February 2021

NEWS n 5 www.drivesncontrols.com February 2021 Levitating transport system promises ‘a new era for manufacturing’ B&R AUTOMATION HAS announced a magnetically levitating shuttle system with six degrees of freedom for moving items around production machinery. It claims that its Acopos 6D system, which can carry items weighing from 0.6–14kg at speeds of up to 2m/s with a positioning repeatability of ±5μm, heralds “a new era for manufacturing”. The shuttles with built-in permanent magnets float above the surface of electromagnetic motor segments measuring 240 x 240mm, which can be arranged freely to create any shape. As well as moving in two dimensions, the shuttles (which come in ten sizes) can also rotate and tilt on three axes, and offer precise control over the levitating height of 4-8mm. Acceleration rates of up to 20m/s 2 are possible. Each shuttle can also act as a weighing station, measuring its payload with an accuracy of ±1g, independent of the weight of the load. This can eliminate the need for separate weighing stations, resulting is smaller machines. B&R – a subsidiary of ABB – claims that its system offers up to four times the shuttle density of rival systems. Four independently controlled shuttles can move simultaneously on the same motor segment in different directions and at different speeds. The shuttles levitate freely without any contact or friction. With no abrasive wear, there are no parts to maintain. Placing a stainless-steel cover over the motor segments provides the system with IP69K protection, making it suitable for use in cleanrooms or food and beverage production. The levitating shuttles can move items freely through a machine, avoiding the rigidly defined timing needed for conventional transport systems. The flexible system is suitable for small-batch production with frequent changeovers between products of different designs and sizes. The Acopos 6D system is compatible with other B&R technologies, allowing the shuttles to be synchronised with servo axes, robots, track systems and machine vision cameras. Path planning for the shuttles is done in a dedicated controller, networked via Powerlink. It has no impact on the performance of the network or the machine control system. Each controller can handle up to 200 segments and 50 shuttles. For larger installations, multiple controllers can be synchronised with each other. The segments are powered via a DC bus, allowing braking energy to recovered and shared between the shuttles, thus improving the system efficiency. The use of a low-voltage supply avoids the need for specially- trained maintenance personnel. Each segment typically consumes about 50W and is equipped with water- cooling capabilities, in case this is needed. The shuttle system can operate vertically as well as horizontally – and even in an inverted position. If power is lost, the DC power can be buffered, allowing the shuttles to be “parked” in their current location. Unlike rival systems, each shuttle has a unique ID. At start-up, the controller immediately knows the location of each shuttle on the motor segments, and production can start without time- consuming homing sequences or input by an operator. The positioning repeatability of ±5μm makes the system suitable for precision applications, such as those found in the electronics industry and in the assembly of mechanical and electronic components. The non-contact, lubricant-free movement with no mechanical wear means that the shuttle system is suitable for hygienic applications in the pharmaceutical, food and electronics industries. Dario Rovelli, head of product management in B&R’s motion and mechatronic systems division, believes that other application areas will include buffering and sorting in packaging machines (where the built- in weighing function could save space and complexity), and assembly lines for items such as automotive components and batteries where the levitating system could offer a “quasi cleanroom environment”. Operation of an Acopos 6D installation can be simulated before it is built. Algorithms ensure that the shuttles follow an optimal path, while avoiding collisions and minimising energy consumption. They can operate in “swarms”, performing multiple processes simultaneously. Rovelli likens the technology to “an AGV system for the desktop”. He says that B&R’s earlier AcoposTrak system is complementary to Acopos 6D, providing transport between production stations, while the new system operates within stations. B&R developed the new system in cooperation with Planar Motors Inc (PMI), a Canadian company with more than 15 years of r&d experience in magnetic levitation technologies for industrial manufacturing. B&R is a shareholder in PMI. www.br-automation.com B&R’s new Acopos 6D levitating transport system can move items weighing up to 14kg with six degrees of freedom