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FLUID POWER: THE KEY TO COMPREHENSIVE AUTOMATION
Chris Buxton of the British Fluid Power Association, explains why Hydraulic and Pneumatic technology are an essential compliment to electromechanical drives in ensuring the inexorable march towards Automation within UK manufacturing and indeed our everyday lives.
T
he benefits of Automation within UK manufacturing are thankfully becoming better recognised than has been the case over the past ten years. What is less well recognised is the inextricable link between this technology and the enabling role played by Fluid Power. Greater accuracy, increased precision, faster operation, increased quality, greater consistency and significant cost savings are just a few of the myriad of benefits to be realised through automation but they all rely upon some form of actuation derived from either electromechanical, hydraulic or pneumatic technology. For many automation applications electric drives are the technology of choice. However there are vast numbers of applications where pneumatics and hydraulics are the preferred solution. Hydraulic technology is particularly pertinent to heavy duty applications where high power is required whilst pneumatic technology is chosen for lightweight, high speed and comparatively low cost applications. The latter also offers benefits in clean environments such as the food or electronics sectors. In considering the pneumatics world
and BFPA member companies such as SMC, Festo or IMI Precision Engineering – the relationship between robotics and pneumatics is very strong. From a complete solution perspective every system is very likely to have some level of pneumatics on it to facilitate clamping, holding or actuating something efficiently and the sequencing of this type of operation within the process is critical. Typically, a robot has some form of tooling on its arm and that tooling is equipped with either single pneumatic or electronic actuators or a manifold with multiples fitted. If the power requirements increase then the electronic or electromechanical options can prove to be
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fairly bulky and expensive. Consequently, in a factory requiring a reasonably affordable, clean, lightweight solution that is fairly easy to apply, pneumatics often ‘wins the day.’ In the case of hydraulics, the technology is normally used for tasks where there is a need to handle heavy parts such as billets of steel, or when there is a need for extra force in gripping such components. Usually, Robot Integrators become involved in hydraulics when supplying automation equipment to some of the larger OEMs such as Caterpillar or JCB and for manufacturers of heavy prime materials such as Corus. BFPA members such as Bosch Rexroth and Parker Hannifin offer tailored solutions in cases where the weight and forces involved in certain applications dictate the need for hydraulic systems that can deliver what are often tremendous forces. In the Service robot sector, (those robots that tend to emulate humanoid structure and activity), many high performance robots have also relied upon hydraulic actuation with all the power gain advantages on offer. Similarly, pneumatic actuators are used as a proven and effective means of translating the force of compressed air into an effective form of motion control. While many pieces of plant and equipment still need to be operated manually, the increasing use of controllers means that more equipment can now be operated in an autonomous or semiautonomous manner. Diggers, excavators or farming equipment etc. often rely upon some level of automation but if we begin to integrate electronic intelligence onto this type of equipment then the level of automation could be increased substantially. In considering how hydraulics is used within farming there are
already autonomous systems available, for example, those used to fix posts in position. As part of their research & development remit, many academic institutions involved in Automation & Robotics are seeking to make systems smaller and more energy efficient. They consider opportunities in existing and new markets for systems that are lighter and more energy efficient – for example, those that are fitted with smaller and less obtrusive compressor units. However, it largely comes down to market drivers. If one company develops a more compact but equally efficient system it could open up a wider market for similar types of product. Many pundits believe that this would be a good area in which fluid power companies should invest some of their R&D budget. In terms of the different types of robotic applications, gripping is one of the most common functions. In such applications pneumatic technology is used not exclusively but very frequently to give a robot ‘pick and place’ capability, either using vacuum or pneumatics as the mechanism for closing the mechanical gripper. The reasons for this are partly cost and partly weight- related. Pneumatic devices weigh less than servomotors and therefore one can use smaller robots for the equivalent application. Pneumatic technology is also regularly used for fixing and tooling; for example, for holding parts in place to allow robots to perform the functions that are required. There are also applications where particularly strong gripping forces are required; in the foundry industry for example, for picking up hot billets. In these types of applications hydraulics is often the only technology that can be deployed. In the not too distant past, many people
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