Q&A. Festo Updates its Levitation Technology

Festo announced innovative application concepts for its superconductor technology at SPS. Georg Berner, Project Coordinator for the SupraMotion future concepts, talked to DirectIndustry e-magazine about SupraGripper and SupraMotion.

DirectIndustry e-magazine: What is the technology behind SupraGripper?

Georg Berner: SupraGripper uses superconductors to levitate the gripper modules. Below a certain temperature, superconductor materials can “freeze” the field of a permanent magnet, allowing them or the magnet to hover at a defined distance. The resultant gap remains stable regardless of orientation. The hovering effect is generated by three cryostats containing superconductors which are installed beneath two plates and can be driven upwards or downwards. Thus, the grippers either hover above the plates or under them. In addition, the two plates can be rotated and precisely positioned by means of rotary drives, moving the two grippers from one cryostat to the next.

DI e-mag: How do the grippers work?

Georg Berner: To grasp an object, electrical spools fitted to the cryostats emit an impulse, which either severs the connection to the magnetic gripper elements or restores them, as required. This impulse causes the individual gripper fingers to fold up or down, opening or closing them.