SmarActs Exchangeable Drive-Units (EDUs) are the solution for all industrial and high availability applications of stick-slip piezo drives.
The crucial stick-slip piezo motor is housed in a robust Drive-Unit which can be easily exchanged by customers without the necessity to remove the payload from the stage or the stage itself from the positioning system. Until now, the entire stage had to be removed from the positioning system and sent back for service and repair when the friction element of the drive became worn or the drive showed a malfunction. Previously, this lead to a longer downtime of the positioning system.
With SmarAct EDUs service intervals of piezo stick-slip stages can be planned and downtime is reduced to only a few minutes while exchanging the piezo motor of the stage. The unique and patented Drive-Units are available for linear stages in the CLS Product Series and high load tables in the CHS Product Series as well as in complete positioning systems, from serial multi-axis systems up to highly complex parallel kinematics like the hexapod-like the SMARPOD.The Exchangeable Drive-Units have been designed to directly add value for customers in many ways:
Serviceable On-Site
The Exchangeable Drive-Units are factory-tested and preset so that one only needs to remove two screws to replace the module. The sophisticated design of the EDUs makes the exchange a simple task that can be performed by the user without a service technician.
Upgradeable and Futureproof The concept of Exchangeable Drive-Units also allows to adapt stages to new usage scenarios or new drive technologies. This enables users to tune their positioning systems by exchanging the core components that defines speed, strength and accuracy whenever requirements change.
Planable Service Intervals Due to the simplicity of the mounting process of the EDUs, their exchange can be planned and synchronized with other maintenance tasks on the components of the machine or assembly line. As EDUs are shipped in a sealed and stockable packaging, EDUs could become a part of a scheduled maintenance.
Reduced Downtime Stages equipped with EDUs do not need to be removed from the positioning system when exchanging a Drive-Unit. Therefore, taught poses, saved positions and calibration data stay valid even when exchanging the core component of a stage.
One for Many Exchangeable Drive-Units are interchangeable across compatible product series. This allows users to stock EDUs to have spare parts ready when they are needed.
Cost-Effective Solution
Compared to the acquisition costs of complete stages as spares, EDUs are only a fraction of the costs.
Compatibility EDUs are currently available in SmartAct’s new product series of CLS linear stages and CHS lifting stages. All CLS and CHS stages are drop-in replacements for their SLS and SHL counterparts. This makes CLS and CHS stages a part of the SmarAct Modular System as they share connecting elements, mounting hole patterns and outer dimensions with the SLS and SHL product series. Stages equipped with EDUs are fully compatible with all SmarAct Control Systems which guarantees an easy integration into already existing positioning systems and control infrastructure.