New Danfoss VLTÂ® Decentral Drive E cient, reliable and powerful

More documents

Recommendations

Info

MOTION technology a unique resource for specialist motion components, assemblies and systems. COME AND VISIT THE FACTORY Call us today and arrange a visit to meet the Team and experience the technologies. We look forward to seeing you. Linear Slides Rotary Tables Elevator Tables Single and Multi-Axis Electric Actuators Linear Bearings Drives and Motors Standard and Custom Manual and Motorised “Goods received, amazed at quick turn around, thank you” RUTHERFORD LABORATORY Design Manufacture Supply UK based designer and manufacturer of positioning systems offering you experience, knowledge and full engineering capabilities. LG Motion Limited Tel: +44 (0)1256 365600 Fax: +44 (0)1256 365645 info@lg-motion.co.uk www.lg-motion.co.uk Engineering excellence - by design
LINEAR MOTION Museum’s 4D ride has added muscle Visitors to Manchester Museum of Science and Industry can now experience a “four-dimensional” immersive ride, during which their seats are moved by a novel form of pneumatic linear actuator. The 4D Theatre’s seats subject their occupants to a variety of movements, synchronised to the film being shown, along with special effects including water sprays and air blasts. The ride has been developed by Simworx, a specialist developer of 4D effects theatres and simulation attractions, based in Kingswinford, West Midlands. The company is a world leader in designing and manufacturing stationary and mobile 4D effects theatres and simulation attractions, with more than 600 installations worldwide at sites including aeronautical and science museums in the UK and US, and theme parks in Europe. The seats for Simworx' latest Dimensions theatres are based on a modular design, with all of the motion actuators incorporated in a shallow, floorstanding plinth that supports four seats. The most sophisticated models offer forwards/backwards and left/right tilting movements, as well as vertical drops. The headrest of each seat can be fitted with optional water sprays and air blasts, and the pedestal can be fitted with a pneumatically-powered leg tickler. Over the years, Simworx has used various actuators from different suppliers to achieve its dynamic effects. Most have been pneumatic, because this is a safe, cost-effective technology which offers a higher power density than electric actuators, making it easier to integrate into the body of the seat. While developing its latest seats, Simworx became aware of Festo's “fluidic muscle” technology – a unique form of tensile pneumatic actuator which mimics biological muscles by contracting when fed with compressed air. These actuators are capable of fast, smooth operation, as well as slow, jolt-free movements, and can generate an initial force about ten times higher than a conventional pneumatic actuator of a similar diameter. According to Simworx director, Andy Roberts, when he first saw fluidic muscles being demonstrated, “it was immediately apparent that the muscles are considerably better than conventional pneumatic actuators for simulator-type applications like ours. They provide excellent dynamic performance, and have a much higher power density.” Simworx is using the most powerful, 40mm-diameter versions of Festo's latest DMSP series fluidic muscles for its new seats. The muscles use press-fit connections to minimise size and weight. Each four-seat plinth module contains four fluidic muscles – one in each corner – together with four manifold-mounted Festo VPPM proportional pressure regulators, and a controller. The cascaded dual-stage regulators provide an easy, precise means of varying flow rates to the actuators. To minimise noise interference, the compressed air supply is generated outside the theatre and is distributed to each seat module via a “pneumatic ring main”. The exhausted air is released locally, via silencers. The controller in each seat module communicates with a host control PC via a fieldbus system. Special event triggers in the film being shown instruct the central controller to issue appropriate signals to all of the seat modules in the theatre simultaneously, resulting in the entire audience experiencing exactly the same effect – be it pitch, rock, vibrate or a The theatre’s seats incorporate powerful “fluidic muscles” in a shallow floor-standing plinth sudden drop – at the same time. Following the Manchester museum installation, Simworx is supplying a Dimensions system for an indoor theme park on Weston-super-Mare's newly rebuilt Grand Pier. “I envisage we'll be making increasing use of this technology in the future,” says Roberts. D&C www.drives.co.uk November/December 2010 23
Page 1 and 2: DRIVES & CONTROLS www.drives.co.uk
Page 3 and 4: VLT® Decentral Drive FCD 302 I VLT
Page 5 and 6: DRIVES & CONTROLS Editor Tony Sacks
Page 7 and 8: UK industry ‘is not managing its
Page 9 and 10: more than just a pretty interface.
Page 12 and 13: Mechanical drives factory moves to
Page 14 and 15: Wow, why is this so easy? Because e
Page 16 and 17: TECHNOLOGY Motion system can cut mo
Page 18 and 19: TECHNOLOGY Motor-mounting drives
Page 20: TECHNOLOGY IN BRIEF The OPC Foundat
Page 23 and 24: Simple servodrive can be tailored t
Page 25: elsewhere; and • restoring system
Page 29 and 30: Application Door closer mechanism f
Page 31 and 32: Cantilever axis assists tobacco-cut
Page 33 and 34: Bearing up to electrical erosion Va
Page 35 and 36: PARTNERSHIP BASED ON TRUST - AND TR
Page 37 and 38: Your life in our hands. INDUSTRIAL
Page 39 and 40: Falcon HTC Falcon HTC
Page 41: Extend your chain lives at no extra
Page 44 and 45: PLCs AND HMIs method and the sealin
Page 46 and 47: Experience is our Strength )))!&'$"
Page 48 and 49: PLCs AND HMIs What can HMIs learn f
Page 50 and 51: GAMBICA VIEWPOINT Taking the open r
Page 52 and 53: Sponsored column No. 3 November/Dec
Page 54 and 55: MULTIMEDIA Blogging site aims to co
Page 56 and 57: SENSORS Cable extension sensors hav
Page 58: CONTROL CNC offers a choice of driv
Page 61 and 62: DRIVES AND CONTROLS EXHIBITION 2010
Page 63 and 64: 1 HPMG Hangzhou Permanent Magnet Gr
Page 65 and 66: To advertise contact Simon Langston

New Danfoss VLTÂ® Decentral Drive E cient, reliable and powerful

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?