MOTORS & DRIVES & CONTROLS


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parameters and drive characteristics, enabling them to get up and running quickly. Additionally, engineers can benefit from a range of video tutorials, quick-start guide and full programming manual including 3D models, datasheets and drawings. RS is also offering a range of nine ‘bolt on’ motors and gearboxes, each offering a different drive solution, which are designed specifically for use in conjunction with the kits.


MONORAIL MOBILITY MADE POSSIBLE Motors and drives are often required to fulfil the needs of novel and unique applications, and this project involving KEB Automation is no exception. Te automation specialist has supplied its servo motors and T6 APD and Combivert S6 drive controllers to the Monocab project – a driverless monorail cabin for up to eight people which will travel on a single rail. Te uniqueness of this project – which is being undertaken by the OWL University of Applied sciences – is the goal of enabling two monocabs to travel at the same time in each direction, thanks to stability achieved by an innovative


The innovative Monocab vehicle


combination of actively-controlled gyroscopic systems with a moveable mass that balances the cab during travel. “Te control of the traction drives is handled by our modular inverter system, the T6 APD,” explains Daniel Schröder, Application Engineer for control technology at KEB. “Te S6 inverters and the servo motors, on the other hand, are needed to support the stabilisation of the cabin.” Te T6 APD, a scalable and modular


inverter system with integrated power electronics, was developed specifically


for the automotive environment, Schröder adds: “Important in this application is a high protection class, vibration and shake resistance. As the vehicle is exposed to weather, durability and robustness play a major role, and the T6 fulfils exactly this.” Te system works by converting current


from the HV-DC source into three-phase current for driving electric motors, and can be flexibly adapted to different requirements. Te T6 APD enables the integration of up to six inverter modules, and supports all motor types such as synchronous and asynchronous motors.


WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR BEARINGS? A


s an integral part of many operations, the demand for stronger, more durable and


longer-lasting bearings is on the rise – and, for many applications, conventional steel ball bearings can often not compare to their hybrid counterparts. Steve Bacon, Sales Director at Bearings and Drives Limited, shares an insight into the latest innovative technologies in operational efficiency to achieve new competitive advantages. With a higher performance than traditional steel bearings, hybrid bearings are a combination of steel or stainless steel rings, used in conjunction with silicon nitride ceramic balls. As new technologies emerge, rolling elements of the highest quality can be up to 58%


lighter, four times smoother and have a 70% reduced thermal expansivity which can typically run at operating temperatures between 14-47°C lower than standard steel bearings. A combination of those pioneering properties can heighten efficiency, ensure that the bearings are less prone to the effects of contamination and corrosion, and have a greater intolerance to heat. Significantly, there is an opportunity for bearings to be tailored for a specific industrial application, with a combination of different ball bearings, rings, seals, cages and greases. With advancements in new material technology that make use of ceramics and coatings, the opportunities for continuous optimisation are extended –


coating options could include a hard coat, corrocoat or black oxide and cages can be formed of either steel, polyamide PA66, brass or peek for example. Lubrication is a vital part of


every bearing’s optimal function, and this can also be considered to suit the application. Units can be offered with mineral or synthetic greases, or a solid lube polymer matrix, saturated with lubrication oil which can help to prevent contamination ingress and add protection in wash down environments. A specific grease could also prove useful in pharmaceutical and chemical applications, where it is critical that no liquid lubrication can be allowed to contaminate a product.


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