Intelligent safety for small brakes

The ROBA®-brake-checker module by mayr® power transmission is not only able to monitor and supply safety brakes without the use of sensors. It also supplies data, and therefore provides intelligent safety. At the SPS 2019 in Nuremberg, the company is presenting new designs of the module, using which even small brake sizes can be monitored. This opens up new possibilities for brake monitoring – in particular also for safety brakes in servomotors and for applications in the fields of robotics and automation. The degree of automation is increasing and close collaboration between people and robots is increasing – the use of robots is advancing in all important industrial sectors. Machines and systems are producing increasingly high performance densities and working at higher speeds. This means that the requirements on the individual components are also increasing. mayr® power transmission, the specialist for safety brakes, torque limiters and shaft couplings from Mauerstetten in the Allgaeu region, therefore provides high-performance safety brakes, for example their ROBA®-servostop® series. These are ideal for installation into servomotors. A special hollow shaft design in slim constructional design and of a low weight has been especially tailored to requirements in robotic applications. In addition, the company has a fluid-free linear brake in its portfolio with its ROBA®-linearstop in electromagnetic design, which has been designed to secure gravity-loaded vertical axes. This brake type is used in applications in which compressors or units for compressed air or oil hydraulics are not available or are unwanted - such as in the field of medical technology or the food or pharmaceutical industry, where high hygiene standards are required. The intelligent ROBA®-brake-checker module now opens up new possibilities for brake monitoring, also in these application areas. With a new module design and thanks to even more accurate evaluation, it is now possible to also supply and monitor small brake sizes from a braking torque of 2 Nm. This makes the ROBA®-linearstop not just the only electromagnetic rack and pinion brake on the market, but it also means it can be monitored even in small construction sizes with the aid of the module. Safety becomes visible The ROBA®-brake-checker module works without sensors. It detects the movement of the armature disk through extended analysis of current and voltage, and knows what condition the brake is in. In addition to the switching condition, temperature and wear, the ROBA®-brake-checker also monitors the pull-in distance or tensile force reserve, i.e. whether the magnet is still able to attract the armature disk. With the new module, substantially more parameter are thus depicted than with microswitches and sensors. On reaching the tensile force reserve, the ROBA®-brake-checker emits a warning signal early enough so that a certain operating time for the brake is still possible. In addition to the signal itself, the module can also supply - in an advanced version - for example through an optical interface, data on the switching time, the current, the voltage, the resistance, the power and the relative attraction current. The latter permits conclusions to be drawn regarding critical brake operating conditions. Using an evaluation programme, the customer can see whether everything is running smoothly or whether there is work that needs to be done. For example, an air gap which has become too large is detected in good time. Safety becomes visible, so to speak. Maintenance becomes plannable – the system operator or manufacturer is able to undertake maintenance in a targeted manner, aligned to their working processes. Furthermore, in case of problems, the error output also makes remote maintenance possible. Ready for installation and easy to integrate With its ROBA®-brake-checker, mayr® power transmission is the only company to have an intelligent solution for the sensorless monitoring of electromagnetic brakes in its standard portfolio. "Users are able to integrate the module easily and quickly into machines and systems without having to intervene in the 'converter' or 'control' components", explains Product Manager Andreas Merz. "In this way they don’t take any risks as they don’t have to validate limit values and data themselves. We supply the ROBA®-brake-checker ready for installation and test all values beforehand. For users, this means a plug-and-play solution, so to speak." mayr ® power transmission at the SPS 2019 in Nuremberg: Hall 4, Stand 278