What Surviving a Zombie Apocalypse Can Teach You About Choosing a Linear Actuator

Transcription

1 GROU P Whitepaper Linear Actuators 101 What Surviving a Zombie Apocalypse Can Teach You About Choosing a Linear Actuator Introduction Whether you are preparing for the impending zombie apocalypse or you re in the process of selecting the best actuator for your motion application, the thought processes are essentially the same. There are three things that must remain in the forefront of your thoughts if you want to survive. 1. Know your options. Knowledge can help to keep you from becoming one of the undead, and it can save your company a lot of money by doing the project correctly the first time. 2. Always prepare a plan. What are you going to do first? Should you forage for food and medicine, or search for weapons? Taking the time to fully layout your design before you go price quote shopping will streamline your efforts. 3. Experimenting can be costly. Do your research before you make a purchase, and before you start eating those mushrooms and berries that you picked from a nearby field. This whitepaper features information that will help guide you to the best actuator for your next project or save you and your family from a zombie apocalypse, including: Technology overview of drive types and guide types including their advantages and disadvantages Tips and Tricks from an expert survivor Survival 101: Knowledge is Power Survival is easiest to attain with proper knowledge of the world around you. If, for example, you didn t know that in most public places the bathroom doors open inward instead of outward you could unintentionally end up as zombie bait. Or, if you weren t aware that round rail guides don t operate very well in heavy contamination environments because the ball cages are prone to jamming, you may run into some operation issues that will probably cost you time and money you don t really have to waste. Figure 1. Caution sign, zombies have been known to cause bodily harm. It is for these reasons that you should never underestimate the importance of basic information.

2 Utilize the Rule of Three Every zombie apocalypse and survival scenario involves the concept of The Rule of Three. Sometimes the rule is a simple guideline such as Stop, Look, and Listen. In other scenarios, the rule can be more involved. Survival training teaches that you can t live longer than: 3 minutes without air 3 hours without shelter 3 days without water 3 weeks without food This simple method can be used to boil down what is most important for your survival and helps to prioritize them. This is great framework for evaluating linear actuators for your motion system. Rule #1: Assess Your Guide Type Options Choosing the proper guide type for your motion application is just like choosing the best vehicle to get you out of an all-you-can-eat zombie buffet. It s important to prioritize the attributes of each option to make the best possible decision. Your key focuses should be: What load capacity can it handle? What travel length will it support? What speed is it capable of? How big of a factor is accuracy in this application? Figure 2. A comparison chart of each guide type that illustrates their strengths and weaknesses

3 Figure 3. A comparison chart of vehicle types illustrating their strengths and weaknesses Rule #2: Assess Your Drive Type Options An engineer can t survive on lead screws alone. Drive mechanisms work in tandem with the guide system to power your actuator. Think of the drive system as the energy or food stuffs of your motion system. When it comes to down to the survival of your system the drive type that you choose can strongly impact the speed, smoothness, load capacity and travel lengths of your application. Much like deciding what foods to hoard before a zombie take-over, choosing a drive type requires scrutiny over your essential needs and realistic goals. There are many different types of drives each featuring specific advantages and disadvantages. Using a percentage breakdown will help you to prioritize your options. Figure 4. This is a zombie, they are not friendly and they will eat you.

4 Figure 5. A comparison chart of drive types illustrating their strengths and weaknesses Figure 6. A comparison chart of food types illustrating their strengths and weaknesses

5 Rule #3: Coupler Types & Design Considerations Now, you ve learned how to pick the right guide for your actuator and the correct drive type but there is still one more aspect. The coupler is the connector of your system. And yes, it too has its own design considerations that you need to think about. Design Considerations Checklist Physical size Outer diameter and overall length needed to connect the shafts Diameters & tolerances of the shafts being connected Consider misalignment from machining Evaluate the amount of torque During operation During peak conditions, such as start-up and rapid stopping Torsional stiffness of the coupler design Coupler Type Misalignment Angular Parallel Axial Torsional Stiffness Backlash Price Beam Excellent Good Excellent Good No $$ Cross Slot Good Excellent Excellent Excellent No $$$ Bellow Excellent Good Excellent Excellent No $$ Elastomer Good Fair Fair Good Yes $ Oldham Fair Excellent Fair Good Yes $$ Figure 7. Coupler Design Comparison Chart Q&A: Tips and Tricks from an Expert Survivor (aka Application Engineer) Q: What are the factors you consider during actuator selection? A: The main factors that I usually consider are the payload weight, the necessary speed, and the required accuracies of positioning the payload. Secondary factors would be things like the environmental conditions such as temperatures and how dirty the environment is, followed by the orientation of the actuator itself.

6 Q: What are some common mistakes that you see customers make when selecting an actuator? A: One mistake I see engineers make often is when they rely solely on datasheets to choose an actuator. They ll call us up and ask us to quote one of our actuators, then later down the line it starts to shake out that the selection is not the right actuator for their application. I think it s a huge time-saver to start an early discussion with an application engineer with the mindset of this is what I am trying to do, rather than this is the product that I want Another mistake that I see fairly often is that some customers see the word stainless steel and automatically assume that it s corrosion proof which isn t always the case. For instance, the 400-series stainless steel isn t corrosion proof but it is used because it can be hardened for more durability. Q: What is your best advice for someone looking to use an actuator for their motion control project or someone holding out for the CDC to create a vaccine for a zombie outbreak? A: I would say that before you even start looking for an actuator or scoping out the place to hole up, just make sure that you have really nailed down what your needs are and make sure you solution can properly address them. Conclusion Every zombie apocalypse scenario is unique, just like your motion system project. At the onset of any scenario you need to know your options, prepare a plan, and avoid experimenting. The Rule of Three can help you to prioritize your attributes and requirements. To ensure survival you should carefully evaluate the guide types, the drive types, and the coupler types. Don t discount the value of advice from experienced professionals because they can guide you through your motion project to success. Author Bio Mary Petrie is the Associate Product Manager with Bishop Wisecarver with several years of content generation experience in technology. She holds a BS degree in Marketing from San Francisco State University. About BWG Bishop-Wisecarver Group is a woman-owned family of WBENC certified companies in its second generation, and has remained one of the most respected names in custom automation solutions and guided motion technology since The San Francisco Bay Area company manufacturers, stocks, and distributes guided motion components and systems for linear, rotary and curved track applications. Bishop-Wisecarver products are used worldwide in industries such as packaging, medical device manufacturing, wood processing, food processing, and semiconductor fabrication.