miniSPIN: compact and highly dynamical handling unit

Moving small things with lightning speed

IEF-Werner developed the miniSPIN series, a compact and highly dynamical unit, which can handle component weighing up to 20 grams very quickly. Typical pick & place tasks, which are common in clock making, glass or electro industry as well as precision mechanics, can be realized with an entire cycle time of 240 milliseconds.

Furtwangen, 11.12.2015 – A cantilever arm, which is attached to the drive shaft of the motor-drive-combination, forms the basis of the miniSPIN series. A quill is screwed on a rotary placed interface at the end of the cantilever arm. In the basic version, this quill is guided by a toothed belt. Hence it is positioned vertically during the rotary movement of the cantilever arm. The cantilever arm can be run by a pneumati-cally operated rotary distributor with vacuum or pressure air. The user can therefore attach a suction grip-per as well as a pneumatic parallel gripper. Media cables are integrated in the cantilever arm. The long distance grippers are designed in a customised way by IEF-Werner. The gripper can be equipped with special vacuum controls or quick action valves, in order to identify the components surely. And as the ro-tary distributor is constructed modularly, miniSPIN can be attached upside down or in a mirror inverted way.

The type miniSPINPlus is equipped with a second servo motor which drives the quill. Like this, the quill can be positioned freely and independently – while the cantilever arm rotates. Through this additional freedom the unit is, for example, able to pick a component out of the pallet and rotate the component while mov-ing into the right position for a camera inspection. A planetary gear free of play provides very high posi-tioning stiffness. During the technical construction, the IEF developers attached high importance to the control ratio between external mass and motor moment of inertia. For this reason an overshoot of the cantilever arm in the handing over position is avoided. In this series, highly dynamical servo motors with absolute encoders are in use. Additional sensors for the reference point identification are not necessary. In order to avoid a drop of the cantilever arm when out of power, the motors are equipped with holding brakes. Only one cable with a fast coupling system is needed to supply the motors with all functions. Additionally, the servo motors are very energy efficient: in contin-uous operations a maximum of 60 W drive power is needed. That corresponds to a conventional light bulb.

Users are able to use the handling unit separately as well as combined with linear units. Combined with di-rectly driven linear axes – for example euroLINE by IEF-Werner – highly dynamical handling systems can be realized. Therefore different adapter plates for the different linear units are available. IEF-Werner offers three standardized lever lengths 52.5, 87 and 151.5 millimetres for the miniSPIN series.

IEF-Werner carries out the cycle time calculations of the customized application for miniSPIN as well as for more complex multiple axes systems. Preliminary tests are conducted within a few days by our engineers.