s condition. Mitsubishi has produced a cost-effective robot arm with an 8kg load capacity by optimising some of the details of earlier arms. For example, the Melfa RV-8CRL have more than 200 fewer screw connections. As with other Melfa robots, programming is done using the RT ToolBox 3 software. Moog was promoting precision planetary rollerscrews made by its VSM subsidiary, which can achieve high load ratings and precise positioning, even with small thread pitches. The rollerscrews, available on short delivery times, come in screw diameters of 15–100mm, lengths of up to 4m, pitches of 2–42mm, and dynamic load ratings up to 1,250kN (or 3,500kN static). They can accelerate at up to 40m/s 2 . Moog is offering a linear actuator based on an inverted planetary rollerscrew with a hollow-shaft rotor that is fitted with a long internal thread with which a roller nut meshes. The MG16331 drive has a sealed push-rod similar to the piston of a hydraulic cylinder. The electrically powered device provides more precise positioning than hydraulic actuators. At SPS, Schunk announced what it claims is the first long-stroke gripper developed and certified for use with collaborative robots. The Co-act EGL-C devices offers gripping forces up to 450N, a stroke of 42.5mm per finger, and can handle weights up to 8kg. Another arrival on the Schunk stand was an “intelligent” parallel gripper with a certified Profinet-IRT interface. The EGI 80 gripper produces gripping forces up to 100N. Schunk also launched a new generation of rotary mechatronic modules based on a torque motor with an absolute encoder. The compact ERT modules produce dynamic, precise rotational movements. SENSORS AND MEASUREMENT Balluff was showing a linear measuring system based on an absolute magnetic encoder with a Drive-Cliq interface that allows plug-and-play use with Siemens controls which detect the sensor and its settings automatically. The BML encoder is designed for absolute position and end-of- travel measurements over lengths of up to 48m, with an accuracy of up to ±12μm and a resolution of 1μm. Balluff also has a through-beam sensor with IO-Link that offers numerous measuring modes including object diameter and position, gap width and position, edge position, counting and calibration. The 16mm-wide BLA 16C laser light array has a range of 2m and a resolution of 10μm, and can be used without a PC or special software. Baumer launched a series of robot vision sensors that can be set up to control Universal Robots cobots within “a few minutes”. The XF900 and XC900 sensors are mounted on the cobot or above it. Calibration of image distortion and co- ordinate alignment take place Credit: Mesago/Malte Kirchner Fewer screws: Mitsubishi’s Melfa RV-8CRL robot Quick deliveries: Moog VSM planetary rollerscrew