Electromechanical Group

Thanks to our loyal followers for all of the interest in the topics covered in this blog over the past year. In examining the most-read blog posts over the course of 2019, it becomes obvious that there is quite a diversity of products under the electromechanical umbrella, but the common threads of precision, innovation and purpose tie them all together. 

Energy savings, an important initiative for now and the future, was highlighted in two top posts: 5 Reasons to Control Your Compressor With a VFD and How VFD Technology on Hydraulic Power Units Helps Improve Performance.

The new and rapidly growing field of mobile electrification was covered in Series Hybrid Vehicle System Design.

Providing advice for selecting the right components for a great system was found in three posts:

Selecting The Right Drive Train Technology for 3D Systems

Struggling To Find the Right Encoder Feedback 

Putting It All Together: Choosing a Fastening Method

2019 saw some impressive growth in social media interaction. Our most popular platform remains the Parker Electromechanical Technology Showcase on LinkedIn, which attracted many new followers in the past year. Popular posts covered a variety of topics including motorcycle racing, featuring an electric bike powered by our GVM motor, participation in a number of industry trade shows including our first Cybershow, and shared content from our Parker Distributors. Please follow us and feel free to share and comment - and don't forget, we are also on Twitter @ParkerElectro. 

The past year also included some new product announcements, like extended power range for the AC30 VFD, now available through 600 HP, new PAC and PACIO accessories, and most recently the availability of the ACR7000 multi-axis motion controller. 

Parker sees its purpose as a platform for growth, change and positive impact to the world. As we enter 2020, watch for more new innovative solutions from the Electromechanical & Drives team as we focus on these values and on engineering your success.

This article was contributed by Lou Lambruschi, marketing services manager, Electromechanical Division, Parker Hannifin Corporation.

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VFD Provides Energy Saving on Hydraulic Power Unit | Case Study

Shift in Linear Actuator Design Fueled by Newer Generation

In industry, time is money. So, for engineers who are time-pressured, there is a solution for electromechanical press and joining applications.

Push-To-Fit is an innovative electromechanical solution that combines a number of Parker’s established core products into a joining module. All individual components of Push-To-Fit are designed to meet the highest expectations concerning force, dynamics, precision and service life for engineers working in the general industrial and automotive manufacturing space. In fact, the solution is scalable to a wide and diverse range of end application requirements.

In simple terms, the module comprises a process control unit, servo drive, motor electric cylinder and force sensor connected together through software to provide fast and easy integration into customer processes. For instance, the process control unit offers full compatibility and preparation for third-party device connectivity, with dual LAN networks and options for Profinet, Ethernet IP and Modbus. Numerous operating options, such as web visualisation, digital I/O and communications interfaces (e.g. OPC UA,) are also available to further simplify integration.

Parker has made sure that ease-of-use is boosted through real-time control information, historical/trend data, adjustable error response, definable motion profiles, and monitoring via tolerance windows or tolerance curves.

Among the many advantages of this quiet, clean solution is greater energy efficiency versus comparable technologies such as hydraulics and pneumatics. Moreover, excellent throughput rates are facilitated by high travel speeds of up to 450mm/s, while repeatability is 0.03mm. 

Created by Parker’s Electromechanical and Drives Division, Push-To-Fit is a cost-effective and highly flexible solution, with different forces and multiple stroke lengths available. As a result, customers only buy precisely what is needed for their specific application.

In terms of functional safety, Push-To-Fit is supplied with hardware STO as standard. Further safety functions such as SLS and others are available with the safety PLC. As a Fail-Safe, over EtherCAT (FSoE) master the safety PLC uses the EtherCAT fieldbus to establish safe communication without separate wiring. The external safety brake completes the range and permits safety-related applications up to PLe.

As press or joining applications are one of the key processes in modern automated manufacturing there are increased demands on product quality and statistical analysis. To fulfill such demands Push-To-Fit comes already with interfaces like Q-DAS. Within a text file basic information and process data is available in a kind of key-value database. In addition to Q-DAS other integrated process data managements like IPM are supported as well. Via TCP/IP process data is collected in a life cycle file to ensure access. Such systems also help you to identifies errors in an early stage This is another reason why these systems and the required interfaces are so valuable.

Discover more about the Push-To-Fit solution and the benefits it can bring to industrial assembly projects.

This article contributed by Patrick Knebel, product manager Push-To-Fit, Electromechanical Division Europe, Parker Hannifin Corporation.

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The arguments advocating more automation in our factories and process plants are gaining momentum and translating into a revolution in production environments. 

Parker designs automated linear motion solutions such as electromechanical actuators to offer a combination of load handling, space saving and reliability attributes. This all links to the overall goal of optimising throughput and minimising costs. We’ve also noticed that versatility and simple utilisation in multi-axis solutions are also becoming more important, particularly for applications such as materials handling and feed systems, as well as production and packaging machinery. 

The latest high-load rodless linear actuators, such as the HLR series, achieve a load capacity at 3847 Newtons (N) that is circa 20 percent higher than existing solutions. Notably, we’ve incorporated a square rail, which not only promotes higher load capabilities, but also longer operating life. Performance parameters include speed up to 5 m/s, acceleration up to 50 m/s2 and repeatability of ±0.05 mm.

Having high load and thrust force capabilities can save money for your plant by allowing the deployment of a smaller actuator than would normally be required. We all know that floor space costs money, so the opportunity to use more compact automation solutions and create space for additional capacity is quite literally, priceless.

Parker’s compact HLR actuators also facilitate the fast and easy creation of multi-axis solutions. If your machine or system is based on a double or multiple axis gantry design, then the HLR concept can be expanded quickly and easily, saving money by reducing design resource and solution complexity. 

For instance, in double-axis applications, our system makes use of a connecting shaft to ensure synchronous and rigid transmission of the drive torque to a second linear actuator arranged in parallel. With the use of toe clamps for mounting the actuators, one or two cross beams can be fastened directly to the carriage of linear actuators, dispensing with the need for additional connection plates.

Sometimes, a complete, pre-defined drive and control package can be supplied to match and integrate actuators into a wide range of applications, and here at Parker, we can supply it. By using a pre-defined drive package consisting of actuator, motor, gearbox and servocontroller, a complete drive train can be quickly selected to suit your specific task.

Automating a machine or system is one thing, but sourcing innovative automation offering genuine competitive gain is quite another, particularly with regard to linear motion. Here, only factors such as high-load capabilities, high speed, compact dimensions, reliability, repeatability, and the simple creation of multi-axis solutions can provide the levels of future-proofing required to remain ahead of the pack.

If you would like to discover more about our HLR actuator and the benefits it can bring to your project, please click here.

This article was contributed to by Olaf Zeiss, product manager, Electromechanical and Drives Division Europe, Parker Hannifin Corporation.

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It’s no secret that the Millennial Generation’s practices and preferences are shifting consumer product design and marketing messages across the board. But how does that trend affect product design in the world of industrial manufacturing? Are we seeing similar trends in pneumatic and electromechanical design on the factory floor?

The short answer is yes. Millennial engineers, or makers  - a popular term coined by this generation, are leading the transformation of our industry. Makers are known for their self-sufficiency. They don’t want to have to make a phone call or wait several days for information. They want to be able to find the answers themselves and get on with their creations.

The key is that members of this generation are not afraid to challenge the process or the system. When it comes to pneumatic and electromechanical actuator sizing, the process has been the same for decades. Actuators are designed conservatively to meet many safety and service factors. Calculations are complex but everyone has designed this way because it has worked, and why fix something that is not broken? The reality of this approach, is that very large actuators are specified across a machine and the makers are asking “do the actuators really have to be that big?”

Tools that allow users to simulate their system design with the exact components they need to create the desired motion are helping us to understand that the actuators can be much smaller. We can now design actuators that are specific to the application, while saving money and cost.  

Parker’s Virtual Engineer is a web-based product selection program that enables this generation to go out there and get the answers. Users don’t need to have studied electrical engineering to operate. Recently graduated engineers are being asked to specify components on a wide variety of machinery or systems that they haven’t created. No matter what your technical background is you can specify an actuator. It allows the designer to jump in and make a difference – and that’s what the makers are looking to do.

Virtual Engineer was designed for pneumatic and electromechanical actuator sizing in linear motion applications. Users are able to:

• Take an application from concept to a complete solution
• Capture application data and provide results based on user preference
• Generate interactive 3D models
• Size and select without additional calling or emailing
• Leverage thousands of behind-the-scenes calculations
• Collaborate with others in the development process
• Streamline the quotation process and create bill of materials
• Compare and contrast product solutions

Attending PackExpo 2019? Meet our engineers at PackExpo in Las Vegas September 23 - 25 and see a demonstration of the Virtual Engineer at booth LS-6288. Not attending the show? Learn more about Virtual Engineer here.

This article was contributed by Marissa Tucker, product marketing manager for controls and HMI and Tim Faillo, global program manager for factory automation, Parker Hannifin Corporation.

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This is the final of a three-part series that spoke to the various feedback devices that are provided as options on Parker Servo Motors. Part 1 & Part 2 provided the basic theory of operation for the devices and provided some guidance on why you might choose one versus the other, along with some helpful formulas for calculating required resolution. The following is a quick summary and recommendations on selecting the best feedback device for your motion control application.

You might notice a trend that takes the customer from the “paper napkin sketch” to the “electronic or digital napkin sketch.” With the increasing use of 3D CAD systems, customers can use electronic tools to create their designs. The user libraries can be downloaded from the web and all the parts and components become available for use in your CAD system. Some companies offer a plug-in to a specific 3D CAD system. This means that their software works with that specific 3D CAD system, which may or may not be the system that you’re using. Other companies offer a standalone tool that can export files into various 3D CAD formats.

Here are a few ways to access these tools

• License or seat for your computer (paid)
• Free download
• Web-based (free or paid)

With so many projects and the time constraints that go along with them, it is important for users to work efficiently. Using an electronic tool to “sketch” your design will allow you to import that assembly into your current project. This is very valuable if it is part of a larger machine design. Also, being able to interact with a trusted partner to quickly receive a quote helps with the process of understanding project costs along the way.

Are you ready to take your concept to completion? Start with the Parker T-Slot Aluminum Design Architect (TADA). This is a free tool that you can use to design your tables, carts, workstations, enclosures and more. We also have a network of Design Centers located throughout North America that are ready to help you with your design needs using T-slot aluminum framing.

Parker is making t-slot aluminum framing design easier than ever. For mechanical design engineers, lean manufacturing leaders and do-it-yourselfers, the Parker T-Slot Aluminum Design Architect (TADA) software allows you to take more creative control over your assembly designs. Download your free, fully functional copy today.

Article contributed by Mario Mitchell, product manager for T-slot Aluminum Framing, Electromechanical & Drives Division North America, Parker Hannifin Corporation. 

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