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Helical Rack Speeds Part Removal
on Injection Molding Robot
Customer’s
Problem
 A pick & place robot
manufacturer needed an axis drive solution for the Injection Molding
industry to reduce their part removal time, thereby increasing the
throughput of the injection molding machine. They tried different drive
solutions in the past, but they just couldn’t handle the high speeds and
acceleration forces required.
ATLANTA’s Solution
Choosing from
their wide range of standard rack & pinion drives, ATLANTA offered a
high-quality helical rack to handle the high linear speeds that the
robot reached. The helical gearing was also quiet, even at the peak
speed of six meters per second. To handle the high acceleration forces,
reaching six times the rate of gravity, the rack & pinion teeth were
hardened and precision ground.
By finding a drive
solution that could handle the speeds and accelerations, the
manufacturer realized they could eliminate the need for a gearbox. They
instead drove the pinion gear directly with their servo motor, which
simplified the axis drivetrain and reduced costs. The pinion was
attached to the motor shaft with a compression coupling, instead of a
keyway, to lock it in place and prevent fretting corrosion.
To
lubricate the gearing and reduce contamination of the mold, a felt gear
was used to provide continuous lubrication. The felt gear meshed
directly with the pinion, ensuring a thin film of grease at the tooth
flanks.
At the end of the
development process, the part removal time for the robot was reduced to
only a fraction of a second, achieving the fastest time in the industry.
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ATLANTA
