New drive technology that employs a double-layer capacitor takes advantage of regenerative energy during braking to lower the energy consumption of a parts-retrieval robot.
Bremen, Germany-based automation maker Ilsemann Automation GmbH integrated a double-layer capacitor into its XYZ-gantry robot, designed for removing cups from injection molding machines. An MDP92A-series central supply unit from Sew-Eurodrive Inc., Lyman, S.C., provides power to the gantry drives and other rotary, transfer, hinged and depositing axes in the DC-link connection; an MOVI DPS-series storage unit from Sew-Eurodrive is placed between the supply unit and the seven Movidrive drive frequency inverters.
Because the innovation captures braking energy, it reduces energy costs and can help users overcome problems with energy fluctuations that might otherwise cause the robot to stall or stop in the path of the injection mold, leading to collisions. See the full story from our sister publication, New Equipment Digest, here.
