Festo streamlines selection, assembly, and commissioning of electrical axes

The Optimized Motion Series of packaged linear and rotary electrical axes solutions, introduced by Festo, helps lower OEM overhead by speeding up specification, assembly, and commissioning of axes. Fast delivery reduces inventory requirements and makes it faster and easier to support electrical axes in the field.

Along with the Festo Fast Mobile App for easy access to the company’s Fast Products catalog, and the Handling System Online configurator for fast specifying of gantry systems, OMS is the third productivity enhancing solution for OEMs launched by Festo in 2016. 

“Festo program managers analyzed simple, cost sensitive motion applications where pneumatic actuators did not give OEMs a sufficiently high level of flexibility required by those applications in terms of position and speed,” said Tom Worsnopp, Product Manager for Electric Automation at Festo.

“The OMS solutions combine a set of rugged and dependable linear and rotary electromechanical actuators, motors, drives, cables, and mounting hardware with fast and simple specification, assembly, and configuration. The OMS product range is designed to increase OEM productivity when utilizing linear and rotary electrical axes for a broad set of applications.”

OMS axes are targeted towards lightweight assembly, laboratory automation, packaging, and other applications where the loads and speeds are moderate. Typically, the mass to be moved is under 25 pounds (12 kilograms), linear speeds are less than 12 inches/sec (300 mm/sec), and rotary speeds are less than 100 rotations per minute. Higher loads and speeds are possible.

Complete OMS axes, including actuator with mounted motor, drive cables, and assembly hardware, are ordered using a single order code and delivered in a single box. To further simplify the process, OEMs use the same OMS code for repeat orders. Fast, assured delivery in a few days to three weeks lowers inventory requirements for new installations and for customer support.

Electrical axes in the OMS product range can also be easily mounted together to create low-cost gantries with one, two, and three directions of motion. OMS gantries are simple to assemble, commission, and operate. Applications include picking, placing, lifting, rotating, assembling, and packaging small components.

Fast sizing and commissioning

Engineers can simply use the payload and positioning time graphs in the online catalog to size a given OMS product. Or, for more detailed sizing and selection, engineers can use PositioningDrives, the Festo sizing software.

Axes are configured and monitored via a web browser on a computer, tablet, or smartphone. The web browser can be used to:

• Specify or teach the position set points and motion profiles when commissioning the axis.
• Remotely monitor the drive status, including actuator position, drive enabled, and output stage temperature.
• Detect and clear faults

For a higher level of control capabilities, OEM personnel can configure the OMS closed loop drive using the Festo Configuration Tool (FCT). FCT is used for force and speed set point control; configuration of up to 64 set points and motion profiles; sophisticated sequencing between movements; and position, force, speed and time comparators to monitor and react to the state of the axis.

OMS offers a choice of three actuators with built in motors along with a paired closed loop drive:

• Electric cylinder EPCO: The EPCO is available in three sizes with two ball screw pitches per size, and stroke lengths up to 15.7 inches (400 mm). The optional guide unit makes the EPCO even more powerful and versatile. And with a running performance of 6,000 miles (10,000 km), the EPCO is built to last.
• Toothed belt axis ELGR: The ELGR is ideal for a broad range of simple motion applications that require a cost-effective solution. Available in three sizes, in stroke lengths up to 4.9 feet (1.5 m), and capable of speeds up to 3.6 feet/second (1.1 m/s). The use of recirculating ball bearing guides ensure a service life of up to 3,000 miles (5,000 km).
• Rotary actuator ERMO: The ERMO offers a complete solution for turning and aligning parts and workpieces even when subject to heavy loads. A rugged design gives it a long service life of more than 5 million cycles. The ERMO is also suitable for simple rotary indexing table applications such as found in assembly operations. The flexibility of the ERMO and its diverse range of possible uses make it ideal for simpler applications requiring a cost-effective solution.
• Closed loop drive CMMO-ST: The CMMO-ST is a closed-loop servo controller for stepper motors. This drive uses a sophisticated control algorithm to create smooth motions and minimize motor noise. Additionally, as a fully-fledged closed-loop servo system, the CMMO-ST uses an optimized motor characteristic curve for the highest degree of operational reliability and fast dynamic response.

Festo
www.festo.com