Over the past couple of years some of South Africa’s provinces have been subjected to heavy hail storms, raising interest in products that are resilient to nature’s bullets. Festo was asked to assist the SABS with a solution to automate the movement of its hail gun, designed to pick up ice projectiles and fire them at a solar panel to establish its resistance to impact.
“Our solution included both pneumatic and electric drives and a customised control panel,” explains Festo sales engineer Johannes Ngwenya. “A pneumatic vacuum generator was used to pick and place the projectile from a barrel canister. Once it was in place, an L-port valve is activated to switch the vacuum off and open positive air which fires it against the solar panel.
“We required movement in 1 mm increments,” says Herman Strauss of SABS, “electric drives have proven to be best suited to this application as they provide the fine motion control we needed.”
The hail gun needed to be attached to X, Y and Z axis positional drives to give the required degrees of freedom to the system. “The mass of the gun and the panel dimensions helped us to size the electric drives and the required stroke,” says Ngwenya. “It was decided to use the ELGA toothed belt drive which is ideal for linear gantries and cantilever axes.”
Control of the system was provided by the compact CMMO-ST motor controller which serves in both closed and open-loop modes. It offers quick easy parameterisation through either the Festo Configuration Tool (FCT), as was done with this application, or via an Ethernet interface with integrated web server. The cost-effective CMMO-ST forms part of the Festo range of optimised motion solutions products with ServoLite technology.
Installed on each drive is the versatile EMMS-AS motor with a choice of three feedback systems to allow for single or three-phase operation. This high performance series is designed for demanding drive and positioning tasks where small accurate incremental movements are required.
The system was built in Festo’s Isando workshop and delivered within eight weeks.
New torque sensors for fastening applications Spero Sensors & Instrumentation
Motion Control & Drives
Sensor Technology, a global leader in innovative torque and load measurement solutions, has launched its latest advancement in torque sensing technology.
Read more...Tough chain and induction hardened sprockets Bearing Man Group t/a BMG
Motion Control & Drives
BMG’s Tsubaki Titan chain series offers significant improvements in wear life, particularly in demanding applications like abrasive and dusty conditions.
Read more...Innomotics powers largest heat pump system in the Netherlands
Motion Control & Drives
Innomotics, a global leader in the provision of electric motors and large drive systems, has played a pivotal role in the realisation of the largest heat pump system in the Netherlands. It is located at the municipal wastewater treatment plant in Utrecht.
Read more...Heavy-duty V-belts for aggressive conditions Bearing Man Group t/a BMG
Motion Control & Drives
BMG’s extensive range of specialised Gates belting includes heavy-duty Predator V-belts, which have been specially designed to meet the challenges of drives that need to perform optimally in harsh African conditions.
Read more...Three decades, one Perfect Harmony GH180
Motion Control & Drives
When customers seek to install a new medium voltage variable frequency drive, their priorities are reliability, efficiency and ease of use. Innomotics excels in these areas with its robust product offerings.
Read more...Robust industrial chain solutions
Motion Control & Drives
Bearings International recently relaunched its quality range of premium brand chain solutions, KÖBO and Zexus, alongside its renowned private label offering Roller Chain Opti.
Read more...Unlocking the smart factory ElectroMechanica
Editor's Choice Motion Control & Drives
At ElectroMechanica, we recognise that transitioning to smart automation isn’t just about adopting new technology; it’s about solving real challenges. Labour shortages, rising costs and downtime due to outdated machinery make digital transformation essential for long-term competitiveness.
Read more...Enhanced grease gun and pump range SKF South Africa
Motion Control & Drives
The addition of a new LAGC S coupler to enhance the performance, safety and ease of operation of SKF’s proven grease gun and pump ranges demonstrates the company’s commitment to channelling innovation into its products and technology solutions.
Read more...Festo celebrates its centenary Festo South Africa
News
Creating added customer value through innovation has been the driving force behind the family-owned company from the beginning and remains the key to Festo’s success today. The company’s anniversary is being celebrated with employees, customers and partners worldwide throughout the year.
Read more...Problem solving under pressure Axiom Hydraulics
Motion Control & Drives
The greatest strength of Axiom Hydraulics lies in the company’s ability to solve complex problems and adapt systems to meet unique challenges. This capability stems from two key factors: the diverse experience of its team members, which spans decades across multiple disciplines, and their unwavering dedication to their clients.
printer friendly version