Monday, January 30, 2023
|
Listen to this news
|
Compressed air is the basis for successful automation. This form of energy can be used in many ways and combines speed, power as well as low weight. However, the cost to generate it is relatively high, as electrical energy must be converted for this purpose via several efficiency losses. Even though the compressed air-less factory is merely mentioned as a buzzword for a trend, technological alternatives are needed right now to make vacuum automation independent of the compressed air hose.
“The aim is not to replace compressed air-based ejector systems for vacuum generation. We want to create alternatives that reduce energy consumption and still function when no or too little compressed air is available,” explains Dr. Kurt Schmalz, managing partner of J. Schmalz GmbH. Possible scenarios include mobile robots or robot cells that operate in an area that is not connected to the compressed air system. In percentage terms, the vacuum generators consume very little energy compared to the entire plant. “We want to create alternatives that reduce energy consumption and still function when no or too little compressed air is available.”~ Dr. Kurz Schmalz, Managing Partner of J.Schmalz GmbH
Vacuum generator made small
The solution is purely electric vacuum generators that are so compact that they can also be mounted directly on the robot arm. Electric vacuum generators are nothing new: “We have long had electric pumps and blowers on offer that operators use in automated and manual handling when high suction flow rates are required. However, these are too large and too heavy for use on a robot arm,” explains Dr. Kurt Schmalz.
Even more compact is the new ECBPMi cobot pump, which is designed for handling small parts of airtight objects. “The lightweight end-of-arm components are ideal for cobots and lightweight robots. They do not require compressed air, which means they can also be used on autonomous transport vehicles,” says Dr. Kurt Schmalz, outlining one potential application. However, it is no longer just the small lightweight robots for which detaching from compressed air makes sense: With the trend towards sustainability and thus the demand for more efficient systems, the need for compressed air-independent vacuum automation has also increased for larger systems.
Tags: schmalz, wood and panel, woodworking, woodworking and manufacturing, woodworking event, woodworking industry
Comments: