Powerful performance

The polyurethane timing belt SYNCHROFLEX^® GEN III drives load/unload robots

Excellent abrasion resistance, higher stiffness, identical constructional space, notably lower elongation and, last but not least the up to 25 % higher power transmission compared to other drive belts stood behind the decision of the Austrian Advanced Engineering Industrie GmbH in Hallein to equip the drive of their load/unload robot MOV 650 as standard with SYNCHROFLEX^® GEN III timing belts from the Mulco Group. No less than twelve of these polyurethane high-performance timing belts with their typical red colour ensure the drive of the MOV 650, used by renown PCB manufacturing companies, especially in the Asian markets.

Josef Moser, Managing Director of Advanced Engineering Industrie Automation GmbH in Hallein/Austria is an unusual man with unusual high-tech products. His founded views and knowledge of the IT markets in East Asia go against the tides, in the same way as the fact that he finds his target groups precisely where others view their future in relocating their production: China, Thailand, India. These are the countries of destination for Moser’s load/unload robot MOV 650, which, in most cases, is integrated in the production lines of PCB manufacturers. For Moser this does not present a contradiction, but is the logical consequence of the automation process which is in its early stages in Asia.

For instance, the MOV 650 takes over the PCBs from the chemical etching process to transfer them to so-called magazines intended to ensure their on-going transport. The centring unit of the MOV 650 moving in 4 axes are driven and controlled by a sophisticated system including polyurethane high-performance timing belts of the new SYNCHROFLEX GEN III generation from ContiTech.

Recently, a SYNCHROFLEX GEN III with the AT5 profile has replaced the timing belt previously used in the MOV 650, the reason being that it offers optimum anti-abrasion properties, a power transmission that is up to 25 % higher, and a notably longer operating life. During the development of the drive solution, Advanced Engineering Industrie Automation GmbH was actively supported and consulted by the technical drive specialists from Haberkorn Ulmer GmbH / Vienna. Haberkorn, as also ContiTech, is one of the 17 partner companies of Mulco-Europe EWIV, one of the leading groups specialising in polyurethane timing belt technology.

„MOV 650 is a convincing example for the advantages of the new polyurethane timing belt GEN III“, says engineer Josef Beranek, Head of the Belt Systems Division at Haberkorn Antriebstechnik in Vienna, and refers to the load/unload robot’s later application in a clean room atmosphere. „In this atmosphere, the operating conditions are plus/minus 12 µm. MOV 650 is the only timing belt driven robot fulfilling this specification with regard to abrasion behaviour”. A human’s hair has an average thickness of 50 µm, adds Josef Moser. Load/unload robots built by competitors guide their centring units on tracks and operate with compressed air. This is said to pre-program increased abrasion.

12 PCBs per minute

It is not without pride that Managing Director Moser stresses that the concept-finding of the load/unload robot was dominated by the attempt to “simplify the entire system while maintaining maximum possible flexibility”. In contrast to the competition, MOV 650 is capable of accommodating different magazines up to a maximum PCB dimension of 650 x 650 mm and a piece weight of 4 kg. The robot can transport up to 12 PCBs per minute.

It was a conscious decision to use stepping motors to control the centring unit whose arms can be moved clockwise. Other than servo drives, they offer a considerably higher safety moment, because their torque steeply drops and the machine comes to an “abrupt” halt in the event of a malfunction. An ideal complement to the patent pending design is the use of the SYNCHROFLEX GEN III timing belts. „It surely was not the red colour of the GEN III that convinced us“, says a smiling Moser and refers to the „highly increased rigidity of the powertrain“, which he relates to the more rigid polyurethane mix as well as to the closer wound cord tension members responsible for the extremely low elongation. Thanks to the bifilar tension member coiling and given the small construction space available, the design chosen to include the GEN III offers optimum belt guidance. The high tensile strength of the GEN III results in decisive vibration reduction of the robot arms. A total of 12 GEN III operate in the MOV 650. The longest of them measuring more than 3000 millimetres, ensures the linear movement of the robot unit.

Optimum GEN III solution

In earlier test arrangements, experiments were initially carried out with other timing belts and aluminium pulleys. „They required a notably higher belt pre-tension“, adds Josef Beranek. Problems encountered with wandering off and baking on of the belts could only be remedied by today’s use of the SYNCHROFLEX GEN III in combination with hard-anodised pulleys made by the Mulco Group. A further highly welcome effect of the GEN III is seen by the developers in the higher hardness of the polyurethane mix, which permits a distribution of the circumferencial force to a number of load bearing teeth increased by up to 30 %. „As a result, we gain a much higher positioning precision“.

Since 1991, Advanced Engineering Industry Automation GmbH in Hallein has been specialising world wide in component fitting in PCB production. The specialists from Hallein supply the who-is-who of the industry, such as, for instance, Siemens, Fujitsu, hp or Würth Electronic. „Mylar Remover“ based in the picturesque town close to Salzburg are among the world leaders in their segment. Josef Moser predicts “more than 100 application possibilities” for the load/unload robot MOV 650 as a result of its high flexibility and design versatility. Although the “development phase was long and intensive”, they have reached a point where the entire package has been effectively rounded off by the use of the SYNCHROFLEX GEN III.

Generally, the SYNCHROFLEX GEN III offers the following decisive advantages:

• Red high-performance polyurethane mix.
• Bifilar steel cord tension members, closer wound cords.
• Dimensional precision and high stress resistance.
• Excellent straight run behaviour.
• Maintenance free operation, extreme abrasion resistance.
• Especially suited for high torque drives.
• Temperature resistance up to + 100° C.
• Resistant to petrol, simple fats and oils.
• The higher hardness distributes the circumferential force to a number of load bearing teeth increased by up to 30%.

Hanover, April 2006
Mulco-Europe EWIV