trends in automation

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Further information and animations can be
found at
The power consumption of the coolers
that we use is 80 W in full-load opera­
tion. When the required temperature
of –180 °C is reached, however, pow­
er consumption can be reduced.
trends in automation: What has
been your most surprising moment
in the project so far?
Krichel: I always enjoy touching a
levitating magnetic puck and feeling
the forces that hold it in place. That’s why I try to bring customers
directly into contact with our systems, although you do have to
be careful when handling the magnets – the forces are immense.
You have to experience it for yourself to truly appreciate it.
Schauz: If you were to tell an engineer that he
can only work with electric currents and cannot use
electric voltage or resistance, his initial reaction
would be one of shock. Superconductors operate
in a very demanding physical range, which differs
enormously from the real world that we live in. We
suddenly find ourselves in an entirely unfamiliar
branch of physics, and the approaches that we are
adopting in product development are extremely
exciting.
trends in automation:
So what happens next?
Krichel: We have countless ideas that
we could spend years working on in
our development laboratory. Our chal­
lenge is to take the most promising
ideas and to develop them into the auto­
mation products of tomorrow. That is
why we are asking customers who are
interested to contact us. We look for­
ward to receiving their suggestions and
the opportunity to exchange ideas.
In the SupraShaker (see picture), a plate levitates above a cryostat containing superconductors. An electric motor with
eccentric cam converts this into a shaking motion via a magnetic coupling. In addition, by transferring a magnetic field it can
be tilted in any direction. The gap between the plate and the automation system ensures that the tool and the machine are
mechanically separated, and prevents vibrations from being transmitted to the entire system. More information about the
individual concepts can be found at
At Hannover Messe 2017, Festo presented three exciting new
concepts for using superconductor technology in industrial
applications. In these concepts, superconductivity supports the
highly dynamic operation of a levitating slide as well as a levi­
tating vibration system with tilting option. They also show how
superconductor technology can be easily combined with other
transport systems. All of the exhibits draw on the unique proper­
ties of superconductors, which allow a levitating motion that
combines low energy consumption and high efficiency.
SupraShaker, SupraLoop, SupraDrive
SupraShaker: one of three new future concepts
1.2017 trends in automation
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