Ann Arbor, Michigan – The overall height of a gantry robot depends not only on the support structure but also on the length of the vertical axis when in the raised position. Low ceilings in some manufacturing environments, combined with a long vertical axis will always present significant challenges to gantry designers. Gu¨del, however, now offers an elegant and practical solution that meets all requirements in terms of load capacity, service life, safety, and ease of maintenance with their new optimized telescopic vertical axis.
Until now, telescopic axis design has had inherent limitations, including a payload as much as 50% less than a standard axis. In addition, older telescopic axis designs leave little room for enhancements to safety, functionality monitoring, or other configuration options, such as an integral rotate axis.
To overcome the drawbacks and restrictions of traditional telescopic axes, Gu¨del has launched a fundamentally revised telescopic axis design featuring improved weight capacity, dynamics, and safety.
The new design is equivalent to a standard fixed axis, with the same payload – a 50% increase in payload compared to the previous telescopic axis, due to its double profile tube construction. Other advantages include a second toothed belt providing additional security for the inner carrier profile and optical monitoring of both belts.
A space-saving design allows integrating a safety brake into the telescopic axis. The new variant is also maintenance friendly for changing rollers, belts, or the guide carriages.