INDUSTRY News


3D printing in outer space with Igus technology


A team of students from the Munich University of Applied Sciences (AIMIS- FYT) have developed a 3D printing process for space applications. To conduct experimental tests in zero gravity, they built a 3D printer with drive technology that uses Igus’s Drylin SAW linear axes. The current process for transporting equipment into outer space, such as booms for solar panels or satellite antennas among others, is ineffi cient and expensive because the parts must be designed to withstand high loads during the spacecraft’s launch phase. The students wanted to verify additive manufacturing as a viable option of printing parts in outer space.


The Igus linear modules in the 3D printer were used in its x and z axes that form the central drive unit. The axes are made of aluminium with polymer sliding elements, making them lightweight. To reduce the clearance of the lubrication-free and dirt-resistant polymer linear slides, the team selected adjustable bearings. To ensure that the print fi lament can also be rotated, a compact Robolink D rotary


axis with worm gear was installed in the printer. To test the printer and the process, the team applied for the FlyYourThesis! programme off ered by the European Space Agency (ESA), and was accepted. The parabolic fl ights took place in November and December 2020. When the aircraft reaches the peak of its climb and tilts into descent, micro-gravity occurs, very similar to weightlessness in space, creating ideal conditions for a real-life test of the printer.


“The linear axes always ran without


problems in all experiments, so that we were able to print a small rod and also small framework structures for each parabola,” said Torben Schäfer from the AIMIS-FYT team. Projects such as this one are supported by Igus as part of the “Young Engineers Support” (YES) programme. With the university initiative, Igus is supporting academia with free samples, university discounts and sponsorships.


Saietta designs unique motor architecture for electric vehicles


UK-based R&D company Saietta has developed an ultra-effi cient brushless axial-fl ux AC motor, the S-AC. It is designed for lightweight electric vehicles such as scooters, motorbikes, quadbikes, rickshaws, small cars and marine vessels. The design is based on Saietta’s DC


axial-fl ux motor, which was originally developed by Saietta’s chief scientist, Cedric Lynch, an internationally- recognised pioneer in this fi eld. The company then improved the effi ciency further by switching over to AC power. “The switch from DC to AC motors means we are able to improve effi ciency even further and reduce maintenance requirements because there will be zero brush-wear,” said Saietta engineer, Chris Lines.


The motor’s rigs were developed in conjunction with Sensor Technology, and consist of running two motors back to back, adding power to counter the losses, and measuring effi ciency. For this the engineers selected a TorqSense transducer from Sensor Technology, which operates wirelessly so that setting up between test


6 November 2021 | Automation


runs is minimal because there is no need to reset delicate slip rings. The operating principle of TorqSense is based on bouncing a radio signal off the motor’s rotating shaft and measuring the distortion in the return wave. To do this, two tiny piezo electric combs are glued onto the shaft at right angles to one another. These are pulled slightly out of shape as the shaft rotates and thus disrupt the radio waves as they are refl ected back. “The amount of twist in the shaft is


proportional to the torque of the moment, so we get a direct reading,” said Lines.


“The fact that we do not have to hard- wire the transducer to the shaft through slip rings means we can set up a test very quickly, and reset everything just as quickly. If we had to adjust slip rings every time, our test programme would take far, far longer to complete.” TorqSense off ers CANbus output options for in-vehicle applications, so is popular with many organisations developing drive trains for electric vehicles and also in other low-carbon developments such as wind turbines and tidal fl ow energy.


automationmagazine.co.uk


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