Bespoke braking solutions for robotics 21 Mar 2019

With an increasing reliance on automation and especially robotics in the underground construction industry, German power transmission producer Mayr has improved its ROBA brake system and expanded its portfolio of clutches, couplings and brakes.

Mayr ROBA brake checker

Mayr will introduce new products to the market at the 2019 Hanover Trade Fair in Germany, like the intelligent ROBA-brake-checker module designs, which monitor and supply safety brakes without the use of sensors.

Machines and systems are advancing in terms of speed and complexity and this places higher demands on individual components. To cater for this, Mayr safety brakes, torque limiters and shaft couplings are manufactured to cope with the demand.

New products from Mayr include the ROBA-servostop construction series brakes that are designed for use with robots due to their slim design and low weight, and the ROBA linearstop, a fluid-free rack and pinion linear brake with an electromagnetic design to secure gravity-loaded vertical axes that can be used in applications where compressed air or oil hydraulics are not available.

When faced with adverse ambient conditions, sensorless brake monitoring can be achieved with the ROBA-brake-checker module which works without the use of sensors. It detects the movements of the armature disk by analysing voltage and current, and knows what condition the brake is in at all times. In addition to switching condition, temperature and wear, it also monitors the tension path or tensile force reserve, i.e. whether the magnet is still able to attract the armature disk.

The ROBA-brake-checker can be integrated easily and quickly into machines and systems and even existing installations can be retrofitted without any difficulties. It offers advantages in terms of costs and delivery time, and is useful where corrosion risk is high and protective measures are required such as on wind power plants or on applications in the maritime sector.

In addition to safety brakes and the associated control and monitoring modules, Mayr has for decades developed and manufactured torque limiters and shaft couplings. Its new EAS –HT high torque clutches can be used for a wider selection of possible bores and a new construction series of EAS-compact overload clutches are being introduced, together with EAS-HSE high speed element clutches for high-speed applications.