Bearing currents – a longstanding problem for some industrial motors – can also affect electric vehicle drivetrains, potentially leading to premature failure of bearings and other components. SKF has come up with a way to tackle the problem using conductive brush rings that provide a reliable electrical connection between an EV rotor shaft and its housing. When used in combination with ceramic ball bearings, they can alleviate bearing current effects, making EV drivetrains more reliable and longer-lasting.
The Brazilian motor-maker WEG has announced an electric motor that version combines two technologies – permanent magnet (PM) and synchronous reluctance (SynRM) – to make it “the most efficient industrial motor ever created”. The W23 Sync+ Ultra delivers IE6 efficiency levels and achieves this “unparalleled” efficiency across varying speed and load conditions.
At the Hannover Messe, Festo unveiled the latest in a long line of bionic versions of living creatures – this time, a bionic bee which weighs around 34 grams, is 220mm long and has a 240mm wingspan, making it the smallest flying object created so far by Festo’s Bionic Learning Network. The bees can fly in large numbers and move autonomously in swarms, following paths specified by a central computer.
People working on equipment such as motor starters and electrical panels will soon be able to receive guidance and tuition via Apple’s recently launched Vision Pro “spatial computer” headset, which provides ultra-high-resolution 3D images that merge the real and digital worlds and can be controlled by natural inputs such as a user’s eyes, hand gestures or voice.
Boston Dynamics, the developer of the pioneering Atlas humanoid robot which has starred in many YouTube videos, has retired the original hydraulically-powered version and replaced it with a new electrically-powered successor.
A Californian company has demonstrated a software-based motor control technology which, it claims, can boost motor efficiencies while avoiding the need for rare-earth materials. At a symposium in Austria, Tula Technology showed a Tesla Model 3 vehicle retrofitted with an externally excited synchronous motor (EESM) running its Dynamic Motor Drive (DMD) software, and claimed that this could cut the EV’s energy consumption by up to 3%.
The Korean robot developer Rainbow Robotics, has announced a two-armed robot manipulator that moves around on wheels. The company argues that the RB-Y1 mobile robot overcomes some of the limitations of existing industrial robots and could find uses in many industrial sites.
The Danish firm MiR (Mobile Industrial Robots) has announced a pallet-moving AMR (autonomous mobile robot) which uses AI (artificial intelligence) to identify, pick up and deliver pallets “with unprecedented precision”. The company says that the MiR1200 Pallet Jack sets new standards for the handling of palletised goods and solves many of the challenges that enterprises face when trying to add automation to complex, dynamic factory and warehouse environments.
Cognex has launched a product which it describes as “the world's first 3D vision system with AI”. The In-Sight L38 3D vision system combines AI, 2D, and 3D vision technologies to solve a variety of inspection and measurement applications.
UPDATED: Siemens, Universal Robots (UR) and the Norwegian machine vision specialist Zivid have joined forces with Mecalux, the Spanish specialist in automated warehouses, to create a “groundbreaking” technology that streamlines warehouse automation and solves intralogistics fulfilment challenges. The technology brings together a long-reach UR20 cobot, a Zivid 2+ M130 camera – said to be the first 3D sensor capable of imaging anything, including transparent and translucent items – and Siemens’ Simatic Robot Pick AI – pre-trained, deep learning-based vision software that allows robots to perform tasks that previously had to be performed by hand.
NSK and the German Aerospace Centre are jointly developing a robotic gripper system comprising individual finger modules that can be configured to suit the application – thought to be the first time this has been done.
Kawasaki Robotics has partnered with Olis Robotics to allow robot users to restart production faster after shutdowns, cut troubleshooting and downtime costs by up to 90%, and access expert support quickly.
NSK is developing a "world-first" technique for diagnosing the remaining life of lubricant grease rapidly and accurately by monitoring changes in colour as it ages. It will offer the capability as a mobile app, allowing users to perform on-site analysis of the condition of the lubricants in their bearings and linear motion systems, thus reducing the need for grease inspections and cutting replenishment costs, and helping them to implement condition-based maintenance strategies.
Grease degrades over time, so on-site inspection of lubricants is essential to maximise uptime and OEE (overall equipment effectiveness). Industrial companies are increasingly switching from time-based to condition-based maintenance strategies. There is therefore a need for an accurate method of diagnosing grease degradation that can be deployed rapidly on site. It would also help to tackle labour shortages and to support carbon neutrality efforts.
Siemens has developed a “revolutionary” multi-function circuit protection device that it says is to 1,000 times faster than conventional devices and needs up to 80% less space in distribution boards. If circuit faults occur, the Sentron ECPD (electronic circuit protection device) switches them off electronically and, if necessary, can trip mechanical isolating contacts downstream. Previously, such disconnections have needed electromechanical elements.
The German engineering group Schaeffler has joined forces with two Korean organisations – the robot developer Rainbow Robotics, and the Korea Electronics Technology Institute (Keti) – to co-develop AI-powered mobile dual-arm robots aimed at autonomous manufacturing applications.