Posted to News on 20th Aug 2013, 14:27
Cost-effective DRRD semi-rotary drive with high performance
Festo is promoting its cost-effective and versatile DRRD semi-rotary drive that offers excellent precision, stiffness and load capacity. Using an innovative bearing design, the twin-piston DRRD actuator is claimed to handle higher loads with exceptional accuracy, enabling engineers and OEMs to improve the performance of their equipment. Furthermore, a broad choice of sizes and options means the versatile DRRD offers additional benefits for machine builders.
A key feature of the DRRD actuators is the integrated external shock absorbers that increase the maximum mass moment of inertia by up to four times compared with previous technologies. As a result, engineers can move higher loads with greater dynamics or, alternatively, specify a smaller drive to move the same load, thereby saving space and cost.
The Festo DRRD semi-rotary actuator combines the bearing and flange into one functional element and therefore benefits from a larger bearing size and increased stiffness for the whole product. The rotary drive provides torque up to 110Nm and rotation up to 200 degrees. In addition, it has a mid-position so it can be stopped at any angle between 0 and 90 degrees, which increases flexibility for machine builders.
Rotary actuators are often sized using torque rather than inertia, but this has the potential to cause premature failure in traditional technologies with internal damping. Festo's DRRD features external damping that enables users to move higher loads and stop more accurately, providing a longer-lasting, more robust and reliable option.
DRRD model variants
The DRRD is available in a large range of variants, giving customers the choice of drive to best suit their application. Options include an end lock variant that provides an axis-locking safety function in safety-critical applications. The DRRD semi-rotary drive can be fitted with inductive or magnetic position sensors to provide positional feedback. An IP65 sealed variant is also available for reliable operation in harsh environments.
The rotary actuators are suitable for precise positioning in handling applications across a wide range of industries including food manufacturing, processing and packaging.
Nigel Dawson, the product manager at Festo, comments: "At Festo we have extensive knowledge of the challenges faced in handling applications and have developed the new DRRD rotary drive with an excellent price/performance ratio. The high stiffness, precision, inbuilt shock absorbers and external damping options mean that the DRRD can turn higher loads than alternative drive systems and stop more accurately, bringing rotation function to a new high level of performance and flexibility."
For more information about the DRRD semi-rotary actuator go to www.festo.co.uk/drrd, or to find out more about Festo's pneumatic and electric automation products go to www.festo.co.uk.
